Day Five - A Stranger

Dear Stranger,

Stranger noun 1. a person you do not know. 2. a person who is in a place or company that he or she does not know.

I do not know you, yet you are constantly on my mind. For some reason I think about you often, and not just for a fleeting moment either; you linger about and force me to ponder about certain things that I'd rather not think about. Not only do you occupy my mind, but you consume my life. You make me aware of my own insignifcance. I pass you in the street, and most likely that will be the only time I'll meet you. No exchanges were made; no thoughts or interests shared; nothing that will make you an important aspect of my life, and nothing that will make me mean anything more to you than just another ordinary person. No matter where I look, I am sure to find you there. In your eyes I am nothing but a stranger; To you I am nothing. In one way or another we are all strangers; to the world; to ourselves. Constantly we find ourselves in situations that are foreign to us, situations that we have never come across before, situations that render us frightened and alone. Sometimes we lose sight of who we are as individuals; we feel a need to be accepted by others. So we conform to the status quo in order to gain this acceptance. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't. In those cases when it does work, what have we truly gained? Yes, you may have developed a new found popularity, but how much is that worth? Is it really worth giving up everything that you are; everything that makes you you? And what about when it doesn't work.. all you've managed to do is become someone that you're not; and in the process you've given up a lot more than you ever stood to gain. In both instances we lose ourselves; we become strangers to ourselves. Nothing is more important than being able to feel comfortable in your own skin; to feel comfortable knowing who you are, for what you are. Unfortunately it's unlikely that anyone will ever feel this sense of complete awareness about themselves, and in some ways that can be a positive thing. The unknown leaves opportunities for discovery, and to discover who you are as a person is just one of the privileges that life has presented us with; the undertaking is a personal thing that no can, nor has the right to, take away from you.
Stranger, I wish I could know more about you, to understand who you are and what your contribution is to the world. I hope and pray that despite the fact that we will never meet, that we all have our own unique roll to play; that you and I are on our way to self discovery and seizing the opportunity to make a stand for what we believe in, to stay true to ourselves, and make our impact in this world.

-Jyssica.