Tonight I took some time for me. I decided that I was going to walk down to 2nd street and go to starbucks and read my new Lauren Conrad novel. (Don't hate, She's a good writer) I walked the long way down there to find the first starbucks to be closed. I really was looking forward to my short toffee nut latte so I proceeded to continue down 2nd street to see if the other one was open. To my relief it was. And it was a nice one. I walked in and ordered my drink and took a seat by a the window facing the street. All the comfy chairs were taken so I had to suck it up and sit at the stools by the window. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem but tonight I wanted to read my book and enjoy my coffee not really worry or watch people. But inevitably we all know what happened. I put my book down after about 10 pages and did one of the things I do best. I watched people and analyzed.
It's one of my favorite things to do. People watching. I love to look at people and based off of what they look like and what they are doing I try to figure out there life. It's quite entertaining if you ask me. People watching is an art that is only done well in certain places. This starbucks in the midst of 2nd street was prime people watching territory. These are some of the people I came across.
1. two men who seemed to be a little off. they sat on the benches right in front of me. It was a little weird because when I say right in front of me that's really what I mean. If the window between us wasn't there it would seem that we were disturbing each others personal space. One of the men looked like a had been a little roughed up in his like. He wore thick rimmed glasses, a trucker hat that he pulled down to right above his eyes and he had a long silver beard. He was rather short but slender. The other man man was a larger man who was wearing shorts and a hawaiian button-up shirt. He was drinking a grande green tea latte frap. They seemed to be friends.
2. A man pulled up right in front of the starbucks with a large truck. When I saw large I mean that I would have to heave myself with a little jump to get into this thing, or at least have a decent size stepping stool. The truck barely fit into the parking space. The man looked like he was a business man with a good amount of money but me wore shorts, collared shirt and a hoodie. I'm guessing this was his afterwork hang out clothes. After he parked, very carefully I might add, he walked around the car so he was on the side walk in front of where I was sitting and he seemed to be talking to the two other men. He open one of the doors of the truck and pulled out a big box and brought it over to the men and set it down in between the two men. It seemed like they all knew each other or they were all very friendly guys. The man started going through the stuff with them and throwing some stuff away and giving them others. This man seemed like one of those people who had a family and a busy life and but this was part of his way of giving back and loving the people of Long Beach. Not that he was trying to change the whole world but just get to know some of the people in his city. I would love to say that this man was a Christian and he was just trying to love on these guys but i'm not sure if this was the case. I hope and pray that it was though. The best way of sharing Jesus is by showing his love.
3. Next to add to our group of friends we had the officers. One was a short asian man and the other was a tall african american man. Both of them were wearing what looked like normal officer gear on top but I noticed that the asian officer was wearing JEANS! Light washed jeans. I was amazed and confused. Then I noticed that the other officer was wearing jeans too but just a dark wash. I was giggling so hard in my head and trying to keep it from coming out. I also noticed that just under where the pin that said the officers names it said GANG ENFORCEMENT. I giggled at that as well. Have you even seen that? Then I started to think I wonder if the reason that they were wearing jeans was because they were just in undercover stuff and they didn't want to change there pants so they kept them on. What if they just took down the largest gang in Long Beach and now they were on a break for the night. You never know.
What I found funny about these men was that although they didn't know each other that didn't stop them from talking for about 45 minutes or more. I don't know what they were talking about but I can imagine it was just on life stuff. These men were all from very different walks of life but it didn't matter. They had there coffee and and were just chatting away.
4. Two ladies walked by and they looked like they just got back from a club. My guess is that they were at one of the many bars along the 2nd street strip. When they walked by the guys they talked to the african american officer like he was famous or something. They shook his hand and were flirting it up. I was so confused. Then after about a minute they walked away. It was the strangest thing.
5. The last pair of people I would like to share with you were they two dudes. They were both african american but one was short like my height of shorter and the other one was a least 7 foot. He was a huge brotha. What I found interesting was the shorter on was wearing baby phat clothes that fit him super huge and the larger guy wore nicely fitting clothes. I came tothis conclusion. The shorter guy was trying to make up for his size by trying to be all ghetto and wearing cloths that were obviously too big for him. He was sort of saying, "Come try and touch me, I'll take you out." As oppose to the taller guy who could say the same thing but he doesn't even need to because we all know you are an idiot if you tried. He would murder you with like one hand.
The thing that stood out for me tonight as I was watching people and analyzing or judging them was that everyone puts there identity in something. Weather it's there clothes, belongings, there job, friends or home. For me I find that I but my belonging, my identity in helping others. In what I can do for them. And I don't say this to make make myself sound better than anybody but I say it that that is what is hurting me. I identify myself with helping others when i should be identifying myself as a daughter of the king, as God's girl and as a follower of Jesus Christ. My identity should be found in Him. This is something that it took my roommate, Misty, who let me cry my problems to her to say that I need to find my identity in Christ. She told me to go on a walk, do something that gave me alone time with God.
At the time the first thing I thought to do was go over to my piano and play. And I did. Then I picked up my guitar. It was so awesome to feel God through music. After a time of my being alone with God I decided to talk a walk and get some coffee. I took the most relaxing and fun walk down to the 2nd street Starbucks. I listened to my worship on the way down the street at I looked out onto the ocean. I made it to Starbucks and this is where I met these interesting people. So in short I say that I know my identity is in Christ and it took me trying to figure out other people's identity's to truly figure out what mine is. I am God's girl. He's got my back. It's good to know!
