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Such a poignant essay that describes a common yet unspoken experience: wonder at something out of the ordinary, and confusion about how to react. I can relate to the moment of joy when a person surprises me with their lack of convention. I'm a garrulous "people person" so I usually express my curiosity and excitement. However, it seems that so many people gloss over moments of potential connection with a real live human, and instinctively avoid eye contact or turn to their phones. Why is this? I like to imagine the man with the dove stumbling over this essay and getting goosebumps as he realizes that he has impacted another man's life without even meaning to.

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Great observation. Only speculation, but I imagine it's a combination of several factors: each person's tolerance for uncertainty, capacity for wonder likely mediated by aesthetic sensitivity, and some aspect of transgressing social norms. In a way, to be open to such psychologically rich experience is like allowing ourselves to improv with life as it happens. It's our willingness to be open to magic moments underpinned by a kind of responsive spontaneity.

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