It’s happened a couple times before, but it never fails to take me by surprise. There’s nothing as flattering/unsettling as being recognized by a total stranger. For a split second, I feel like a rock star.
I stepped out of the bridge tower just as two women were walking past.
“Are you the one that operates the bridge?”
“Yes I am.”
“What’s that like? Is it a good job?”
“Best job in the entire world.”
“But don’t you get bored?”
“Well, I write a daily blog called…”
“Oh! Is that you? I read that! Can I shake your hand?”
Like I’m somebody, or something. It made my day.
It’s really strange to realize that your anonymous little life isn’t nearly as anonymous as you think it is. I work in isolation. I blog in isolation. And yet people rely on me to get from point A to point B, and people read what I write. Go figure.
It’s so easy for me to forget that. I spend so much of my time being silent that I forget that I am making an impact in my own way. A quiet little noise.
And so do you, dear reader. Always remember that it was tiny drops of rain, imperceptibly, over time, that carved out the Grand Canyon. We all matter.