There are approximately seven billion people on this earth.

Everyday, we see new faces, shake new hands, look into new pairs of eyes. Sometimes, when we like the color of their eyes, or the way they laugh, we choose to keep them around, and if we’re lucky, we get to see them every day.

However, sometimes people sneak into our lives without us knowing.

These infiltrators somehow find a way to be a part of our days, even if we didn’t choose to surround ourselves with their presence.

Maybe we even tried to avoid the infiltrators at one point or another.

In the end though, we start to slowly become accustomed to these surprise guests. We begin to listen, we begin to remember the words to their favorite song, we begin to send them pictures of our pets.

We begin to realize that the people we once never knew existed, have found a way to make us wonder how we ever existed without them.

I now find myself reaching for my phone to communicate with people whose name I didn’t even recognize six months ago. And yet, I now know their favorite colors, how many dogs they have, and what show they’re watching on Netflix.

There are seven billion people on this planet, and every day is an opportunity to meet a new one, and maybe if you’re lucky, they’ll infiltrate your life.

The point of this whole entire confusing and short post was to say that I am incredibly grateful for every new friend I’ve made in the past year, who have somehow found a way into my life when I wasn’t looking.

Sincerely,

Maddie Rheinheimer