I think one of the most amazing yet underrated, aspects of life is walking among strangers.

Your name is Bisi. You left your hostel a few minutes before 8 am. It has been a long day for you: attending classes, presentations, projects and all the other responsibilities that come with being a student. Now it is past 6 pm and you are finally heading back to your hostel. You’re exhausted. All you want is an amazing dinner and the soft comfort of your bed.

Your return to your hostel is not solitary. You have company even though you don’t know them personally. Some walk in twos, others in threes and a few in larger groups. They hold conversations, the kind you cannot help but overhear. One makes you laugh, another makes you smile.

Two girls walk ahead of you, deep in conversation. The first recounts her experience from the previous night: though she had already had dinner, her sister called to say she made spaghetti and fried plantain. Immediately, she jumped at the offer. She was full but the idea of spaghetti and plantain, probably her favourite meal, was irresistible. She got the food, ate it and ended up enormously bloated.😹😩 Yet, she was honest enough to admit she got herself into that situation.

Her friend, walking beside her, laughed but she did something particularly striking. She picked up a soda bottle from the ground and said it was for her roommate who makes liquid soap🥹

That moment was particularly touching. Because, apart from God’s unconditional love, you have always believed that to be thought of, whether in your presence or absence, is one of the purest forms of love.

While the first girl made you laugh, the other made you smile.

And as you walked behind them, you could not help but think of how these little things remind you that goodness still exists, that even though the world often feels stained with evil, kindness still lingers. Sometimes, it hides in small acts of care and kindness . Other times, in simple remembrance.

This is the beauty of walking among strangers. You get to witness the world’s quiet goodness without even asking for it.