Intoxicating Anonymity

Dear Cafe Stranger,

It really is odd how much one's writing changes depending on who the recipient is. If I write to a loved one, I feel as though I'm shackled by how they know me and how I know them. My words feel like my morning routine: practiced, familiar, and predictable. I have to choose carefully because I can easily imagine their raised eyebrow, their knowing smile, and all of our history together in those words. 

But with you, I feel so free. There aren't any expectations or history to respect, no boundaries I need to keep. I can write whatever I want without a care in the world. I can tell you confessions of feelings I've never felt, invent whole scenarios between us without memory correcting me. Writing to you is like a game with no rules, a play without a script.

It is such a strange thrill to act so intimately with a stranger, but the sheer creative freedom I get to enjoy is so intoxicating. What Pico Iyer said really is true, a letter to a stranger can be more creative than one to a loved one. 

Yours truly,

Anon