Communication with a Stranger

Last weekend I sat on the bus talking with excitement and so ready to spend time in New York City with one of my best friends from college. As I took the window seat and wore headphones over ears, I almost didn't   (1)  the elderly man sitting beside me.

Two hours passed and I was still absorbed in my own world.  (2)  the elderly man asked me a question, a simple question  (3)  the bus's Wi-Fi connection, which turned into a two- hour    (4)  . In fact, it directly  (5)  my personal life.

We talked a lot about my dreams, my fears and my life. I  (6)  more with this stranger on the bus than I have with any friend or family member in months. Maybe it had something to do with me just being   (7)  to let anyone I know close to me. I was  (8)  that the stranger was not only so deeply interested in getting to know me, but also just as willing to  (9)  me to my greatest abilities. He listened carefully to every word I said and made some useful  (10)  at times. Instead of politely  (11)  his head when I mentioned my major, he told me that my strong liking seemed to be psychology, but not the one I was studying. He said that he knew I would face difficulties if I studied psychology and that he fully understood my   (12)   for the failure.

This elderly man made me   (13)  the plans that I had laid out for my life with just that simple statement. He helped me realize that my neatly  (14)  plan for the next five years of my life wasn't all that neat, but actually complex and filled with  (15)  . Most of all, he helped me    (16)  the complex, not stay away from it because of my fear for the unknown. I  (17)  a lot from talking with the elderly stranger.

A few days later, he emailed me, saying, "I think you're  (18)  for great things no matter what you decide to do." The email was filled with words of  (19)  . In a few hours a stranger showed me a sense of kindness that made me realize that life is sometimes  (20)  but it is going to be okay.