Paparazzi for the Non-Famous/More Than My Own/Ramblings: Have you noticed how long-winded I'm getting?

I love taking candid photographs of other people without their knowledge (whoops!) and then posting them on the internet without their permission (whoops!) But before you go suing me, let me at least explain. For one, this little hobby of mine satisfies, at least in part, my childhood dream of becoming a private detective. My sister and I used to get out our Mom's badass binoculars and spy on people in an attempt to catch glimpses of neighboring lives through windows until our Mom caught us and said we shouldn't do that anymore. Later, my friend Amanda and I would go into alleyways with walkie talkies, doing investigative work, gathering clues, making up stories about the lives of the people we came across. It was soooo much fun! I really like being sneaky. I used to play this little sneaking game with Champ, the family dog. You see, she was very sharp in her prime, with the most keen sense of hearing. She could hear my Dad coming home in our family's little blue volkswagen bug when he was still a mile away from pulling in the driveway. Granted, that car was very loud, but still, it was impressive. So, I played this little game where I would wait until she fell asleep and then try very hard to exit the room without her waking up, tiptoeing ever so slowly and softly. It hardly ever worked, I'm telling you that dog had amazing ears. Somehow, though, it was really fun for me. (I'm easily entertained.) These days I get my kicks (whilst improving my sneaking skills) by trying to take pictures of strangers without them realizing that I am taking their picture. The main reason I do this, though, is that I like the idea of capturing little moments in other people's lives. Some people may think it is obtrusive and unkind, but I see it as a way of honoring the existence of others. I've always been curious about the lives of others. So, when blogs came along I was in hog heaven. I love getting little glimpses into other people's lives, hearing their stories, their triumphs and struggles. I think blogging promotes connectivity and empathy, which in my opinion, are always good things. I remember when I first found Ruth how excited I was just to know that she was in the world. Seriously, you can ask Jason if you don't believe me. I always tell him stories about Ruth like I'm talking about my best friend. "Lesley's getting married!" "Jason, did you know that Don has never walked through a door ahead of Ruth? Isn't that just the sweetest thing? Also, how come you don't do that?" It's so easy to get caught up in our own lives and to focus too much on ourselves. I think the more we know about each other, the more we are aware of each other, the easier it will be for us to get along. It's so easy, especially in a city like Melbourne, to begin to see others as nuisances. Sometimes, you just want to get where you're going and don't want to be bothered by the guy on the corner asking for money, by the charity worker asking for a moment of your time, by the old man with the cane holding up the show. Seriously, it takes some mad maneuvering just to get down the sidewalk sometimes. But I really think it's important, especially as our planet gets more and more densely populated, that we not see others as nuisances, as abstractions, as means, but always, always, always as an end, as whole people who have just as much of a right to be here as you. So, I like to do a lot of people watching and a lot of candid stranger picture taking to remind myself of you and you and you and to get my mind off me, me, me. So, that's why I do it, okay? Please don't be mad at me. I do it because I love you.

What is the greatest gift?

What is the greatest gift?

Could it be the world itself-the oceans, the meadowlark,

the patience of the trees in the wind?

Could it be love, with its sweet clamor of passion?

Something else-something else entirely

holds me in thrall.
That you have a life that I wonder about
more than I wonder about my own.
That you have a life -courteous, intelligent-

that I wonder about more than I wonder about my own.
That you have a soul-your own, no one else's-

that I wonder about more than I wonder about my own.
So that I find my soul clapping its hands for yours

more than my own.

-Mary Oliver

P.S. This reminds me, if you haven't seen the film, The Lives of Others, I think you probably should.