the little things: you, , specifically you.


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love notes to reality

the little things

season 2 episode 2

Humans make the world go round! @Wolfe Jackson’s EP release party 2020.02.26

You’re you, , and that’s enough.

*cue Dear Evan Hansen finale*

I’m a strong introvert, I work remotely, and I LOVE living alone. So you’d think that if I had to self-quarantine, I’d be golden.

But I’ve been thinking about how essential human interaction is to our well-being, and how I get my soul fed through roaming around my neighborhood, working out of coffee shops, chatting with baristas and having random interactions with strangers I encounter in my wanderings... and my conclusion is that the acquaintances and strangers in my life are far more important than I ever realized.

So this episode of the little things is dedicated to all the strangers who have fed my soul just by their very existence!

"To all the Johns in this cafe!”
—A man named John, raising his mug to two other Johns, after they all simultaneously responded to the barista calling for John.

A tall young man kindly reaching out to help a tiny old woman step safely off the bus.

A toddler in the park grabbing an orange sports cone and sticking it on top of her head: HAT!

CAFE CAR ATTENDANT:
Ladies and gentleman, in seven minutes, the cafe car will close.

HIS COWORKER:
Seven minutes?! Not something normal like, you know, 5 or 10 minutes?

*pause*

CAFE CAR ATTENDANT:
In SEVEN point FIVE minutes...

“Broken hearts are still hearts."
—A barista, while setting down a mug with a wonky latte art heart

“Grandma! Come here! Guess what? I named my puffer fish! I named it Hufflepuff!!”

Seeing a man intently and joyfully making silly faces... Following his gaze to find him in a silly-face face-off with a toddler-stranger!

Thank you for existing, , and thank you for being you!

-Fern

PS. Here are things I’m loving that came into my life through chance encounters and/or strangers...

Wolfe Jackson’s Coming Down EP

I’ve been playing this EP on repeat since it was released a week ago. I’m absolutely enamored by the first 15 seconds of Coming Down. It’s visceral yet subtle and makes me feel like I’m about to embark on an unknown journey. (Then I get swept into an unexpected heart swell at at 2:45!) [Listen: Spotify & Apple Music]

Stranger connection: Last year, I stumbled onto Wolfe Jackson singing in Century City when I was a rough state emotionally. That unexpected dose of live music and random stranger interaction fed my soul. I proceeded to play his song Photographs on repeat for the rest of the year!

Reply All #158: The Case of the Missing Hit

I listened to this delightful adventure of an episode while walking between coffee shops and had the biggest grin plastered on my face the entire time! The host attempts to track down an earworm of a pop song from the 90s that just maybe never existed, and, wow. Just, wow! [Episode and Transcript]

Stranger connection: I supported a short film on Seed&Spark that crowdfunded at the same time as Human Telegraphs. My chosen perk was to receive motivational text messages from the director, who now sporadically pops up in my Twitter feed... I listened to this episode based on her recommendation!

the little things

Los Angeles, CA

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