Sometimes all we need is a hug, a kind word, or just a simple smile. And no matter how much love and support we have from our inner circles it can be easier to find comfort in a stranger. With strangers there is no expectation. They don't know how to help you because they don't know you so all they can do is just be there. On the lighter side, life is filled with moments we all share just as humans. We connect in a dance, in a laugh or a wink to commemorate just living in one particular moment... and it's beautiful.
Redditor u/Pielef wanted everyone to share the moments they've experienced with people they've only just met by asking.... What's the most intimate moment you've had with a complete stranger?
The Eyes.
GiphyWhen I was about 14, I was at a road-stop restaurant with my family, and from the moment we entered I started meeting the eyes of this girl about my age at another table.
Our eyes just kept meeting while we were eating, and I couldn't really focus on what any of my family was saying. When we left the place, I looked over my shoulder outside, and met her eyes again. Held it for a good 10-15 seconds before my mother called me over to the car.
I still think of her sometimes. BuguOst
I love your dress.
My year 11 inter school dance. I had what I can now say was a panic attack and retreated to the bathroom. My best friend tried to talk me out but I wouldn't leave. I told her to go back out and I would be fine.
A girl from another school came in and saw I was obviously distressed. She didn't ask me what was wrong or if I was okay. She said she loved my dress and asked me about it. She then told me about hers and we started talking about school and what we wanted to do when we graduated. Her friends eventually came in and found her and she said goodbye. I felt so much better that I went out and joined my friends.
I never got her name and don't remember which school she went to now but I am so incredibly grateful to her and I hope she is having a wonderful life. punkynomie
Flying Together.
Sat next to a middle aged lady on an airplane. It was her first time flying and she was freaking out. I held her hand and arm through takeoff, landing, and during the slight turbulence during the flight. Normally I'm not a touchy person, but this felt natural. cheezydan
Um. Okay I guess.
GiphyA woman wearing completely white makeup with black lipstick gently caressed my arm as I passed her on the street. Not sure if I should be freaked out or simply ok with it. LOL Goatqdon
Christmas Together.
I used to live abroad a couple of years ago and when I came back to my "new" country after being home for Christmas I was waiting for the airport bus to go into town.
While I was waiting there a woman my age (~20) comes up and asks me if I know the way to the airport bus and as I did we ended up waiting together there and then sat next to each other on the bus. She was so easy to talk to. The bus was about 50 minutes and we got talking really deep and it felt super natural.
Then we got to the main station in town and we looked each other in the eyes and kissed before wishing each other well and going on our separate ways. I'm thinking of her quite often still, years later and it pains me that I didn't take her number or anything - just her name, Katja.
However I feel that maybe this is what made it so special, 2 strangers in a random country sharing 1 hour by destiny while sharing intimate stories and feeling connected in a way that I have not experienced before or after. Maybe she was my soul mate but in that case I'm sure we will meet again. sqarin1
We can be friends....
I got into a car with a stranger who was asking for directions, so i could show him the way (I know that was dangerous and stupid) Then he offered me coffee, we spent the whole day together, he offered me dinner. I started to think he was into me, but i still don't know. I talked about all of my problems to him and my inferiority complex. He had a degree in psychology so he gave me some useful tips. Afterwards we became kind of friends. It's crazy how a complete stranger can care about you more than your "friends." Still, I was naive for getting in a car with a stranger. Tramelo
Let's dance.
I was fairly intoxicated and had been dancing with some girls and on the way to the bathroom I passed one of them and as I walked by her I put my hand on the side of her face, looked into her eyes and smiled... she seemed to be really into it but right after I realized that wasn't the same girl and I just did that to a total stranger. WesternEuropeanDude
Taxes Together.
Today is the 24th anniversary of forgetting my taxes until late in the afternoon. I ran with my documents downtown (Denver) and found a crowd of equal irresponsible people. We were moving through the IRS building like a pack and the employees expected this. It was mostly closed up with a stack of booklets and a stack of E-Z forms on another floor.
Once the mob and acquired both we sort of just scattered. I found myself with a young woman sharing a pen and doing our taxes together on the hood of her car. We helped each other line by line through our pathetic financial documents. We parted ways and I never talked to her again. DarrenEdwards
Kinko's Connection.
I was living in Houston and working at a FedEx Kinko's (Copy & Print shop) when Hurricane Katrina happened. An older women came in a with photo of her son who was missing that she wanted to post online. She has no idea how to really use a computer and certainly no idea how to scan and upload a photo. We were way backed up in the in-house side of things, so I set her up at a self service computer and did it all myself. Scanned and burned her a copy of the photo. Uploaded online to where she wanted and walked her through everything I did in case she found other places to post the photo. She was immensely grateful. Roughly 2 months later she came in and brought her son because he wanted to thank me for helping his mom find him. We hugged. I cried. Most intimate stranger moment of my life. mizmac85
Braid Away...
GiphyI was in a long line at a 7/11 and and old black lady behind me started braiding my hair and humming. When she was done, I said thank you and left with my purchase. throwitallawayyy2016
Paws Away....
Once, when my dog was just a few months old, we were out for a walk and we passed this guy on the street who was just leaning against a wall. She stopped, and refused to budge. She looked at me, looked up at the guy, then looked back at me and just wagged her tail a little. So I said, "Do you want to say hello?" And she turns to the guy and puts her paws on his knee. Just for the record, my dog doesn't like people - she's really shy and doesn't approach strangers, so I was kind of surprised that she wanted to interact.
The guy bends down and pets her for a minute or two. Then he stands up, and he looks at me and says thank you, and the look on his face was so vulnerable, like he was about to cry. That was over a year ago and I think about that guy once in a while. He was so grateful to just pet a cute puppy for a few minutes, and my dog just seemed to know that he needed it. So, I guess my dog had an intimate moment with a stranger, and I just witnessed it. particularshadeofblu
Farewell....
Former EMT here. Crying with a family who's grandfather got his pulse back after 5 mins of me giving him CPR when he was essentially dead. Unfortunately he didn't survive the brain damage but they were so grateful to me for giving them a chance to say goodbye. Skavis18
A Needed Lift....
I got on a ski lift at one point with just me and a total stranger. For whatever reason we started talking about our respective faiths almost immediately, but in a totally chill kind of fashion without any weirdness or awkwardness. The dude then admitted he was going through a pretty rough patch and doing some soul searching as a result. I offered my consolations and encouraged him to open up if he wanted to.
This was really bizarre for me as I'm usually an introvert. So then this dude, who I had just met as we sat down on a ski lift, opens up and tells me all about it. I won't repeat what he said, as almost all of it is deeply personal, but he really did have it rough. Some of it was his fault, he acknowledged, but most of it was out of his control. He started tearing up at the end and had to remove his ski goggles just to wipe away the tears. As we neared the top he thanked me for listening and gave me a coupon for a free hot chocolate from a restaurant on the slopes.
I wished him the best of luck with what he was going through and told him he seemed like an outstanding guy who had it in him to make it through this. He thanked me again, then we both parted ways. I never saw him again, but I truly hope things got better for him. Willshaper_Asher
Having fun IS winning....
GiphyI had a man pull me aside at an agility dog show (I was a 'leash runner' volunteer) and asked me if I would run his dog, as he had an injured knee, and felt bad that his dog wasn't able to run to its content. His willingness to throw the competition to make sure his dog could have fun, and a newbie could get some experience melted my heart. We were only one point away from qualifying :3 Febe_Fox
Call me Dan....
At a free improv class, a warmup exercise where you had to add on to a chain of sound effects and hand shakes with your partner repeatedly, in rhythm. Required a lot of eye contact, and a surprising amount of vulnerability, because it was rather silly. Also a ton of laughs.
Dancing Dan. If you're out there, I wish I knew your real name. unchi_post_desu
Flying Keys....
I dropped my keys on the way to my car once. I had just begun to retrace my steps when a dude walked by on the sidewalk. He gives me a small "hey" to get my attention and without hesitation sends the keys flying through the air a good 20 feet over to me. Mid flight I say thank you and in one fluid motion catch the keys and sit down into the driver's seat. It was so smooth and effortless. Good on that guy, my hero. kissLarryBirdsbelly
Hugs make a difference....
On a cold winter day, there was a homeless man sitting on the front steps of the church where I was music director.
As I unlocked the door to enter the building for practice, I noticed the man was shivering and looked especially destitute. So I invited him inside and fixed food for him in the parish hall kitchen.
Feeding him nourishing food (and some hot coffee with cookies) made a profound difference. Plus, the church's rummage sale had a heavy winter coat and hat that fit him perfectly.
As he departed, the man gave me a warm smile, followed by a "bear hug" - a moment I'll never forget. Back2Bach
Slumber Party!
GiphyLiterally sharing a hotel room with 3 other strangers. When i was in law school and flying back to New Orleans, our flight got diverted to Birmingham for fog. We had to stay overnight so everyone was just like wtf do we do??
I find myself in the hotel lobby with three other student aged people (two guys, 1 other girl) and we decided to bunk together to save money. It wound up being a fun night as we got booze and food and stayed up talking and we all went to sleep innocently enough. The next morning we got on our flight and exchanged info, made plans to go to parties and shit together. I even gave one of the guys a ride home. Never heard from anyone ever again. carlieweasley
Pump Up the Volume!
I'm a dude of mid-20s,and I drive for Uber/Lyft and one really busy night someone got in my car when I had my "Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack" Pandora station playing. I can't recommend it highly enough, all sorts of great older music. Anyways, young woman hops in the car, we exchange a brief hi, how are you, and then American Pie comes on. Now I don't really sing along with my passengers, I'm not good at singing at all, and I don't really enjoy singing along with the music.
It just doesn't add much to it for me. But this young woman my age just starts singing. After a verse or two, I decide to join in too. And she starts to harmonize with my off-pitch singing on her own. The song ends like right as I pull up to the hotel, and we exchange minimal pleasantries again, and go on our separate ways. I don't even remember her name or face, but I definitely remember the random jam session that was good enough to join in on. tmos540
Baby on the Way....
In a public bathroom, a very pregnant lady was there with her two young daughters. Neither could reach the sink to was their hands, and mom was too pregnant to be lifting them. I'm a mom, so I offered. I held the girls up (one at a time) while they each washed and dried their hands and then sent them back with mom. bubblegum1286
- People Break Down The Most Intimate Things In A Relationship That Aren't Sexual - George Takei ›
- People Share The Exact Moment They Knew They Needed To End A Romantic Relationship - George Takei ›
Most restaurant menus have caught up with the times to offer plenty of options to patrons with various dietary restrictions.
Vegan dishes tend to be a top priority, with gluten-free options being a close second.
Thanks to these options, groups of family and friends can dine together and not be limited by restaurant choices.
But when there's a sudden break in routine on the next outing, it can be jarring when the vegan in your group suddenly orders prime rib or a juicy burger that is not a plant-based patty.
What the whaaat?
Curious to hear from those who did a dietary 180 after routinely nourishing themselves with food grown from the earth's soil, Capital_Brain2676 asked:
"Vegans that started eating meat again, what happened?"
Some people were told what's good for them.
Point Made
"I know someone who was a vegetarian for 13 years simply because someone told them they couldn't do it. I guess he figured 13 years was enough to prove a point and went back to eating meat after."
– ottersandgoats
"I feel like 2-3 years would be enough though??"
– WebBorn2622
On A Dare
"I knew a girl in college who did that. She was dared in middle school to become a vegetarian and... she just stuck with it. More power to them."
– ComplexWest8790
Some people were left with no choice but to ditch veganism.
Thanks, Mickey Ds
"Got cancer. Ate whatever my body would take without throwing up and that just happened to be chicken nuggets."
– BratS94
When Choices Are Limited
"Homeless and pregnant = eat what I was given."
– anon
"I’ve always wondered this actually. If a homeless vegan eats what they’re given. I’ve given homeless people subs in the past because of veggies, protein, and carbs (all necessary things) and wondered if they would eat it if they’re vegan. I’m sorry you’ve been on that road. I hope things are better for you now."
– Saltwater_Heart
The Saying Goes
"There is a reason for the saying 'beggars can’t be choosers,' you give what you can/have and you can’t always accommodate the person you are giving it to, don’t think too hard about it. Also, hope OP is doing better."
– Reikotsu
Certain medical conditions prevented these Redditors from sticking to their restrictive diets.
Cooking For Two
"I still eat mostly vegetarian food and have done all my life. However my husband was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and coeliac which means that a high fibre/lower iron diet is not an option and a lot of the substitutes aren’t gluten free. More often than not when he has meat I’ll leave it or have the veggie equivalent but there are just not enough hours in the day to make 2 separate lasagnes and sauce etc."
– Chanel-Chic
Troublesome Ailment
"As someone who has UC, that's very cool of you to cook a more UC friendly diet. I dated a woman for 6 months who was a pescatarian. Every time I cooked, it was something we both liked and could eat. Every time she cooked, she focused on what she wanted and it didn't seem to matter whether I could eat it or not. She was nuero divergent and had it in her head that veggies = good regardless of what it did to my insides. For anyone who doesn't know, UC is inflammation due to my immune system attacking the lining of my colon. So it's inflamed (unless you're in remission, which a fair amount of people aren't). Large amounts of fiber makes the food sit there longer and get more packed, which hurts like all hell being tight up against inflamed tissue. And certain ones create gas of an unimaginable magnitude and strength."
"Anyway, a fair amount of the time, I had to order delivery or takeout because otherwise, I would have been farting or sh*tting my brains out overnight. So I appreciate what you've done like you wouldn't believe."
– Wishilikedhugs
Bye Bye Veggies
"My gastroparesis diet led me off my vegan diet as well. I can’t handle legumes, leafy greens, and most vegetables. Hard to be a healthy vegan without any of those."
– Jefauver
When Vegan Ingredients Turn On You
"Yup. Crohn’s Disease ended my 17 year vegetarian stretch. I’m in remission now and don’t eat red meat but I am sensitive to several vegan friendly ingredients like garlic, onions, cauliflower family and now I can avoid them without starving."
–friscodayone
Cooking For A Full House
"Back when COVID had everyone in lockedown, myself and my roommate's family would take turns cooking dinner and it was fine. Then my roommate went on the NOOM diet, her daughter was diagnosed with GERD and couldn't have anything acidic, and her husband was diagnosed with celiac. Oh, and another family member disliked potatoes. I finally had to bow out. It was way too much of a pain in the @ss to cook a meal that met all of those restrictions."
– panda388
Sometimes, you just gotta have meat.
Costco Chicken
"Not my story, but a good friend of mine was vegetarian, very nearly vegan for over 10 years. One day she was in Costco and walked past the rotisserie chickens. Without thinking she put it in her cart. When she got home she stood over the sink and ate it with her bare hands. She had no idea what came over her. Her telling me this story is still one of the funniest things I've ever heard. She is still very plant forward in her eating, but she won't hesitate to order a burger or a steak when she wants it now."
– NotAlwaysGifs
Ravenous
"I went on a weekend backpacking trip with a girl who had been religiously vegan for a few years. It was a pretty physically intense trip, and the last day heading back was in pouring rain the whole way, so by the time we got back to our car, we were absolutely exhausted, filthy, and starving."
"There was only one restaurant anywhere nearby, one of those highway diners. We get there and I notice she's got this kind of crazy look in her eyes. I ask if she's okay, and she just says 'I need a steak.' I laugh, but she goes 'I'm serious. I can't help it. I need a big greasy piece of meat right now or I'm going to die.""
"Sure enough, she orders the biggest steak on the menu, and wolfs it down in minutes, and the crazed look goes away. After that, she went right back to being vegan like nothing had happened. The look in her eyes was a little scary to be honest."
– AxelShoes
Unless it's a matter of life or death, there's no way I can survive being a vegan.
I don't have a strong enough will power to avoid eating meat.
So if that day ever comes when I'm forced to make a major change in my diet that won't include red meat and you're around me all the time, apologies in advance for my perpetual state of being hangry.
People's Wildest 'WTF Is Wrong With You?' Experiences
Reddit user nekorei2023 asked: 'What did the person do/say that made you go "what the f**k is wrong with you?"'
We all have that moment where someone we know says something so completely absurd, the only response we think of is 'WTF is wrong with you?'
Sometimes, it's something woefully inaccurate that you can't wrap your head around the fact that someone believes that.
Othertimes, it's something completely offensive and you regret your association with that person.
My college roommate was a girl I knew from my high school. I didn't know her too well, but we had some big things in common, so I figured it'd be fun to live with her.
This girl was half-Korean and talked a lot about racist people. At first, I let her rant, figuring maybe she or someone in her family faced some racism. I faced some myself, and I agreed with most of the things she said about racists. Eventually, however, I realized she was equating the word 'racist' with the word 'white.'
I spoke to her once, telling her she can't use 'racist' and 'white' interchangeably. She agreed to stop doing that, but within a few days, she started doing it again. She was a very bright girl, so I was a little concerned about this, especially since her own dad was white and was possibly the nicest man in the world. Not to mention, this made her and her siblings half-white too. Did that mean they were all half-racist?
I stuck by her for a while, but when she started saying things about what she wanted to do to racist people (once again using the word 'white' instead of 'racist'), I realized I couldn't be around her anymore. She couldn't talk about anything else after a while, and every time she spoke, I wanted to say, 'WTF is wrong with you?'
We did not room together the next year.
Redditors have stories similar to mine (and some even crazier), and they are eager to share.
It all started when a Redditorasked:
How To End A Friendship
"In college I used to kill time between classes hanging out with a guy who was from the same redneck county as myself. We didn’t really have much else in common, but he was nice enough and seemed eager to socialize so I figured why not. I wasn’t overly social myself and didn’t know a whole lot of people."
"One day we decided to go somewhere off-campus, and he drove us. While driving, on an interstate mind you, he proceeds to show me his handgun that he kept in his truck - not in a menacing way, but in a “Ain’t that cool?” way."
"I was not immediately frightened, but I respect firearms enough to recognize we are going like 60-70mph on an interstate in daylight, and nothing good can happen in this scenario. I calmly asked him to put it away because I was not comfortable in this situation at all. He then tells me “Oh it’s not loaded” and presses the gun to his head before pulling the trigger."
"Thank f**k he was right, but still it was a wild and frightening display of reckless disregard for his own life and mine for that matter in the event that he’d accidentally killed himself while driving us. I didn’t hang out with him much after that, certainly didn’t get in a car with him."
– omjf23
"“It’s not loaded” famous last words of many an idiot."
– GloInTheDarkUnicorn
The Worst Kind Of People
"When my dad was in the nursing home, they weren't running certain expenses, like ambulance rides, through his insurance. When I took over his financials, he was tens of thousands in medical debt that shouldn't have ever been charged to him in the first place. He was in numerous collections, and his credit score was tanked."
"When I complained to the nursing home director, he said, "Well, it's not like he's going to be buying a house or a car!" Then he laughed."
"My dad was paralyzed from the waist down and needed lifelong care, so he was never going to leave the nursing home. Even though he was technically correct, I gave him the "WTF is wrong with you look." Then I complained to HIS boss and he got canned a couple a weeks later. My dad's insurance was fixed pretty quick, too."
– MNWNM
"“Sorry, what was funny about that? Could you please explain.”"
– v3n0mat3
...Seriously?
"MIL told my wife she should divorce me bc I googled whether a lasagna should be covered with foil while cooking."
– Struggle-Silent
"This is my first laugh of the thread lmao wtf."
– koreantrvp
"It actually ruined this entire trip. It was at my BIL’s wedding, which was only close family (siblings + parents) and they had the caterer make a lasagna for an evening dinner."
"Father of the bride was gonna pop it in the oven and asked if it should be covered. I googled lasagna cooking instructions and said yes it should be covered and cooked at this temp. MIL said absolutely not!"
"Me and the father of the bride kinda gave each other a look and he covered it. MIL was furious and texted my wife that I was an a hole and she should divorce me before we had kids."
– Struggle-Silent
Hostile Work Environment
"Boss at old job told the team we needed to ‘get used to a healthy level of conflict, fear and anxiety in the workplace.’ I dipped so fast after that."
– Prestigious-Energy69
"Similarly, a boss told me that I owed him my loyalty because he was paying me."
– Kylearean
How To End A Relationship
"A girl I was with while we were still together just looked at me while I was driving to her house and said.” You know I would get over you faster than you’d get over me” I was like …… Tf did you just say?"
– omega91301
"Huh. And just like that I'm over you."
– Pineapple_Spenstar
"Honestly, that would absolutely do it for me. When I was younger, I would be stupid and hurt and argue. I'm past 50 and I got no time for that nonsense."
– Terpsichorean_Wombat
There Are Other Ways To Stave Off Boredom
"I was DD for some buddies who wanted to go to a particular dance club in Baltimore. They're all hammered, it's too loud and we've been there for several hours. Casually an older woman next to me chats me up and notices my eyes are nearly crossing from boredom. I explained what I was doing there and casually (stupidly) mentioned I'm a bit bored. This psycho BITES ME on the chest! Afterward says "Well ya ain't bored now, are ya??""
– Mike7676
"Well, were you bored after that?"
– DontWannaSayMyName
"I must say, I was not!"
– Mike7676
That Goes Both Ways!
"I'm a man who works with kids, and when I started this job, I was talking to one of my old coworkers about how every once in a while I'll get weird looks for being a man working with kids and my coworker said I deserved it because some men can't be trusted with kids. I was shocked and she went on to say that I did it to myself and deserve to be questioned about it. I immediately stopped talking to her."
– Dolhedew
"What? What in the actual f**k? Doesn’t she know there are women who can’t be trusted with kids?"
– Anonymoosehead123
That Escalated Quickly
"The lady that accused my kids of cutting the line. (They hadn't, I was watching). When I went to ask her what was wrong, she told me to go back to my own country with that sh*t. (I was born in Massachusetts.)"
"The line was to pet dogs at a Renaissance Fair."
– pasafa
Everything All At Once
"While alone with a coworker, he told me that "women in the work place will lead to the decay of the fabric of society" to me. A woman. He also asked me out, got an attitude when I didn't say yes and continues to walk around with huge incel energy. He always complains that he has no one to go home to yet refuses to look at himself as a possible reason."
– Nopeferatu31
"Sounds like they should learn something from the phrase, "if you meet one a**hole, they're the a**hole. If everyone you meet is an a**hole, you're the a**hole.""
– tmpope123
Ouch!
"I told a coworker my wife had died."
"Her response: "You're one of those bald middle aged guys with a dead wife.""
"Me: "Yeah.""
– WalrusCello
"I want to think this was a wholesome thought that came out wrong. An awkward attempt at dark humor."
– ThisUsernameIsTook
*Cringing*
"Had an otherwise normal co-worker who was completely convinced windmills will cause the earth to stop spinning."
– Shadowmant
"WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY! GOOD NIGHT!"
– Torvaun
These are all crazy 'WTF is wrong with you' stories, but that last one blew my mind in 'how is it possible people think that could be true' sort of way!