A true account of Double Dutch

I decided to leave my house after spending the last few days sick in bed to grab some fresh air. Usually an event like this would lead a person to choose a somewhat presentable outfit followed by the goal of getting the blood pumping by walking or jogging to a certain checkpoint. That day my goal was to get my hands on some juicy fashion and tabloid magazines also known as brain candy.

Unlike the majority of weekends in Holland, this one was fair, meaning it had not rained yet. To mix things up, I decided to take a left instead of heading straight, a move that would enable me to strut my stuff through the park and eventually reach the tram stop.
A simple shift but surely enough something strikes me within seconds. Picture this: a tall woman dressed in black pushing a black baby stroller while talking on her blackberry. Couple this with: a mini copy of the woman in pretty pink pushing a pink baby stroller while using a green leaf as a mobile device. Punch line: the child was more into her make-belief conversation than her own mother was.

After a good 15 minutes, I get off my tram and head through to the bookstore. Might I add, it’s Sunday and everyone has decided to get out and walk through the city. I found myself walking behind a darker skinned woman dressed in a poufy jacket and her child who happened to also be dressed the same way. The woman was looking around aimlessly at what I consider a rather low-end shopping district filled with shops carrying everything but really nothing. Interestingly but not shockingly, I notice that mini-poufy is pivoting around her mother’s hand mimicking that exact pointless stare.

What does this mean? I feel as if we are forming our children in the most unnoticed ways. Implication: Monkey see, monkey do. Questions start pouring into my mind. Will this child become like her mother? Can we be so quick to judge that she will become one of those urban teen groupies? How about pretty in pink? Is she going to become addicted a work-a-holic multitasking power woman? No one can say for sure, but I am convinced there is some trend.
What I find astounding these days is how much people function in twos. Not only have they developed some interconnected coordination but also they act as if they were one. Take a walk down a busy street and look at all the people. If you can find anyone unique to his/her self, I will congratulate you. Sure, they exist but there is no doubt that more and more “couples” are mimicking one another without even knowing it.

After breathing in a double dose of like mother -like daughter, I decided to bring my attention towards the right side of the street. At this point, I witnessed a married couple taken back at the sight of boutique X. I cannot tell why as this boutique was indeed no Chanel or Pucci, but they made quite the face as they leaned back and kept their hands close to their stomachs. The usual saying is old married couple but this did not apply. Despite their probable combined age of 100… these older Dutchies imitated a pair of young children who just discovered homework for the very first time. They were not frightened but indeed very concerned. I wonder who is really the concerned one? For goodness sakes, my parents have done it many times too. One has a concern and or reaction and very shortly out of “response routine” the other snaps into it too. Since when does being married imply copy my wife’s reaction or vice versa?
There we have it… Two strikingly identical Dutch reactions, two sets of similar Dutch outfits… I have witnessed a real annotation of Double Dutch.

My final observation comes shortly after I enter a trendy shoe shop. A substantially younger couple walks in and shoe exploration begins. Both heads seriously glancing around from side to side only to find THE shoe worthwhile of picking up and showing the other for approval or rejection. I suppose every person is a victim of such shoe-shopping behavior but I cannot help noticing it so shortly after the other three situations. Does the young woman want the shoe or not? If she really loved the shoe would she care to display it for approval? I remember buying my first pair Chanel heels, approval or not, those were my shoes.

Time to heading towards my coffee and tabloid heaven and recharge with a basic flavored cappuccino…As I it by the window I watch people walk by talking, laughing and contemplating issue number 1090320943094, 109032093095 and so on. Feeling: Good because people are enjoying this Sunday as much as I am. Final thoughts: It’s become clear to me that people need companionship. However, human interaction is so far more complex than we think it is. Let us not forget to think for ourselves, speak our minds and act in our own manner. Moreover, let us realize that our children are always watching and mimicking us because they simply do not know any better. Perhaps it is time for double the effort, double the attention and double that shot of espresso for us to think about what we want, our actions and our the effect we have on our doubles.

A new blog tool

I am delighted and excited to engage in a new blogging journey.
I hope it will stir up some thoughts and comments from all corners of the world.