It’s funny how a perfect stranger can unexpectedly make your day. I had just finished hanging with a good friend, and with the chilly midwest autumn evening upon me, the thought of walking to the metro was frightening. I decided to use the app Lyft to get a ride home instead. It was one of my best decisions by far.
My driver arrived in 10 mins. I got in to her car and we connected immediately. She had an awesome British accent and a vibrant energy about her. After a few shared words she said “If I looked like you, like had your hair and your freckles, I would wake up every morning and say look out world here I am.”
And I thought to myself, no way! These features that at first I didn’t admire because they made me stand out …and now I’ve grown to love them but have also grown very accustomed to…? This hair, these marks, “look out world?” But in that same moment I thought “why not!!?!” And if this stranger who doesn’t know me can see that instantly, can I embody that same confidence in myself, the fierceness that I am?
I knew in this instant a strong kinship was forged. And this is why I love Lyft, because it really is like riding with a friend. In our short ride we continued our conversation deep into the vortexes of body image and being self conscious. She told me what she thought her own flaws were and honestly I didn’t see them. I saw radiant energy, striking eyes and a beautiful personality.
And then the thoughts in my mind resurface. Is this a version of me too? The woman who sometimes feels flawed but her flaws are magnified only in her own mind and really no one can see? After all, our reality is a reflection of what’s happening inside. It feels like I’m talking to another version of myself.
So I let her know, “hey I don’t see that at all,” and I proceed to tell her what her the truth of her first impression, which contradicted how she felt about herself. We parted ways as she received another ride request, but the occasion had a lingering effect.
Kind words from a complete stranger, exchanged mutually. In this way, can we all be angels… to each other?
Jess Watson is the CEO & Creative Director of Points North Studio. She's the co-organizer of Baltimore Womxn in Tech, a big believer in Baltimore city, and a pioneer of working remotely while traveling the globe.
