Dear Danny,

You probably don’t remember me, and that’s okay, but I met you last Thursday at the Bergen Bagels on Myrtle Ave.

I was tired, a little covered in charcoal, burnt out from finals, and hungry because my money from my meal plan was gone. I hadn’t showered in two days, and I was resigned to the fact that I had to bum some money off of my friend just to get two bagels to get through the day.

I thought the highlight of my day was going to be those bagels, but then I looked down the line and saw you paying for your food, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

Let me explain.

Not only was I bit starstruck, but I also have issues with anxiety. So when I saw you in Brooklyn out of the blue while on a bagel run, I got a whole lot of stressed in a very short amount of time, because I knew I only had a short window to say something.

You are somewhat of a celebrity, but you’re better than that. You never know if your favorite celebrity is who you think they are, but with you- I’ve heard you talk about your life for hours on Game Grumps, and that’s more genuine than any interview with any celebrity. It’s real, and I feel like I know you.

At first I thought I would just leave you be, because I didn’t want to bother you (and I’m a coward), but my friend had had an experience with seeing Jimmy Fallon in an airport, and since she didn’t say anything, it haunts her to this day. She looked at me with the kind of determination a character would in an action movie during the climax, essentially telling me “Don’t make the same mistakes I did.” I asked her to come over with me, and she agreed, telling me that she would even take a photo.

Right when I was walking over, I heard my friend start to order her bagels, and it was then that I realized this was something I needed to do alone. This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, but for someone who has to rehearse their bagel order at least ten times in her head, it was very stressful for me.

I barely remember anything that happened when I met you, if I’m being honest. I was so nervous that all I remember was me asking if you were Dan Avidan (which I already knew, it just seemed polite), you asking my name and shaking my hand, and you taking a picture of the two of us. I also remember being surprised by how much taller you were than me.

My brain only started functioning after I left Bergen, thinking of all the things I would have said to you if I only had the nerve. I wanted to put them into a letter so you’d know.

First, starting with the very basic, I don’t remember the way I said goodbye to you. I think I may had just said, “Thanks so much” or something to that effect, but I wish I would have told you to have a nice day. It’s a silly little thing, but I’ve spent a lot of time fretting about whether or not I was polite.

Second, I wish I had told you how grateful I was to meet you. A different friend of mine procured us two tickets to see the East Coast live show last weekend, but I couldn’t go because my family isn’t in a great financial situation right now. On top of my sibling’s birthday that had recently passed and college, the ticket plus travel was a bit much. That’s okay, I don’t blame them, of course. I don’t believe much in fate or the universe, but it was hard not to see my meeting you as an apology by some higher power.

Third, I know you get this a lot, but you and the other Grumps brighten my day, every day, three times a day, not to mention Starbomb and NSP. Thank you for making me laugh when I need it.

Fourth, I would have asked you to relay #3 to the other Grumps when you got back to LA.

Fifth, and most importantly, I would have thanked you for helping me to believe in love. That sounds really weird, so let me explain. As an 18 year old girl, one of my only goals is to be nice. I try and go out of my way to do nice things for people I know and for people I don’t. I get called a hippie a lot because I would much rather hug it out at any given moment than fight, even if certain things are sacrificed. I always say that it’s much easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar.

I’ve been told time and time again by people in my life that this philosophy is naive. That I only feel the way I do because I’m young, and foolish, and I don’t know anything about the world yet. I see people around me who do selfish things and I’m given the explanation that it’s okay because “it’s just the way things are”, and on a lesser note, I feel like I’m encouraged to do the same.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know people. I know people are going to do their own thing and be as mean or as nice as they want and I can't control them, but I can control the way I conduct myself, and I want to be one of the nice people. I’m not saying I’m a saint, but on a very basic level, I would much rather love than hate.

This is all great in theory.

As I’ve gotten older, and I’m living in New York City, I feel as though I’m not sure whether or not being nice pays off. I’ve wondered if being nice and sometimes getting walked all over is worth the price of being trampled once in a blue moon, because yes, when you’re nice people try and occasionally take advantage of that.

This is where you come in.

You exemplify nice. You are the pinnacle of what a nice person is, and even though you’re 37 now, you still have faith in kindness.

That’s important to me.

I don’t want to be jaded by the people around me. I don’t want to be dulled by how I feel I’m supposed to act in order to stay strong in a society that sometimes wants to tear me down. I am naive still. I’m only 18, but you give me hope that there is strength and value in loving without fear of being hurt. That’s incredibly valuable to me, and I want so badly for you to know that. I just wish I could have told you that to your face.

I know it’s still probably weird for you to hear this, but I really do look up to you a great deal, and I’m very happy to have met you. I can’t even describe how many times I’ve thought to myself that I would love to be your friend.

I hope you enjoyed your bagels.

From,