I recently took a cross-country flight, and after finishing a book I'd been working on for months, I found my self people-watching.  It used to be one of my favorite things to do in malls and airports, but once the kids came along . . . let's just say  that wasn't a luxury I could afford.

In the relative quiet and pseudo-solitude, I let my imagination wander into the lives of the strangers around me.  What kind of mother is she?  What type of business does he do?  Is he usually this grouchy?  What is she so tense about?  I wonder why the lady next to me isn't interested in small talk?