Is that what people do?

I had a close encounter with a normal person today.

Now, I don't really consider myself a "people person", and generally speaking I think of dealing with random people in much the same way I think of doing income taxes: at times necessary, but often governed by obtuse, unfathomable rules, and the benefits of compliance are vaguely abstract. Not, in short, something to like or dislike, just something that must be put up with on occassion. But nevertheless I am aware that there are people who enjoy it, and are perhaps even gifted along those lines.

I pulled into a gas station, and at the pump in front of me was a guy with the same car I drive -- not a particularly common vehicle, and we had the same color and year, so it's not that common an occurance. Imagine my puzzlement, however, when the other driver not only says hello, and remarks that we have the same car (which I had vaguely suspected he might do), but then goes on to engage me in conversation about said cars. Our cars have different optional packages, and while I have about 35 thousand miles on mine, he has close to 100 thousand on his because he commutes to his office down to New York City, etc. etc.

He gave me his business card, and told me to call if I have any financial planning needs. He actually went back to his car to get the card.

It's not that I found the encounter offensive in any way -- he seemed a nice enough guy and if I had any clue what financial planning actually means perhaps I'd give his office a call -- but it would never in a million years occur to me that I should talk to someone or give them my business card (my purely hypothetical business card, I should say) because we drive the same car. What a fascinating sociable world we live in.