Who is one stranger that you still remember today? Listen to the stories of people recalling kind and sometimes hurtful experiences that stick with them even though it came from a complete stranger.
My stranger I remember:
My mom was driving me to school. I was young, perhaps nine or ten years old. As I stared out the window, I saw a man carrying a backpack. He looked old with a grey beard and weathered skin. I asked my mom why he had a backpack and where he was going. (I knew he looked to old to be going to school.) She told me he was homeless and that his backpack carried all the things he owned. I didn’t ask anymore questions but I started crying quietly. I thought about my backpack and knew it could never carry all the things I loved, and how sad it must be not to have a bed or a mom to care for him.
From the creator, Thoraya Maronesy:
Typically when I go out and film an episode I’ll try to think of my own answer to the question! I thought it would be really cool trying to answer this specific question because I’ve met almost 50,000 at this point. I was sure that because of this I’d come up with an answer quickly. Turns out, it made it even harder. But I didn’t want to give up so I kept filming and tried to think of my own answer in the process.
Thoraya’s stranger encounter
Halfway into filming I saw a man sitting on a bench. He looked like a nice guy, he was probably in his 50’s and seemed to just be sitting and enjoying the view. I approached him and asked if he wanted to be a part of a film project. He didn’t respond so I asked again. The next 30 seconds of our interaction is the reason why he is now my answer to this question.
He looked up at me, not even for a second, put his head back down and started yelling out the meanest words I think anyone has ever said to me. I was so shocked and it made me so sad. I’ve been thinking back to that moment a lot trying to figure out why it left me feeling the way it did. I’ve come up with a few reasons. 1.) the guy was so sad and angry I can hear it so vividly in his voice- it was the perfect example of the saying “hurt people hurt people.” He succeeded. 2.) I think i was just so shocked at how friendly he seemed but how unfriendly he was, I wasn’t prepared. 3.) I realized that I’ve been doing this project for a year and a half and it was the first time someone was mean to me.
Lesson Learned, the Big Picture
At first I was sad at my 3rd reason. Earlier that day I couldn’t think of an answer to the question. Out of all the kind people I had met it was now going to be this guy I’d remember the most. Then I realized something else and I now have my answer to this question. The most memorable person for me is a guy who made me realize that I’ve meet 50,000 people and ONLY 1 of them has made me sad. I love you all, and thank you for watching another episode.
