A Thank You Letter To Strangers
You made my day without even knowing my name.
Some days can be hard. Maybe school has been especially tough, and you're really struggling to hold your grades together. Maybe you've been fighting with your family and it feels like this stress looming over you is never going to go away. Maybe, on top of this, there's a constant stream of little things - losing your third room key, wrecking your second car, breaking up with your first boyfriend - that seem to knock you off your feet again before you even get the chance to stand back up. During these times, it can feel like you're completely alone, even when surrounded by people you know.
I've found that in these moments, the people who mean the most are those I don't know who reach out to me in the most simple ways. Small acts of human vulnerability and kindness are often the brightest parts of a bad day.
So thank you to all the strangers who helped me out.
Thank you to the girl who hugged me when I stepped crying off the elevator after getting my heart broken. Thank you to the girl who offered to kill a cockroach for me when I ran screaming out of my shower stall. Thank you to the girl who made me laugh in the elevator after a really bad day. Thank you to the guy whose only motive behind walking me home at two in the morning was to help me get home safely.
Thank you to the girl who helped me pick thirty knives off the floor of the dining hall when I caused a silverware avalanche. Thank you to the person who wrote "I love you" on my car when I needed it instead of some other undesirable form of art. Thank you to the moms outside Tate who listened to me complain about my academic struggles. Thank you to the guy who helped me off the floor when I tripped. Thanks to the dude who held the door.
Thank you to the janitor who told me I looked pretty (in my t-shirt and unwashed hair). Thank you to the girl who smiled at me in the hall. Thank you to the group who treated me as if they'd known me their whole lives.
Thank you to everyone who consistently treats people like a friend, regardless of whether or not you know them personally. Thank you for loving people well. Thank you for being vulnerable. Being open and personal and kind and human is, and always will be, important. So thank you to the people who go out of their way to make someone's day just a little brighter.
I can tell you personally that it all means much more than you think.
