As a favor to a friend, I recently worked as a volunteer at a gala hosted by the Vera Project. I was assigned to coat check with two other people, which was great, because I’ve always wondered what it would be like to work coat check. It was fascinating.
It was a really nice event but through out the night I couldn’t help but wonder who these people were. We had these brief encounters of exchange but I only got to know their coats. In the moment they handed me their coats it did reveal, what they smelled like, what they valued in their coats: comfort, fashion, practicality, attention, protection, discretion, warmth, etc. Their interests: books, pills, camera bags, biking bags, cigarettes and cell phones. With the amount of coats and the rapid exchange of coats and claim tickets, it was difficult to even connect the coats to their owners. However, I did learn that in these fleeting encounters mistakes humanize even the most powerful of men. And, that individualizing a person and showing interest whether in a horde of guests or one of three coat checkers can create a connection that humanizes both parties.
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