Let me tell you a story about my simple interaction with an unexpected person.
I was walking down a street downtown. This street was like any other in countless cities across the country. Shops and restaurants all around. Cars left, right, and center. People getting picked up, laughter, the joy of being out in public with a purpose, or with no purpose in the world, it didn’t really matter.
With the recent lifting of certain mandates, this area was particularly bustling as the pandemic started to appear to come under control. You could sense in the movements of others what a special treat this was. To be living, to be out, to see people, to shop, to dine. All the things that had been taken for granted for so long. Each and every person, purpose or not, had their own reasons for being there. A thousand unique actors.
As I walked back to the parking lot where my car was located, I saw someone standing idly, looking out toward the street. He appeared to be waiting for a ride. I would have paid the stranger no mind, I should have paid the stranger no mind, I still have no idea what made me double-take. Maybe I subconsciously noticed the chisel of a jaw line, noticeable even under the scruff of a beard that had been grown as disguise.
I slowed my pace and inconspicuously tried to get a better look. He was tall and clearly handsome. Wearing sunglasses that were neither flashy nor attention grabbing. A beard… the beard gave it away. Of course, beards weren’t unique, but this one was hiding something.
If you’ve seen 10 movies in the last year, there is little chance you hadn’t seen this man. He was the movie star. He was the lead man. He was “What women wanted and what men wanted to be,” yada yada. It was startling. What was he doing here? Like a narwal caught in the middle of the street, how did this happen? And yet, he was not a narwhal. He was a man. Just as at home on this street corner as any other man, except, that was the thing, right? He wasn’t any other man.
I walked with new purpose.
“Hello, my name is Brayden. Where do you currently stand on shaking hands?” The pandemic world we lived in made this a newly common question.
He looked over curiously, “Hello..” he said, trying to gauge who I was to him and why he was being spoken to. He withheld his name, for obvious reasons.
“I introduce myself instead of saying, ‘are you’ because I like to think it would help you feel a little more like a normal guy, which you apparently want with that beard. Of course, maybe I’m just like 90% of people and try to treat you normal when of course my approach right now is not normal, and you yourself are not normal.”
I hoped to be unique in my introduction for a chance at starting a memorable conversation. Did I just insult his beard? He looked at me for a moment. I imagined he was trying to gauge if I was a crazy fan that he should be wary of.
“Is the beard that obvious?” He said, with a slight smile.
Interesting. Not too busy for us little people.
“Well, there are beards and then there are disguises. Yours looks like it has a purpose.” This seemed to tickle him. He laughed jovially. I continued, “I’m sorry for the weird introduction, was going for unique. The line between unique and weird is so fine.”
“It is indeed,” he said. He continued, “The question is, would you ever greet a stranger on the street this way if that stranger wasn’t me?”
“No, I wouldn’t,” I replied. “As stated, you are not normal.”
“I guess I’m not, as you implied, I wish I was, sometimes.”
“Only sometimes?”
“Maybe a more often than sometimes. Since we’re ankle deep into this interesting conversation, what makes me unique?”
I thought for a moment. “You’re known. Like you pointed out, I’d never do this with another stranger unless I had a purpose. I guess the purpose with greeting you was your inherent uniqueness.”
“You say being known makes me unique, doesn’t it make me less so?”
“Interesting question. I guess it’s how you define unique.”
He quickly expounded, as if this was something he had spent some time considering. “I would consider unique as one of a kind. In that sense I would consider myself the opposite of unique. ‘I’m known’ you say. I know nothing about you. I know nothing about that person.” He pointed to someone walking by. “I know nothing about that person.” He pointed at a blonde woman in high heels entering a vehicle. “Me being known makes me the opposite of unique. I’m surrounded by uniqueness. Every individual is unique. Every person here is walking their own path, has their own dreams, has children, has a bad day, has a good day, has love, has angst, has fear. In short, every person here thinks they’re the center of the universe. Isn’t that interesting?”
“It is interesting. And yet, if any of those people saw you, they might stop and change their course to get an autograph, say hi, or start a strange existential conversation.”
He laughed at this. “I am less unique than any person on this street. That is exactly what makes humanity beautiful.”
