In 2010, I took a trip to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. One night, while out on the town with a group of friends, I had to use the restroom. I found myself in the smallest, most graffiti filled space I have ever seen in my entire life. I started to read some of the messages, and aside from the typical 'For a good time, call...' or '____ was here', I found some really thoughtful, interesting and inspiring quotes.
From there on out, I took note of graffiti anywhere I went, looking for more messages from strangers that touched me in one way or another. I wasn't always prepared with a camera to capture images, so the idea for a blog didn't really flesh itself out right away. Along the way, I took a few photos and just left them on my computer, to be purged or printed at a later time.
Then, in early 2012, I quite randomly came across another writing from a stranger. And everything just clicked. People write these things on walls, mailboxes, etc. for a reason. I stop and take note of them for a reason. Why not gather a collection of them and see what messages stick, which are meaningful, funny, memorable. And so 'Words with Strangers' was born.
The following posts will vary in format, some may simply be a photo of the message (with a caption re-stating the quote, especially if it is difficult to read or the picture quality isn't great). Others may include stories about how this particular quote was discovered. We'll see how it all pans out.
Therefore, my inaugural post is dedicated to the author of the message in the photo below. Thank you for bringing me back to my original idea, thank you for taking the time to write these words. And thank you readers, for checking out my very first blog. Hope you follow in the future!
"Love Those Who Are Real" - Anonymous, Philadelphia, PA
I think this is a wonderful idea!
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