Dear You,
I know something like this may never get to you, much less you ever feel special enough to know it was written for you. But I would like to acknowledge the fact of your importance. I saw you. I see you.
Sitting alone at lunch, you looked around to see if anyone noticed your table of empty chairs and food filled plate. I laughed to myself as you kept your head down when someone would approach, casually avoiding contact and possible conversation. Don’t worry; no one noticed when you looked up to see if they were gone. Except for me. I saw. I do that too…
I ran into you on the stairs in front of Chapel one morning, accidentally pushing you into someone else. You didn’t notice my apology, however made your quick escape into the opposite direction, careful not to cause any more drawn attention. Little do you know, you caught someone’s attention. You caught my attention.
You were talking to your parents, I assume, at one point telling them “college is good” and “I love you too.” You kept your voice relaxed and uninterested, so they wouldn’t worry about their shy son being away and not making friends very easily. Hanging up the phone, you started occupying your time with something else. You covered it up well, I admit, but I noticed that second of sadness where you missed your home and family. I noticed.
I want to tell you a secret. Just between us… so listen closely. I know you think you’re invisible. I know you think no one sees who you are, much less cares to get to know you and be your friend. I know that more than anything, you want to be the person at the crowded table making everyone laugh at your easy hilarious jokes. But for now, you’re not. For now, you don’t really know anyone and the fear of that can overtake your entire world sometimes. I know, I’ve been there. You see, we’re not that different –you and I. I may sit at a crowded table, but nothing is more visible to me than my invisibility to others. I may walk among a group of friends, but I’m still a fish in the crazy pond of a chapel release that no one quite notices-that you don’t quite notice. And without my home nearby, I often wonder my purpose in this season God’s placed me in.
The approach I wish to make, I can’t ever do. Because you see, I’m shy too. Like you, I fear the response of others and how they will take me; even how you would take me. We are different and some people don’t like that. It’s a little scary, isn’t it? At this small college, it can seem impossible to relate to at least one person when you are the one afraid to reach out. However, should I ever approach you, this I would say “ Is there anyone sitting here? Would you mind if I did… I would absolutely love to be invisible with you.”
There is one thing I can tell you and if you get anything out of this letter, I hope it’s this. You may be invisible to hundreds of people, passing them- shying away from friendship and eye contact, but you aren’t invisible to me. Your greatest attempt at lying low brought the most attention to someone who does the same. It’s almost as if you’re the unknown whisper in my screaming world that I can’t ever seem to escape. You are special in that way. Not that you’ll ever recognize it to be like that, but I do. I see it, and I see you.
You don’t know me. And you probably never will. If this ever reaches you, and it may not, I hope it makes you feel seen and adored. Someone noticed you when you didn’t realize it, and thought, “He'll always be my whisper, but will never look up to see I could be his scream."
With so much adoration,
The Invisible Girl
