Bike Messenger

The other day I saw a friend of mine looking like a total scrub. While this dude isn't exactly James Bond in terms of attire, he usually manages to put together an ensemble believable enough that I wouldn't differentiate him from other college men. However, on this particular day he was wearing a striking mixture of discordant clothing, the several layers serving to enhance the effect. Particularly notable were his spandex leggings that shown from beneath battered short, his messenger-style bag slung over his shoulder, and his bicycling shoes which he was wearing to walk indoors, undoubtedly much to his own discomfort. My brain leapt ahead without me and made the instant association, "What's this? You look like a bike messenger" I said, playing along with his self-derisive joke. But he replied, "Yep, pretty much."

And that's when it I realized: he looked that way on purpose.

Man, did I feel silly! Of course this dude wants to look like a bike messenger. This is the dude who sleeps for days at a time, swears by the noodling of jam bands with the same passion he has for the subtleties of jazz, and smokes pot like it's going out of style. Wearing counter-culture on his sleeve is not enough for this guy, it's got to be on your sleeve too. Both sleeves! This is a guy, and we probably all know/have known someone like him, for whom getting his engineering degree is a hurdle on the way to becoming a bike messenger.

It was a great little moment for me, like I got to sneak a peek at someone through their own mirror while they prepared themselves, and their day, to be just the way they wanted it, for better or for worse. It reminded me of what an old friend used to say, "The guy's got style. I don't know if it's a good style, but it sure is style."