Familiar Strangers

When I was 5-years-old I started my very first writing journal. I wrote about anything and everything that moved me: my new Cabbage Patch doll, cotton candy, Bazooka Bubble Gum, my bike with the pretty pink basket. As I've gotten older my interests have (thankfully) evolved – now instead of Bazooka I like Orbit and rather than cotton candy I prefer high thread count cotton sheets – but throughout the years my love of writing has persisted.

Writing has always helped me to understand the world and my place in it. As Joan Didion once said, "I don't know what I think until I write it down." Precisely! My written words are my oxygen; without the ability to express myself through them, life would carry less meaning for me and nothing would make as much sense. Through the written word, life itself becomes a story - a cohesive tale in which my experiences are chapters and tragedies, climactic turnaround events. Writing forces me to slow down and breathe, to plunge deeper inside myself. But even more importantly, I love that through my words I am able to relate to, forge connections with, and perhaps even bring joy to others.

I would like my writing to be the literary version of the happiness ripple effect.

Let me explain. In the same manner that random acts of kindness – simple smiles, tight bear hugs and holding the door for strangers – incite ripples of human elation, through my writing I aim to spread cheer and create a sense of ease and delight in people's lives. Whether through motivational speeches, good advice, relatable memoirs or slice-of-life pieces, just as a single droplet generates numerous ripples as it hits the water, my humble hope is for my words to instigate waves of happiness and multiply human bliss.

Recently I wrote about a difficult period I went through during college and a reader emailed to say she endured a similar experience and not only did my article touch her, but it made her feel less alone. She commented, "I like what you write because it rings so true. Whether it's about a make-up product, your experiences in New York or college rush, I relate. Kindred Spirits? Perhaps."

And that's what it's all about.

As a freelance writer I aspire to identify with my audience, document all aspects of life and perhaps even spread some joy through my words. I wholeheartedly believe we can unite the world through stories and that we are all Familiar Strangers.




"The line between stranger and friend is so fine, one single smile utterly wipes it away."

-Marissa Kristal

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