Good Day Brewers - Pang here! ☕

When I was 6, I recalled the warnings that my parents would ramble on about like a song playing on repeat.

“Avoid strangers”, they said.

Strangers could potentially be dangerous.

But can we assume that of all strangers?

Read on to find out.

Estimated reading time: 1,010 words - 4 mins 15 secs

What Stranger?

I’m sitting here on this bench under a small shelter.

The greenery around me is magnificent in this beautiful park.

The sun is setting on the horizon.

I am already drenched in stinky sweat from the run earlier.

My heart is still racing.

I’m a little anxious.

My eyes were glued to the footpath.

But I haven’t found a single target.

Who should I approach?

My mind was running in circles, trying to analyze the situation. An old man pushing a pram with the cutest baby just strolled passed me.

Nah. Not this guy. He has a baby to look after.

Another middle-aged lady in her beige sweatpants and black dry-fit shirt brisk walked passed me.

She looks grumpy.

20 minutes passed just like that.

Analysis paralysis.

I’m analyzing too much into the situation, too afraid to go up to a random stranger.

But alas, I spotted my golden window of opportunity.

A guy wearing a formal shirt and long black pants with his hair neatly combed backward.

He was pacing back and forth.

Looks like he was waiting for someone. Surely he’s going to entertain me, right?

I paced slowly toward him.

“Hey, sorry. Do you have a minute or two?”

His hands reached into his ears to pull out two tiny EarPods.

“What!?”

Obviously, he was talking to someone. Why didn’t I notice that?

My first rejection of the day. It felt better and less awkward than I thought.

So I continued strolling down the jogging track.

Another opportunity.

A teen in her 18s in a grey cardigan and navy blue jeans.

“Hey wanna…”

“Sorry!” She raised her hands to put a stop sign.

Second rejection of the day.

I was feeling a little dejected. My hopes were starting to fade.

But as they say, the third time is the charm, isn’t it?

I continued pacing down the track.

And alas. I saw a buff guy dressed in a black dry-fit shirt and shorts doing some quad stretches.

“Hey, I’m a creator. Can you tell us a story?”

He looked at me and paused for a moment.

Will this be it?

Finally, someone who says yes to my request?

These few seconds seem like an eternity.

And then he continued:

“Nope. I have no story.”

Of course, he would have said no!

His answer wasn’t even surprising.

But the fact that he took a moment to ponder and think through.

It made me feel like the next one will be it.

So I continued down the track and spotted lots of active individuals of all ages.

A grandad walking his grandkid.

3 friends walking their dogs and having a conversation in the middle of the path.

Two Indonesian maids having a conversation with each other.

A bunch of kids running in circles at the playground.

After 15 minutes… I still couldn’t find any suitable match for my little experiment.

Feeling all dejected, I sat down on the bench trying to compose myself.

It was time to give up.

As I stood up and headed toward the park’s exit, a middle-aged man briefly crossed paths with me.

He had a calm and gentle demeanor.

This must be it!

I went up to him and introduced myself.

Before I know it, we were already having a conversation.

A Burmese expatriate who had been living in Singapore for over 10 years just to raise his family back home in Myanmar.

Living apart is difficult. He misses his family and can only afford a plane ticket to visit them once every six months.

But as I spoke to him, I could feel his positive energy and outlook toward life.

• He genuinely enjoys his work as a driver restocking vending machines

• He spends at least an hour each day calling back home and talking to his kids.

• He visits this park three times a week for a 5-kilometer run to stay healthy and fit.

That spoke volumes about the person he was.

Magnanimous, kind, and willing to go to a great extent just to give his family a good life.

This whole experience was liberating.

If I had succumbed to fear and given up that day, I wouldn’t have been able to share this interesting encounter with you.

Even in a world full of rejections, the pursuit of genuine human connection is worth the effort.

How’s this story POSSIBLE?

It isn’t.

None of this would have happened if I:

• Didn’t put myself out there

• Wasn’t willing to face rejection

• Gave up after failing the first three tries

This shows that stories are only possible when you go out there to try something different.

Nothing’s gonna happen if you sit in front of your desk scrolling through X, Tik Tok, or Instagram.

None of this is going to magically make you a better storyteller.

Find those real-life moments.

Experience them.

And live to share them with the rest of us!

Did you notice anything?

This story was a little different from my usual stories.

I wrote this in the present tense, starting the story by describing where I was.

It made you feel present as if you were at the scene when everything unfolded before my very eyes.

Try this out with your stories!

Here’s your homework for this week

Find a stranger to talk to.

Be genuinely interested in them.

But… do not ask them for a story immediately like I did.

Most people would be caught by surprise.

Instead, try to be more specific and start with small talk to establish the connection.

Send me the stories you’ve discovered from strangers!

I’d love to hear about them!

See you next week!

Your Barista,

Pang

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