Who's that guy?

Sometimes when I'm bored I'll open up iPhoto and look through old pictures of previous trips, and reminisce on these adventures. Most of the time I'm focused on the subject of the photo, mainly myself, my wife, friends, and of course the place or object that made this spot picture worthy. It has only been recently that I've taken the time to look at the other details of the photos. More specifically, the random people who find their way in the shot, and are now in my memory book forever. A few examples...

My favorite painting in the Louvre: "The Coronation of Napoleon." I intentionally left this guy in there to demonstrate size.

At the Paul McCartney concert in Atlanta, we shared a blanket with the lady on the left for several hours.
A husband and wife that hiked six miles on the Great Wall of China with my friend Martin and I, all so we would buy a $8 book at the end. They were the only people we saw all day.

Attempting to buy a chocolate crepe in Paris. Everyone else seems to know what they're doing.

On the subway in Seoul, everyone seems so happy, myself included.
A mysterious passerby outside the Louvre.

To take this a step further, there are also a large number of photo's I've asked total strangers to take for me. This is perhaps even more fascinating, as these are people that I actually had contact with, as opposed to those randomly being caught in one of my pictures. Who were these people? Where were they from? Where are they now?
I stopped a passerby on the street for this picture with Big Ben.

A random lady and her daughter were kind enough to take this one in Central Park.
An Oklahoma fan was nice enough to take a picture of my brother and I, before our Gators beat them in the BCS Championship game.

Take a moment and imagine the number of random encounters you've had in your travels. Whether its a family in line next to you at Walt Disney World, a fellow admirer of the Mona Lisa, or a table mate at dinner on a cruise. Now imagine that you own a map of the world, and on this map are thousands of little lights, each one signifying a person you've encountered in your lifetime. It's really quite mind boggling if you stop and think about it.

So the next time you're looking through old pictures, take notice of the random people who've made their way in and out of your life. Better yet, imagine how many photo albums of strangers you may unknowingly be found. I hope you were smiling....

~Insert Dude-Like Closing Here~

Deej

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