Portland, 1993-ish. It was a time when weird wasn’t a marketing gimmick — it was just the natural state of things. If you were there, you know. And if you weren’t… well, buckle up.
I was in my early 20s, wandering through the always-vibrant, slightly chaotic, wildly beautiful Saturday Market in downtown Portland. This wasn’t your standard craft fair. It was a heartbeat — full of incense clouds, handcrafted oddities, experimental street performances, and people who lived loudly on their own terms.
That’s when I heard him. The sound system? A cardboard speaker. The mic? Something duct-taped and questionably functional. The man? Known to many simply as “Elvis.” Except… he wasn’t in costume that day. No white jumpsuit. No rhinestones. No oversized sunglasses. Just regular clothes and that same undeniable spark that made him a local legend. And somehow, I ended up singing with him.
The photo from that moment still makes me smile. You can see the joy radiating from both of us — two strangers who didn’t know each other’s names, didn’t plan a performance, and didn’t need a script. Just shared laughter, a beat to move to, and that magic human spark that turns moments into memories.
But here’s the part that most people wouldn’t notice at first glance:
That area of the Market was also where many of Portland’s unhoused community gathered. People society often walks past. People with stories, pain, humor, creativity, and wisdom the world too often misses. And that day? I didn’t walk past. I didn’t treat them like a side note.
I was with them. Hanging out, playing, laughing. No pity. No judgment. Just presence.
I wanted to know their world. To understand their stories. To be curious without conditions. Because real connection doesn’t come from comfort zones. It comes from eye contact. From shared joy. From saying, “Hey, I see you,” and meaning it.
That day reminded me — and still reminds me — that sometimes the most unforgettable moments are the unscripted ones. The ones that happen when we least expect them, with people the world doesn’t expect us to notice… but we should.
You don’t need the perfect outfit. You don’t need a stage. You don’t need a plan, props, or permission. You just need to show up fully.
So here’s to “Elvis,” wherever he is now. To duct tape, cardboard speakers, and unpolished magic. And to the real, raw, human moments that connect us more deeply than anything staged ever could.
