Monday, June 20, 2011

Sea of Faces

We went to a friend's graduation at the Maverick Center recently, arriving early to get seated and settled with plenty of time before the ceremony.  The Maverick Center is a pretty big place, and many gathered there to celebrate.  I looked around as we waited.  At first, all I could see was a crowd -- bodies moving around and arranging themselves, the mental image made kind of blurry just by the sheer number of people.

After a few minutes, though, I started to see individual people -- young adults excitedly flitting around, older folks carefully navigating potentially hazardous steps, parents guiding wide-eyed children to seats, infants resting in the arms of people who love them, generations of families finding seats together.


I'm not much a fan of crowds.  I prefer smaller groups, familiar faces, opportunities to engage in deeper conversations than "Pardon me, are these seats taken?"  But I was reminded again that a crowd is not just the sum of its parts, and it was good to be in that sea of faces celebrating collectively with people we love.

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