A Portland phone booth is helping strangers talk through their pain — and it's quietly changing lives

Sometimes a few words from a stranger are all it takes to turn your day, or even your outlook, around. You don’t always see it coming, but something in the way it’s said just sticks. That’s the idea behind a project shared by nonprofit group Wildly Kind. At the Portland Winter Light Festival, Wildly Kind introduced an installation called "A Call for Kindness." This initiative invited individuals to step into a booth and leave anonymous voice messages of encouragement for strangers. The goal was to harness the power of kind words to uplift and connect people in unexpected ways. They later shared it on their Instagram page @be_wildlykind, as part 17 of a 22-part series. 

The video starts with a man's voice asking (probably) his son to "say something nice." The kid says, "I love you." The man then says, "You got this," and the kid repeats after him. Another kid says, "If you are feeling blue, get up and give a hug to someone." The next voice adds, "Hello, fellow human, it is I, fellow human. I just want to say that you have a beating heart in your chest, and may it beat bright, may it beat strong. Thank you for being alive." Another kind kid chirps, "Hello, you are the best. You are kind and you are amazing." Each message came with a different voice, a different presence, but an overwhelmingly similar warmth.

One voice offered a longer reflection, saying, "You matter. You are enough. I know that life can be hard, and I feel that way more than I like to admit to people, but I promise it's going to get better, and this life is incredible. The patches of light that come with the dark make it worth more than any of us realize." One such message came from a woman named Carrie, who said, "I want to remind you, don't give up before the miracle happens. I was 39 when I met the love of my life. I was 42 when I figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up. Just hold on. It gets better."

These messages resonated with a wide audience, and many individuals found solace and inspiration in the words of strangers. Some were particularly moved by Carrie's words. @altsatire wrote, "Carrie, you may have saved my life." @juliasheehan commented, "So you're telling me we have the capability to be kind to complete strangers still — I thought that was lost. Bawling right now. Thanks, Carrie." @sophiematherr noted, "Where is Carrie? We all need to thank her because she's helped so many people with just those words." @ren_amemiya expressed, "When Carrie said she was 42 when she found what she wanted to do, I immediately broke into tears. It felt so validating thinking I'm 25 and am a failure for not knowing what I want."

Others just knew they needed to hear those words. @jannis_hhansson added, "Everybody talks about Carrie, but the last dude is also an absolute angel. I don't know, but I think a lot of men need to hear something like this from time to time. Especially when they have a job and family." This struck a chord, particularly given the emerging studies on men's mental health. A research conducted in 2019, stated that there "may be a disconnect in the communication between health professionals and men with mental health problems," because of the traditional masculine norms imposed by society. This fuels "shame" and leads men to stay away from seeking help, positive emotional outlets, and counters to loneliness. In the end, it turns out, we all need loving, with @caitybell_ summarizing, "At first I wondered who they made this for, and after watching it, I realized it was me. All of us."

You can follow Wildly Kind (@be_wildlykind) on Instagram for more content on acts of kindness.