An Ode to Strangers

week 32.

Photo Credit: Jessica Yap

I am someone who thrives on deep connections with the people in my life.  I can operate in small talk with strangers but when the time and space is right, I am eager to ask follow-up questions, to learn more about the story underneath the surface.  There is so much we don’t know about the “strangers” around us, but as soon as we start to learn more about them, the unfamiliarity becomes familiar.  Some people we encounter only once.  And some encounters, despite seeing them on a regular basis, will remain strangers - like the woman I saw running every morning along the river while I biked to class or the referee I see each week at volleyball.  However, when we are paying attention, even the smallest of interactions can show us something.  This poem is a nod of appreciation for the strangers in life who remind of the goodness of our shared humanity.