I Sent A Letter To A Stranger: A Personal Story

The last time I can remember writing letters was in middle school. They were to my favorite groups and people I admired in life like One Direction (I still have a rough draft of a letter I was going to send to Harry Styles in 2015 on my computer). I also sent fanart to Dalton Rapattoni, a pretty emo boy who was on American Idol back in 2015 (he still hasn't responded).

I mailed Rapattoni this painting back in April of 2016

On the night of Saturday, April 18, I felt this weird urge. I wanted to write a letter to the new neighbors next door. I didn't do this for clout or for people to say "good job" or even for my mom to say that I was a good person. I did it because I felt weird. I felt like I was ignoring these people or person or whoever was in the house next door. The people who moved out were a military family who had moved in when I was young (2nd or 3rd grade, I can't really remember). All I know is that they came there as young people in their 20's and turned into adults after having two daughters. Before them I can remember "Mr. Bob" living there. He was really nice and I remember him looking like Dr. Phil. This house has always had people moving in and out of it.

After the super nice military family moved out, vans and trucks pulled up to the house and soon enough a new person, or people, had moved in.

My parents were peeking through the blinds the week of the move-in to comment on a neighbor they saw bringing the new neighbor champagne. I never saw any of this happen because I wanted to let whoever it was have some privacy and not seem nosy.

I did feel weird though. I felt like I should take things into my own hands and on Saturday night I convinced myself that I would write this new neighbor a letter. It would feel weird to me if I went in my backyard or just continued with my life in general without recognizing and reaching out to this person, even in a small way. I didn't want to set myself up for unnecessary awkward interactions.
On Sunday morning I wrote a letter saying I lived next door that I was going to be a senior later this year. I wrote that they are seen and acknowledged and that I hoped they continue to take care of themselves during the outbreak. That's it. I walked 5 feet from my porch, dropped it in their mailbox, and left.

what's this?

Three days later (today) my mom handed me a tiny sea blue envelope as I was doing homework online. I went "Who is this?" and then "OH, it's the new neighbor!" Nothing was what I expected. I thought a big family had moved in next door when it was a single man with a last name that was literally spelled like how my own last name is pronounced. I won't reveal his name or where he moved from, but he works at a major electronics manufacturer company and told me "If you ever need a great deal on some headphones just let me know!"

This is the hardest week for online learning that I've been though yet and I feel like it's very hard to stay happy and motivated, but this small interaction between me and my neighbor made me a tiny bit more hopeful.

the letter :)