Another Face in the Crowd

Everyone has a story. 

Sometimes, when I am walking down the street or in a mall, I can't help but wonder, when I see different people, what their story is. How did you two meet? or  What was your mom like? or Where did you go to school?

Buncombe County promotes health and fitness. One of their incentives is to allow all of their employees to walk for twenty minutes during the workday and it's "free"; in other words, it doesn't cut into the lunch hour. And so we four paralegals take a daily walk around Asheville. It's great fun and I look forward to it each morning. We all don our walking shoes and off we go, traipsing the sidewalks through town and spiraling back until, twenty minutes later, we're at the back door of the building where we work. I always am clueless: Where are we? Four weeks later and I still haven't quite figured out how these girls know where they are going...but we always manage to get back on time and in just the right place.

Anyway, yesterday one of the girls needed to stop by the bank and so three of us waited outside while she did her thing. I don't think any of us said a word--just stood quietly on the sidewalk and watched people go by. One of them was this comical guy wearing quite loud socks up to his knees, hair braided down the center of his back. A family of three walked by, the little girl reaching up for all she was worth to hold her daddy's hand. So refreshing. 

After a few minutes of the three of us standing there, Caroline said, I just love people-watching.

It fascinates me how we are all so alike. We all have childhoods that resonate (hopefully) with parents and friends and a place to call home. We all have a love story--meeting our special someone and experiencing the myriad of emotions that brings. We all have trials and joys and philosophies from which we build our lives. And most likely, if we could hear each person's story, we'd understand differences. 

I really like my boss. She is quite young and a bit earthy. She recently married and as I was meeting with her yesterday, she had a picture of her and her husband on her computer screen that I got a glimpse of before she clicked on something she wanted me to see. Her man is quite a looker. I wanted to stare for a second but of course...she's my boss. So I didn't ask her to Hold on. I want to check out your wedding photo!

But as I looked at her picture, I couldn't help but wonder where they met, what life was like in their home. I wonder that often as I meander the halls of the building and peak into various cubicles. Most everyone has pictures of their special someones hanging on their cubicle walls--laughing partners and adorable smiling children. Once in awhile I hear one of the girls in the room talking to her husband on the phone and she's always so cheerful, so warm. And it's then that I want to say, What's your story?

Because, most likely, their relationship wasn't always coming up roses. Most love stories are filled with drama and angst and questions. It's a rare couple--if any--who met, dived into love and then sailed through the wedding without a hitch. 

Recently I was talking to a young girl who is in the beginning stages of love. She can't help but analyze and over-analyze every twitch of feeling that she has. I get that. How well I remember asking people What's it like to fall in love? How do you know if you're really in love? Sometimes media makes us play tricks on ourselves, expecting our prince to ride in on his white horse and whisk us away, all smiles and flowers and love songs and chocolate.

But it's rarely that simple. Love is filled with stages of questions and wonderings and analyzations. Not every couple that gets together knows from the very first instant (though, of course, there are a few out there, Tammy Vaughan).

Love is a journey and each story is unique and beautiful in its own rite. And really...who doesn't love a good love story? But for that matter, we are each one big story. We each have common experiences and realities that, if you break them apart, aren't that different from anyone else's...and yet....

The truth is, our lives are built on experiences that are uniquely ours. We are a composite of the day to day...

...the memories, the dreams, the tragedies, the joys, the failures, the conversations--

...that all create perceptions that build our lives. 

And no journey is like another's.

It's our own very personal, very unique story...

And yet--we're just another face in the crowd.