Approaching strangers is not at the top of the list of my favorite things to do - especially in today's world where distrust has become automatic. I chose the rec center since it's somewhere I frequent and I figured anyone I approached there would naturally feel comfortable because of the setting.

As I scanned the members for someone to approach, I was looking for someone who was either just arriving or just leaving.   Didn't seem polite to interrupt someone's exercise schedule.   Mathew caught my eye as he seemed to be alone and looked approachable. Perhaps his age made him seem willing to take a chance.   He is bigger than I am but had kind of a kid-like face that made him look friendly.   Lots of "kids" his age seem to frequent this gym.   Most of them are all ripped and act like they know it.   I was definitely not looking for that type of person.   Mathew just seemed fairly normal.

Mathew would like to be able to read other peoples' minds.   As he thought about it, he wondered if that was really what he would want. Wondered if being like Superman would be cool, then decided to go back to his original: mind-reading. Mathew would like to know what other's think about him.   He thought being able to read minds would give him advantage over others.   I asked him if he considered himself competitive and he answered with a fairly strong Yes.  

This experience wasn't as bad as I feared. I think I learned a bit more about myself, than I did about Mathew.   I had read the release ahead of time and actually wondered (still wonder) if this exercise was more about getting someone to sign such a document than it was about the question itself.   In the nerves of the moment, I ended up not having Mathew read the release till the end of the interview, though I had intended to show him up front.

He really never read it thoroughly so I am not real sure he processed what he signed.   In my job, I've had to travel and shoot interviews with people and I always like it when I accompanied by someone who knows the people I am interviewing.    Grabbing a stranger cold is not easy for me.   But, once I broke the ice with Mathew, I found the question was actually interesting and disarming enough that he easily focused on the question and I relaxed right away into the moment.   I think I was lucky in picking Mathew as he seemed to have no reservations at all.  

In retrospect, I wonder what kind of reaction I would have had had I approached a woman.    My own level of discomfort would certainly have been higher and its possible the distrust on her part would have been more of a factor.   With Mathew, he almost seemed eager to answer, especially once the question was out there. The idea of having a superpower did not seem to be a brand new idea to him.   He answered quick and only hesitated when he wondered if there were other powers he should have considered.