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London Calling

I was recently reminded of a brief encounter I had while I was in London. I was walking across Westminster Bridge, between the Palace of Westminster and the London County Hall. The bridge was swarming with tourists and locals, vendors selling chestnuts and sweets and tacky souvenirs, and the regular street traffic of folks just getting to and from. It was awesome - sometimes just being someplace is a reward unto itself.

I was standing at the railing and soaking it all in when I was approached by a young woman. She asked (very clearly American) if I wouldn't mind taking a picture of her and her friend. I was happy to oblige, and upon returning her camera, she asked if I was LDS. I answered that I was and she said she was, too. I asked her how she knew that and she smiled and said she just knew.

It's one of the many things I love about being LDS. People know who you are. You look and act different. And it's inescapable. For some, they find it oppressive and limiting. But I have always been delighted and very much complimented when another person sees what I consider one of the best parts of me. I've known I was different pretty much all my life. People I went to school with, people in the military, people I knew around town, and now people in the professional world... They all act differently around me. And it always fascinates me and delights me.

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