The People We Pass By

Welcome to My wayward musings.  

I have always been fascinated by people.

Not just the famous and powerful ones. 

But also the ordinary people who quietly move through our lives every day, often unnoticed, carrying stories we will never hear and burdens we will never fully understand.

This collection was born from stolen moments of observation, curiosity, small conversation and imagination. A reminder that every face we pass has a story, every life has its battles, and every brief encounter holds the possibility of kindness.

These are a few reflections on the people we pass by.

 ________________________________________________________________________________

01. THE MAN WHO KNEW

 Every morning, he arrived before most people. Long before the rush began.

He knew who left home angry, whose son had moved abroad, whose daughter had topped her exams, and whose marriage was quietly falling apart.

He has seen fresh graduates arrive nervous on their first day and senior executives leave after their last. He watched the diplomacy, the frustration hidden behind smiling faces, the excitement of big dreams, the strongest moments and the weakest. He was present during arguments, quick follow-up meetings, cold wars, and secret 'friendships'

He heard snippets of conversations. Half-finished phone calls. Excited whispers. Tearful confessions.

People rarely noticed him.

Some nodded politely. Some ignored him completely. Some shared stories without realizing they were being heard.....Yet, nobody really knew him.

One heavy rainy day, as lights flickered and went off, people began to panic.

Just then a voice said, "Ghabraiye mat. Maine is building ko isse bhi bure tufanon ka saamna karte dekha hai. Sab theek hai." The employees were confused.

The doors opened with a familiar ding.

Only then did they realize. The voice wasn't of a philosopher. He was the lift man.

The silent witness to hundreds of lives, moving up and down, day after day...just like the lift he operated.

A job with no windows. Barely enough space to stretch his legs. The same walls, the same buttons, the same journey up and down, day after day.

For many, it would be a blank steel canvas painted in shades of boredom.

But he chose otherwise.

He filled it with stories.

The next time you step into an office lift, look up from your phone.

A simple smile or greeting may be the warmest part of someone's workday.

 __________________________________________________________________________________

02. THE WOMAN WHO STAYED STANDING

Her feet start hurting long before her shift ends.

There are many empty chairs before her yet no chairs waiting for her. Even a washroom break isn't hers to take whenever she wishes; it comes only after asking permission and finding the right moment.

Yet what keeps her going is curiosity.

Every day she watches hundreds of strangers.

A child excited about an ice cream. A tired mother eating her meal only after feeding her children. An elderly man sitting with his grown-up children, yet feeling alone. Young students counting ₹10 and ₹20 notes from their pockets and happily sharing a single meal. She has witnessed friendships bloom, first dates begin, and relationships quietly come to an end.

Most of them never notice her.

But she notices them.

And perhaps that is what makes the long hours easier.

The next time you visit a food court, smile at the person cleaning your table and say, "Thank you."

If you can, hand her a small tip, just as you might in a restaurant.

For you, it may be a fleeting moment.

For her, its the feeling that someone noticed.

And sometimes, that is enough to make tired feet feel a little lighter

 ________________________________________________________________________________

03.THE WOMAN WITH THE BRIGHT LIPSTICK

She is impossible to miss.

The bright lipstick. The neatly draped saree. The bangles catching the sunlight. The careful way she checks her reflection before moving on.

Looking good matters to her.

Perhaps because life has rarely been fair.

The people who should have accepted her first were the ones who turned away. Yet today, some of those same people call when the monthly money doesn't arrive on time.

Still, she sends it.

Not because she has forgotten the hurt.

But because her heart is kinder than the world has often been to her.

Every day she meets strangers.

Some avoid eye contact. Some raise their eyebrows, as though they belong to a better world. Some look through her as if she isn't there at all.

Some smile.

A few show kindness.

Those are the faces she remembers.

And those are the people who receive her wholehearted blessings in return.

The next time you stop at a traffic signal and see her walking between vehicles, remember that before she became a stranger at your window, she was simply a child hoping to be accepted.

I am generally against giving money at traffic signals. But when it comes to her, I often find myself making an exception.

Not because I believe begging is the answer.

But because, for many like her, life has not offered the same starting line that it offered most of us. For them rejection arrives long before opportunity does. And basic acceptance has always been a struggle even before adulthood even began.

When dignity, education, employment, and belonging are harder to come by, choices can become limited in ways many of us will never fully understand.

So perhaps, once in a while, a small act of kindness does not weaken our principles.It simply acknowledges that equality and justice have not always been equally distributed.

 ________________________________________________________________________________

04. RACING AGAINST TIME

His day is measured in minutes.

Rain, traffic, potholes, scorching heat....it doesn't matter. Someone, somewhere, is waiting.

Sometimes it's a birthday.

Sometimes it's an anniversary.

Sometimes it's a promotion, a family gathering, or simply the comfort after a difficult day.

Most people see only a few seconds of his journey. A door opens, a quick "thank you," and the door closes again.

But behind that brief moment is a person who has spent long time on the road for someone else's meal arrives warm, icecream arrives frozen, a cake arrives intact, or the little box of happiness reaches the right doorstep.

Yes, we tip, and that's wonderful.

But the next time you're celebrating a birthday, anniversary, promotion, or any special occasion, consider ordering one extra pastry.

When the delivery arrives, hand it to him and say, "This is for you."

For a moment, there may be confusion on his face.

But the look of surprise, followed by a genuine smile, might just become one of the sweetest moments of your celebration.

 __________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for stopping by. Until the next wayward musing, keep noticing the people around you:)

- Sharon

-