An open letter to my Everywhere-Buddy

Dear Everywhere-Buddy,

You are that person that I see everywhere. You’re the one who’s always holding the door for me when I walk out of my dorm, the one who I pass at least once on any given day, the one who seems to always eat in the same dining hall as I do on the same day at the same time.  You’re good about saying “thank you,” seem to have a nice group of friends and you even stooped down once to pick up my I.D. when I dropped it swiping into Carm. I’ll admit, if there’s got to be someone who crops up randomly and constantly in my life, I don’t mind it being you.

I have two questions. First, are you aware of how often our paths cross? If you are, I promise I’m not stalking you, and if you aren’t, then I’m slightly offended that you’ve been able to not notice all of our path-crossing. Second, should I say something to you? I’ve thought about it more than once, but so far I haven’t thought of anything that doesn’t come across as super creepy and/or awkward.

But I am curious to meet you. I wonder where you’re from and what kind of classes you’re taking and how your year is going and what your favorite flavor of ice cream is. It’s funny -- the world is mysteriously filled with people we’re familiar with but whom we don’t know: that old couple you grew up next to, the kid who’s in a few of your classes this year, the person you work with but haven’t ever really had a conversation with. I think these people are fascinating. We know them by particular traits -- their meticulous lawn tending, the fact that they always raise their hand, their nose piercing. These understandings are completely surface-level, but I wonder how much familiar-strangers actually know about each other.

On one hand, our assumptions about each other could be completely, utterly off-base. But on the other hand, maybe the vibes we pick up and the assumptions we’ve made aren’t too far off, after all. Maybe there’s a kind of way to know someone that you develop just by being around them enough, regardless of whether you’ve ever shared a conversation or not. Either way, these people who we know only as familiar entities are treasure troves waiting to be discovered. Whether or not we think we’ll like these people, I think it’s still worth the effort to try and see what's underneath the observable. Maybe the old couple next door have had amazing adventures, maybe the kid in your class is an impressive trombone player, maybe that person you work with is a potential new best friend. Or maybe not -- but we can’t know for sure if we simply allow ourselves to continue to exist in proximity to them.

So, Everywhere-Buddy, I’m going to try to talk to you. Please don’t think I’m too weird, and sorry in advance for my social awkwardness. In the meantime, I’ll see you around!

Sincerely,

That girl you run into everywhere

(Clara Wagner)