Recently I was shopping in a Walmart and my day had been a cavalcade of suck. I'm still carrying Covid weight, my hair is greying and uncut and before I went to the store I opened a Diet Coke that blew up in my face and stained my new white shirt. So naturally, I went to the liquor store to preserve what was left of the hours before me. I didn't bother to change. Why? Nobody is looking.
While I was in the checkout a woman tapped me on the shoulder and said... "You have beautiful eyes. I noticed them above your mask. I saw you in the aisle and I just wanted to say that." I thanked her and we parted. After I stopped crying in my car while eating a rotisserie chicken and drinking a vodka/diet (in my mother's driveway... not driving) I reflected on that woman's kind words. They were short, simple and her intentions were only good. Yes, she was giving me a superficial boost, but, I needed it. And tomorrow was a better day because of it. Sometimes... a little compliment goes a really long way.
Redditor u/akar17 wanted to hear about all the ways we can make others smile by asking... What is the nicest compliment you have ever received?Crush
bashful snow white and the seven dwarves GIF
Giphy
A older friend of mine told me his daughter (teen) had a crush on me (not a teen) and said he was glad because that meant she had good taste and would find a good man when she grew up. I still think about it because although I was slightly uncomfortable I knew that must have been even harder for him to say which to me made it that much more meaningful.
fathers & sons
I lost my dad when I was in high school and a friend's mother wrote a condolence card that said "I never knew your dad but I do know the young man that he raised, and because of that I know what an amazing father he was." I got a lot of condolence cards around that time and that is the only one I remember.
Edit: thanks for the kind words, everyone! It was almost 20 years ago so it doesn't hurt quite so much anymore. We will all lose our parents someday unless they lose us first - and those are the real tragedies.
Let's do Trivia....
This was when I might have been 8-9 years old. I used to do well in trivia and quizzing. Not insanely good just good enough for people to notice. In our school sometimes if a teacher was absent a different teacher used to fill in their classes and these periods would be self study or something boring. One of the teachers who knew about me used to call me to the front of the class and frequently asked me to be the quizmaster and organize a mini trivia contest as an activity for that period.
I usually had some references books from where I used to source the questions.
One day she asked me to host the trivia competition for my classmates but I told her that I didn't have the book with me that day. In reply she told me that I should be fine because at that point I would know more than that silly trivia book anyway.
The confidence boost that one single line of random praise that I got that day still helps me tackle life's problems one at a time. I can essentially trace my confidence in my abilities to that one sentence uttered by my teacher. I'm eternally thankful to her words from that day.
Ride or Die
Kisses GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants
Giphy
Actually, I have two that are dear to me. The first was from a friend who had died way too young who told me that when he writes the book of his life, I would have my own chapter. The next was from a coworker who was ex-army that told me he would follow me into battle.
"you're so pretty!!"
7 years ago I was heading into the office to a job I hated, and stopped at McDonald's on the way.
I pulled up to the first window to pay, and after the young kid gave me my card back, before he closed the window, he said "you're so pretty!!" with a high voice and so much energy, and closed the window with a huge smile on his face.
That was when I was at my heaviest, nearing 300lbs and at one of the worst stages of my life physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I bawled my eyes out the entire ride to work after that. I'll never forget him and how he made me feel.
I Miss You
Probably not the nicest but one of the most memorable. I used to work as a runner for a delivery company (someone who helps drivers deliver stuff buy doesn't actually drive). If I was ever working with drivers I disliked, I would intentionally talk to them less and try unload the truck a lot faster than normal. If I liked the driver, we would go slower and have a lot more banter.
On my last day a driver I disliked came up to me in front of the boss and said "She's really fast and efficient, I'm going to miss working with her."
This made me realise that I spent way too much time getting frustrated at people who genuinely appreciated my help.
Silent Clap
I am very patient and usually overly-optimistic. I tend to think the best of others and the worst of myself.
In a morning status call recently, a coworker announced that she was "going to try to be more bubbly and patient, like me. A couple of coworkers agreed that they'd try and do the same and that everyone should try and emulate me a little bit. Typing this out, it sounds like some crap you'd see on r/thathappened, but it actually did happen, nobody clapped. I wish I had been recording the call. It was a huge boost to my mood and self-esteem and honestly one of the best (if not THE best) compliments I've ever received.
You Soothe
Giphy
One time when I was talking with a girl that I liked, she told me I have a soothing voice. I normally have trouble accepting compliments and actually believing them about myself, but that one kind of stuck with me.
Hair Bounce
Nicest compliment came from a little girl. She told me I had pretty hair, which is not anything special. But about 10 years on and I still remember this little girl I didn't know having the confidence to give a stranger a compliment. I dunno, it's stuck with me because SHE was so sweet.
Healthy Mind
Pop Tv Thank You GIF by Schitt's Creek
Giphy
That I was the most emotionally intelligent person they know. (By two different people on two separate occasions) I hold this closely to my heart.
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Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
Out Of Office Summer GIF by Merge MansionGiphy"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
Giphy"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
miss cleo fraud GIFGiphy"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
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For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
fire burning GIFGiphy"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
Drag Racing Vegas GIF by Don Schumacher RacingGiphy"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
Johnny Depp Drinking GIFGiphy"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
Smell It Season 6 GIF by This Is UsGiphy"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
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It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
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