Launched in 2010, Humans of New York quickly became a national sensation, gaining over twenty million followers on Instagram and millions of website visits each day. The photoblog spotlights random individuals stopped on the streets of New York City, each post consisting of a simple photo and quote that explains something human about them. Many say that this kind of idea could only be pulled off in the big city because that is believed to be the only place where people are interesting enough, but I set out to prove this point wrong. Therefore, I proudly present to you: Humans of Arlington

H. Douglas: “I’m a retired secret service agent. I learned a lot from Ronald Reagan and George Bush. My proudest moment? When I protected President Reagan during the attempted assassination.”

Jamal: “People are surprised to know how transparent I am. They are always assuming that there’s more to me, but I just have a tendency to be straightforward.”

Jennifer: “I love travel, adventure and meeting new people. I have a real soft spot for Kenya.”

John: “Sometimes I still feel like I’m 25, but I’m smart enough to not do the things that I did when I was 25.”

Inna: “I’m pretty open and pretty kind. As long as you don’t do something really bad to me.”

Daniel: “Last year I finally ran a marathon: something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. Everything went pretty smoothly on race day. It felt like a good triumph.”

Sarah: “I care less about little things that used to bother me when I was younger. I don’t care what people think.”

Paul: “The best thing about me is that I survived Yorktown.”

Terrence: “I don’t know if I would go around telling anybody my business.”

Around 30 seconds later:

“I went to trading school and became a welder. I made a lot of money out of that. I’ve had three heart attacks since and a knee operation, so I don’t weld anymore. I’m getting ready for retirement now. Just turned 62.”

Cissy: “I actually live in Florida in Fort Myers where Hurricane Ian hit. So, that’s why I’m staying in Arlington a little longer through the holidays.”

Marwan: “I’m 55, financially secure and in good health. I have the money to do things with my kids that they enjoy doing.”

Jinder and Amit: “He makes me laugh.” “She’s the best thing ever.”

Mostafa: “What I like most about my wife is that she’s kind. I got cancer last year, and she was there for me every minute of that journey. She was strong.”

Paula: “Took me 15 years to get my degree doing nights and weekends. But it was worth it.”

Robert: “I’m very young; I can do basically anything without many consequences.”

Talking with these people, I’ve learned several things: One, people can surprise you. Two, you can learn a great deal about someone in three minutes. Given the opportunity, people will share a lot about their life. And three, talking to strangers gives us an appreciation of the breadth of experience all around us.

Above all, just go out and talk to people. One of the best tales you’ve ever heard might be hanging out in a Harris Teeter parking lot.