Perfect Stranger
Hi, peeps! How are you? Hope everything goes well and you’re always fulfilled with happy laughter; And ya, here I am to share a simple thing but (hopefully) it’s sweet enough for you guys❤ So, what comes to your mind for the first time when you hear “stranger”?
Some of us might find it odd and don’t want to get any intention for it. Espescially since we were little, we’ve been taught by our parents for not to say hello to people we never know; And tbh, I’ve been applying this way for long time HAHAHA. That’s why I’m a bit look unfriendly to people I don’t know or weird for me. Besides that, I also don’t want to deal with anything to people who I really don’t even think have anything to do.
But again, we never know who or what will we meet in the future, in a what kind of the way that may come to us. Either it’s a good or bad person, we maybe think there are so many possiblities that will happen from a simply thing, meet a new person; Strangers. Some people might think it’s like a nightmare cuz they accidently meet with the someone that they haven’t to think about it before. But on the other hand, in fact there are people who consider it as a gift to be able to get to know these strangers. If you guys ask me which side do I hold, let me first tell you a little about how my process was before finally getting to the point I wrote this story, oukay?
I used to think that I was a very closed person, easily skeptical and hard to open up to new people. Whether it’s because I’m too emotional (and maybe that’s the truth) or it’s just me who doesn’t want to change, I don’t know. I remember that one of the reasons why I finally didn’t trust people easily was that at the last moment in 2020 it made me very collapsed, aimless. Everything just happened in the blink of an eye. When I was struggling to manage the situation, at that time it was (very) not okay; Yes indeed, very bad. But from there too, in the end I was “forced” to try to rearrange the various pieces to be (at least) better.
Right now, I can say that I still have a closed personality (and in fact I feel more selective about letting people into my life now) even though I feel I have developed better than a few years ago. Sometimes, I’m still afraid to meet and open myself up to new people and strangers, but at least I can control it better. Someone once said to me that I have to be brave to be able to face that fear and try to start it; And it’s true, when I was understanding that, I was at a turning point of thinking that,
“What if I get a perfect stranger?”, “What if we are destined to meet for a certain purpose and destiny?”, “Isn’t life that fun to be able to get to know and see a million colors with lots of people?”
Finally since that day, I try to became a more “friendly” person in dealing with new strangers. It’s also from them that I often capture unexpected insights, experiences, and feelings. Starting from the “abang ojol” who prayed for me when I was in college so that I could become a useful person in the future; Bus Driver TJ who was very friendly and asked me “How was your day today?”; Until a stranger on the TJ D21 bus that I met on early March said that, “As long as you are still experiencing life’s ups and downs, then your life is perfect because life is supposed to revolve.” and somehow this sentence is still stuck in my memory. Ah yes, not only that, he also asked whether I already have a husband or not HAHAHAHA. He then prayed for me too so that I could get a man who truly loves, cares and is truly responsible for my life. He said, when one day I meet the right person, then he will also get a blessing because his prayer for me is granted, very funny isn’t it?😂
Yesterday morning, Monday March 20 2023, one unexpected incident from another stranger deeply touched my heart. You know that Mondays are an enemy to many people (sometimes to me too); And sure enough, that day I was heading to my workplace by taking the bus as usual. For some reason, that day the bus was very full to the point where I couldn’t get a seat which I usually always get (this is where the story of that day with strangers began) hiks. Finally, like it or not, I still got on it even though I was in a standing position. Not only that, the streets that morning were extremely jammed; Makes this a very pleasant start to Monday, right?
Halfway through, I suddenly felt something stuck in my shoe and I bent down a bit to find out what was making my shoe uncomfortable. But suddenly a woman asked me, “Are you sick?” and suddenly I immediately said, “Oh, no. I just felt something stuck in my shoe and wanted to fix it”. She also asked me to take off my shoes (with the aim of helping) which at that time wasn’t possible because the bus was very full with people who were also standing. So I just declined her offer with a smile and said, “It’s okay ma’am, thank you.”
But the unexpected thing was when she really helped me take off my shoes and checked if there was anything blocking to make sure I was comfortable standing. Immediately I felt like there was a shot in my heart, which said “This is one of the other perfect strangers that God has allowed me to meet”. She also helped me to tie my shoes back neatly like a mother tying her child’s shoelaces. I’m touched, really.
“More comfortable now?” she said. I nodded even though I was still thinking, “It turns out that there is still simple kindness in the hearts of people who even though they are foreign to me and certainly foreign to them too, right? But how can he have such a character? What does she think of her luck in helping me?” She not only suggested through words, but helped me with concrete actions. The moment where I feel it is rare for many people to do it, especially strangers. Because of that, we ended up exchanging stories about work and daily life.
This story may be simple and may seem ordinary to some people. But for me, in today’s changing times, many people are becoming more individualistic and only think about themselves, they don’t see what’s going on around them, and limit themselves to things that are actually very interesting for us to explore. From these various encounters with foreigners (which of course they also have their own complexities), I became more and more convinced myself that,
I want to keep everything simple, Even though everything might seem too fast to pull me into the vortex. I want to be with someone who even though we are in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the world, but he can make it easier and more colorful; Who saw it as something worth living for :)
But, wait..
Next question, what if it turns out I don’t find a good stranger who can last forever? What if the person who has been close to me suddenly disappears somewhere? What if the person is only staying temporarily? Well, I really don’t know which strangers I will meet in the future, whether it will be like and how we will be, I don’t know. But I’m sure, as long as I keep moving forward and have the courage to take small steps every day, I will always be renewed in a process that will lead me somewhere. A place that maybe I don’t know what it will be like, how, or who I will be there with. However, for anyone who becomes my next stranger or even a stranger I have known before (and have survived to this day), I’m very grateful (and even more grateful soon) for every moment we have painted together (and moment we will paint in the future). I can’t wait to greet you later when our paths cross at some point. See yaa! ❤❤❤
Note:
Especially for stranger(s) there, I hope we can continue like this by bringing extraordinary developments from each of us so that we can then celebrate together. I want to enjoy every moment without missing a single one. I want to be a part of your future; Likewise I, who want you to be part of every story in my day. I hope you will continue to try and learn to deal with me just as I continue to seek meaning from our ridiculous meeting. I can’t wait that one day we will realize while telling stories that, “This is what I’ve been looking for.” :)
Warm Regards,
Your Last
