Not an Advantage for a Big Man with a Big Beard

I could not possibly know this (because I am a small man without a beard), but I am guessing that being a big man with a big beard has its advantages.  Having said that, I think I can safely submit there is no advantage in struggling through a crowded airport for a big man with a big beard.

I make this observation after having witnessed a big man with a big, dark beard trolling along though a sea of shorter people in O’Hare Airport the other day.

For one thing, the big man’s face floated along looking at least thirty percent unhappier and fifty percent beardier (my word) than the faces in the sea of humanity below him because he was at least seventy percent more visible.  Also, having a face high above the seething crowd turned him into something of a grim beacon.  When the beard stopped moving or shifted in direction the nearby crowd soon suffered the same.

Everyone was watching him to know their fate.

At some point, I drifted off to the stagnant fringe of the flowing crowd in the concourse and watched the big man with the big beard slowly drift away.  He never looked behind himself, or aside.  I suppose he, more than anyone, recognized that in an end-to-end crowd your fate is to drift along and only incrementally change the route to your final destination.          

Honestly I had the distinct impression the big man with the big beard could have used a big hug from someone.  Maybe, as a preemptive measure, someone could run up and hug the next big man with a big beard they find.

Small people can make a difference, too.

--Mitchell Hegman