I love people.
What I actually mean is, I love all people. I talk to strangers at the grocery store and it seems to be my subconscious life goal to befriend everyone I ever sit next to on any form of public transportation, in any country, regardless of language. Once, in Prague, I walked into a movie theatre to watch a subtitled British comedy and decided to sit next to someone who was also alone. The movie was just starting, so I never said a word– just motioned to the seat next to him. He nodded, so I sat down and we laughed and each ate from our respective popcorn bags. Every so often we’d glance at each other, an unspoken I’m-glad-I-don’t-have-to-enjoy-this-alone sentiment passing between us, and then we’d resume our face-stuffing and unabashed giggling. At the end of the movie, we stood and he turned to me, all six feet and seven inches of him, and he smiled and began jabbering away in Czech. I held my hands up to stop him and asked if he spoke English, to which he replied flawlessly that he had actually spent a great deal of time in London. Then of course we became friends and bonded over delicious Czech beer in a local pub before I returned to my hostel to make friends with the 11 random people sleeping in my room.
The point is, I thrive on PEOPLE. If I don’t know you, I want to. If I don’t know what makes you tick, I am going to try to learn. Strangers thrill me, and regardless of what I was taught at age 5 about stranger danger, I have always been drawn to them and talked to them. My mother tells the story of a 4-year-old me, walking along at Disney World, when apparently I just took off running. When my mom and grandma caught up to me, I was chatting amicably with a guy in a wheelchair, asking him where his legs went and why he didn’t have them anymore. My mother says she apologized profusely, but he just thanked her for letting him talk to me. “As if I had a choice,” she says.
Which brings me to this beautiful, wonderful, inspiring, and touching video that captures absolute strangers who are asked to kiss upon meeting each other for the first time.
It moves me to see just how connected humans are by nature. It’s in our nature to care for each other, to nurture each other, and to love each other. We are meant to be kind to each other. Different cultures play a huge role, don’t get me wrong, but at the end of the day we are all the same, and what we are is a beautiful thing. Watching these strangers transform from awkward acquaintances to passionate lovers in mere seconds is amazing. When we let go of the norms of society, such as not smooching people you just met, and give in to the genetic code embedded within us, look at the absolute beauty that transpires! Human nature takes over, and look at how much less awkward it is to watch them kiss than it is to watch them stand around as they over-think and overanalyze the situation.
People are beautiful. We are beautiful. You are beautiful. I am beautiful. The next time you find yourself surrounded by people you don’t know, I dare you to look deeper. Find something beautiful about the man standing next to you at the bus stop. Look for something meaningful in the eyes of the woman behind the cash register. If you remember that everyone has a story, it will be easy to find beauty in places you never noticed it before. And, if you’re feeling really brave, say something to them about the beauty you just found.
You’ll be amazed at how it makes you feel.
Mitten Zest 