Have you ever driven by somebody’s house who had the TV playing and for that split second, slowed down to see what they were watching? Also related and almost as fun: driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic behind someone who has a movie playing on their in-car DVD player. Anyway – in my neighborhood, there’s a house around the block that’s notorious for constantly having their TV on, so whenever I drive by, I try to sneak a glimpse of Wheel of Fortune or the Cubs game or whatever they have on that day.
I had always wondered why this intrigued me. It’s just a TV show. I could easily throw myself down on my couch at home and within a few deft clicks of the remote, I too could be watching Pat Sajak crush somebody’s dreams when he reads off ‘R – S – T – L – N – E’ only for Vanna to reveal no letters. Before I let the inner game show lover in me sneak out, I’ll move along with my thoughts.
On a flight home, as we broke through the last layer of clouds, I had a breakthrough (no pun intended – although I do love a good pun). As all the buildings started to come into focus, I realized it’s not about the TV show. It’s not about the movie that is playing on the miniature DVD player in the backseat of the car. It’s all about the little worlds.
Every house. Every office building . Every tiny little car that zig-zagged on the tiny little roads. Each a little world in and of itself. When you slow down and catch that moment of afternoon television through a stranger’s living room window, you are almost a part of a little world besides your own for a second. It’s exciting – and when you start thinking about it you can’t stop because there are little worlds everywhere around you. I wondered: do other people wonder what my little world is like when they are stuck behind me at a stop light or when I am seated in the window of a street-side restaurant?
When you think about it for too long, it starts to become daunting because you start thinking about all the little worlds that are coexisting and then you start to wonder how it’s possible and how you are going to get a glimpse of as many little worlds as possible. The next phase is starting to realize everyone is too focused on their own little world to realize that there are all of these other ones out there.
Next time you are walking down the street, you’ll hopefully have a lot more to think about than how ugly that woman’s shoes are or how you hope it doesn’t rain because you forgot your umbrella at home. Although, to be perfectly honest, I can’t stand an ugly pair of shoes, and if you forgot your umbrella at home, it probably will rain. I think that much is true in everybody’s little world.