Strangers turn ordinary days into extraordinary ones

“There are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met yet.”

As friends we were once strangers, therefore remember any stranger can turn into a friend.

Painted on the archway entrance of Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris are the words, “Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise.”

It reminded me of another phrase, “There are no strangers, only friends you haven’t met yet.” A Google search later reveals they are both written by the same man, Irish playwright, and poet, Y.B. Yeats.

I’ve previously written about seemingly random encounters I’ve had with strangers that end up being incredibly meaningful. Last month was fruitful with more stranger stories I think you will enjoy:

The Eavesdropping Stranger

On a Friday in June in Austin, I was out in the 100-degree heat biking during my lunch break. Halfway through my bike ride I stepped into a coffee shop to take a call with my friend Tina Muir. We quickly spiraled into an energetic and meaningful conversation about saying “yes” to experiences that might seem out of our comfort zone. About being kind to strangers and open to new experiences. Little did I know a stranger nearby was eavesdropping on my call.

Oblivious to the curious ears, Tina and I exchanged stories of interactions with strangers that lead to something meaningful. She told me a story of meeting a stranger in Hawaii who then she went surfing with on the spot. And how she spontaneously ran an Ultra after a friend threw the idea out there. I shared how I had gone on a run in LA with no plans and somehow ended up driving a Rivian around LA with 3 strangers turned friends.

As I sat there having this phone call, a woman sitting near me comes up to me and hands me this note, then walks away:

THIS. These are the moments I LOVE. The serendipitous ones, the ones where magic things happen when you least expect them— only if you are OPEN to them.

I texted Pamela after this and we got lunch the following week. We exchanged stories and turns out we both grew up in Florida, went to rival colleges, worked in the podcast world, and are traveling to Mexico during the same weeks this summer.

I’m in awe of the kindness and humanity that’s out there if we are open to seeing and receiving it.

A Day with No Plans

A few weeks ago I was in Los Angeles for a work event. Once it was over, I had a free day in LA with no plans. Should I Uber downtown? Or bike to the beach? Where should I get lunch? Would I be back in time to check out of the Airbnb and leave for the airport? Ugh screw it I’m just going to go on a run with no destination.

So I just put on my running shoes and went out the door with no plan. As I was running I passed a guy washing a Rivian truck. I’d first learned of Rivians (all-electric adventure vehicle) while watching Long Way Up, but I’d never seen one in person.

I asked the guy washing it if it was his car. He pointed to the building across the street and said that’s the Rivian Hub. “We open at 9 am, you can come by later and check it out. My name is Shannon,” he said with a fist bump.

I continued my run then at 9am I cam back to the Rivian Hub and found Shannon. He let me sit in the car and showed me all the features. The proceeded to share with me the Rivian building was Ray Bradbury’s childhood home and that the fire station across the street had inspired his novel Fahrenheit 451. I’ll leave to you the irony of this futuristic vehicle being housed where the dystopian novel was written.

I was about to leave when I saw two people come in, and one was wearing the classic, “How are you doing?” Austin shirt.

I approached them and asked if they were from Austin. They were. They were mother and daughter and had just biked the entire California coast as a fundraiser for AIDS. They even live a mile from my parents back in Austin. What are the odds?

Another Rivian employee, Adam, saw us talking and offered to brew us fresh coffee from Rivian’s built-in stove and kitchen. Coffee speeds up friendships, and Adam must have found this new friendship of Austin strangers amusing, because he came up to us and asked, “does this Austin crew want to drive a Rivian?”

Driving a Rivian seemed intimidating so I said I’d pass on driving. Immediatly my new friend Carosa jumped in, “You ARE going to drive. You’ve got to have this experience.”

Next thing I knew I was at the wheel of the Rivian taking it on a drive around LA in a car with new friends Carossa and her mom, and Adam the Rivian guy. We had the best time driving around LA listening to Texas Sun and testing all the insane features of the car.

Sometimes the best plan is to not have a plan. To lean into spontaneity. To talk to strangers. To make new friends. To exchange stories. To learn more about each other and our paths of life.  Because no matter how different we are, and the different paths we took, we somehow met at this moment in time.

That’s how ordinary days turn into extraordinary ones.

PS: I wrote this before I left Austin for Mexico City. I met these strangers during my final weeks in the states before embarking on another adventure. I’m now entering my third week living in Ciudad de Mexico. On my second day here, I spotted this sign at an Irish pub in the middle of the city:

“There are no strangers here, only friends that you have not met yet.”