Faces in the Crowd

How many faces would you recognize in this crowd at Walt Disney World in Florida? I venture to say not one single one most likely. Well, except for Mickey & Minnie...and Pluto and Goofy...and Cinderella and -- well, you know.

When I frequent very large gatherings (which isn't very often if I have anything to do with it), it amazes me at how many different individuals you can see at one time in one place.  And the part that truly fascinates me?  It is highly likely that I don't know one and have never before seen even one of those persons. The next day I could go to another venue with an equal number of people and the same thing be true. But even more thought-provoking than that is:  If you do see someone in the crowd that you know, you recognize them immediately and maybe even from a good distance away. What is it about the people we do know and recognize that sets them apart?  How is it that from 30 or more feet away we can see our child, husband, friend, or acquaintance and know without a doubt it is them?  It might be their flaming red hair or their gait.  When it comes to faces, most every person's face is generally the same -- two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.  How God can take the same body parts and make every single person so unique has always been a mystery to me.  It is said that even identical twins are not truly identical; there is some marking or variation in each one that makes them exclusive and like no other.  Add to that the mannerisms a person develops, their specific coloring, and things like race and ethnicity, and maybe it's not too hard to understand.  I mean really though?  Three general features on everyone's face, and we all look so totally diffferent.  When a baby is born, we might say, "Oh, she looks just like Aunt Mae" or "She has her father's eyes and her mother's smile."  But as the child grows, we see features that are unique only to their little face.  Some people have recognizable features, like Barbra Streisand's nose or Julia Robert's big toothy smile or Sadie Robertson's big ol' dimples.  I think it's quite good to have a face that is unique and sets you apart.  I tell my daughter to be proud of the small bump in her nose, that it gives her character (she doesn't agree).  At any rate, the combinations of eyes, noses, and mouths are quite endless, wouldn't you say?

I have also heard it said that everyone (even if they are not a biological twin) has a twin somewhere in the world. We all know people who "look like" someone else we know or a famous person perhaps, but I seriously doubt anyone has a real twin when it comes right down to it.  I mean, sometimes we think we see someone we know or someone who appears to look just like another, only to get closer and realize it is not who we thought. We see their face is similar, but somehow different.  One time I even thought I saw myself driving along in another vehicle when I was out running errands (yes, I really did just say that).  I mean, I knew it wasn't me, because I am me and I was in my car, not hers, but it was a lady that even I thought looked like me! My parents told a story once about being on vacation out west and seeing a woman in a restaurant that reminded them so much of me, they ended up apologizing to her when they left because they couldn't keep from staring. Maybe that girl is my twin!  Maybe she is out there somewhere!  I think I really just have one of those faces that everybody thinks looks like somebody.  Hmm, not sure that's a good thing.

Recently I've noticed that it's getting more and more common for me to go into a store or restaurant in my own town and not see one person I know.  Maybe that's really not uncommon in a town of 15,000, which is considered I think a small to mid-sized town.  But it's totally bigger than, say, Lost Springs, Wyoming with a popluation of less than 20 (according to Google).  And my town is tiny compared to a metropolis like New York City with over eight million individuals.  Do those people ever randomly run into folks they know?  I seriously doubt it.  But it is possible because, just like Southerners, those Yankees are creatures of habit...they frequent the same places much of the time.  But here's the thing of it all that truly gets me to thinking.  Most people I do see when I am out in the community or a neighboring town (or Disney World for that matter) are people I have never seen before and will probably never see again.  That thought has really gotten me to thinking lately.  It may be the one time in my life that I see that person and the one time in life that they see me.  This little tidbit is something to ponder.  Is there a greater reason for which this person's and my highways have intersected or is it that we both just happened to be in the Target check-out line on the same day at the same time by coincidence?  We will probably never know.

But just in case there is a higher purpose in seeing that person at that exact time on that exact day of the week in the very same location, and just in case fate has truly brought us together, I will make it my goal to be kind and polite.  I might be the good word or the encouragement they need for their day.  I might be the smile in the crowd that they never forget.  And to me, this is a very daunting responsibilty.  Because there is a good chance this may be my only opportunity to come in contact with that individual.  In fact it is quite possible, and very highly likely indeed, that our paths will never cross again. 

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