Sometimes it's good to be a good person. Actually it's always good to be a good person but it's not often easy. If only we all could be the people we are when we're feeling the most generous of spirit. They say doing for others without asking for something in return is an act that that makes the world go round, or at the very least, reminds others there is still good in the world. And Lord do we need that reminder now. Times are rough.... help out where you can. It'll do us all good.
Redditor u/ONLYFORASKREDDIT999 wanted to hear from everyone out there about those times they decided to do a little something special by asking.... What is the nicest thing you have ever done for a stranger?Into Action....
Dick Wolf Doctor GIF by Wolf EntertainmentGiphyWhen I was 14 I saved a mentally ill man's life on the bus while going to school. Apparently he was 45 years old but he had the mind of a 5 year old.
Anyway, we were on the bus and it stopped unexpectedly and he hit his head on a the corner of a step. I immediately jumped to him as the blood was gushing from his head and he was screaming.
I applied pressure on his with with my t-shirt while I told another passenger to call an ambulance. I held his head on my lap while trying to comfort him. I remember his fearful eyes to this day. He was so scared, just like a child.
Luckily the hospital wasn't that far from where we were and they saved him.
The Exchange
One thing that comes to mind is something I did for an exchange student at my college. I was a freshman or sophomore, but it was the day of graduation for seniors. This student had their sister and mother come to our Midwest town to see the ceremony. The student had lived in the dorms (like I did. Most exchange students do that even if they are older) so he wanted to bring his family to eat at the dining hall to show them where he had been eating the semester/year.
They were denied entry for silly reasons that the dining center has which, basically, sums up to you have to go to our student union to pay for meals ahead of time and you cannot just pay cash. The language barrier was present and it was more complicated by the fact the worker was saying things like "you normally could pay through the student union" except now they couldn't because it was the last day everything was open. Anyway, I had guest meals left over and I used them on the family. They were very kind, introduced themselves, and thanked me profusely.
I felt really good about it and ever since then I have tried to do kind things for people. First it started to show people that people from the US aren't a**holes, but then I realized we all have so much kindness to give. I always hate saying good things I do because I never want to seem like I'm tooting my own horn or whatever, but the anonymity of the Internet is helpful and I love reading everyone else's responses.
The Wanderer
A distant neighbor suffers from dementia. Was walking my dog near midnight and met him walking down the middle of the road. Asked if he was ok and he said he didn't know where he was. Told him and he said I live there. Escorted him home to find his front door wide open. Had a quick check to make sure it was ok and got him to lock the door when I left. Passed info onto the carers to be told his family know he wanders. Crazy.
Pay it Forward
Drive Through Music Video GIF by HansonGiphyI love to pay for the car behind me at drive-thru's.
Then they order 1000 chicken nuggets.
The Cougars....
I had a customer that would call Tech Support just to talk to me. She was an older lady and obviously lonely. She would have me setup her remote control or something random just to keep me on the phone. We were timed on our calls, so I would all her back over and over so that it didn't mess up my call time or my coworkers.
At another job I had, Mrs. Penny would come play the slots. After getting her change one day, she started waving me down when she was there, and would tell me that the machines next to her were too dirty to play and that they needed cleaning. We would sit there talking while she played and I 'cleaned' machines for her. She would also slip me a $10 or something, pinching my butt while sticking the bill in my pocket. She was a really sweet old lady with some crazy stories about her life.
When in Vegas....
Once in while in Vegas, I was down in the dungeon arcade at the Excalibur. I won something like 50K tickets on a Monopoly game. I was giving away stacks of them to every little kid who walked by. Not life changing, perhaps, but the kids were all pretty happy about it.
Being Spared.
A single mom I didn't know was locked out of her apartment by accident--and she didn't have her phone with her. So, I let her use my phone to try to contact our rental management company. After unsuccessfully trying to contact the management company, I then drove her to the management company's office, waited while she got a spare key, and they drove her back to the apartment complex.
Reaching....
season 1 books GIF by PortlandiaGiphyProbably pales in comparison to some here but nothing makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside like getting something from a high shelf for an elderly shopper.
Snowflakes
Not me, but rather something a stranger did for me. last year I was snowkiting (like kiteboarding but instead of water it's a frozen lake) with my father. in the afternoon I went in for lunch but my dad stayed out. after about only 10 minutes or so I look out at the lake and can't see my dad. After calling him multiple times he called me and told me he had crashed really bad about 2 kilometers off the shore. I couldn't run out there in time so I went up to some random guy with a snowmobile and asked him if he could drive me out.
He did and got to my dad first and started asking him a bunch of questions about his pain and his arm. I soon learned he was a local fireman and knew how to make my dad as comfortable as possible. he took my dad and me back. My father had a severely dislocated and broken shoulder as well as multiple arm breaks. without that random guy that would have been a much worse day.
Push
Art Helping GIF by Libby VanderPloegGiphyI helped a woman who had a broken leg and crutches she was trying to push her shopping cart back to her car and was having difficulties so I pushed her cart for her plus I helped stabilize a girl who had a seizure on the bus I have epilepsy so I knew what was happening.
Miss Laney....
cat GIF by sheepfilmsGiphyShe'll never know what I did, but:
When Miss Laney, our elderly neighbor across the street from where I grew up died, I found a loving home for her beloved black & white cat, Tompkins. (I think I was nearly as fond of that cat as she was.)
Tompkins was her sole companion. So it was especially urgent to provide for him, knowing how important he was to Miss Laney.
A Place to Cry.
Got a hotel room for a lady and her kid that I came across at a gas station. The cops were there and a tow truck, apparently they'd been sleeping in the car in the parking lot and the owners wanted them gone, but the lady was crying saying they had nowhere else to go, it was her and a little toddler. I got her a reservation at a cheap hotel close by for a couple nights, I was a broke teenager at the time so I couldn't give any more than that.
dog by his side the whole time.....
There was a local homeless man and his dog that used to walk by my job. Every so often I'd stop and give him a ride to the store/gas station. While talking to him I found out he was a veteran and he couldn't get his vet benefits due to his homelessness. So I set up a tent in the yard and helped him file for his benefits and he used my address.
He lived in that tent with his dog for 4 weeks then after he got his check we found him a small home to rent and I bought him all the stuff he needed for his kitchen,bath,bedroom etc. He lived there for 3 months before his mental health issues kicked in and he went back to living on the streets.... dog by his side the whole time.
Older Kids.
today hugs GIFGiphyAdult adoption. She woke up from a coma at 25 with no family and the mind of an 8 year old. My daughter now and doing well. Working on statistics and world history now. I have hopes for her to go to a good college in a few years. She smiles often is kind to elders and children has a love for electronic repair.
Scared of fireworks and groups of people but these things take time. Likely some latent PTSD but I'm not so want to diagnose anything. Time can heal a lot of wounds. Just came back from a shopping spree mooning over a stack of dresses right now.
$500
I was standing in line at the grocer's customer service desk behind a young man. He was turning in $100 that he had just found. Someone had left the money in the automated checkout machine after getting cash back, but they must have forgotten it. I heard him saying he could really use the money at the moment, but if he had forgotten that kind of cash he hoped someone would also turn it in.
I skipped going up to the customer service desk and followed the kid out to the car park, praised him for his honesty and gave him $500 because I could afford it. I've never before or since witnessed that level of honesty from someone who clearly needed even that small sum, so it was worth doing.
breaking bread....
I had dinner with a homeless man.
This was when I was a broke college student. While sitting at the laundromat a guy came in and tried to sell each person this kind of strange red jacket. He wasn't pushy, just offered, was told no thanks, and went on to the next person. After running out people he sat down quietly in the corner, it was cold and rainy outside so I think he just wanted to warm up.
I was wrapping up my laundry so as I headed out I asked if he needed something to eat. He was a bit reluctant but admitted he hadn't had much to eat that day.
I hadn't had dinner so I asked if he wanted to get a burger. We went to a Burger King, I paid for the meals and spent a half hour talking, mostly about nothing in particular.
He appreciated the food, but he seemed pretty surprised that I sat down to eat with him. People had given him some things but I don't think anyone really spoke with him much. Maybe it gave him a little bit of dignity he didn't normally get.
The Tab.
Worked in a restaurant and had a table that ran their tab up to $250. In the US, 20% is typically what happy customers tip if their overall experience was enjoyable. These folks left cash on the table and took off. When I opened the check presenter I realized they left $400 composed of 4 x $100 bills, all new bills kinda stuck together.
Figured they only meant to leave $300 so I ran out and found them, informed them of their error, gave em back $100 and thanks them for their tip.
They came back the next day to sit in my section and tipped me 20% which I took as their way of saying thanks.
All the Way there....
driving jon hamm GIFGiphyNot quite a stranger, but very close.
I had a co-worker who I didn't really know at all, but one day he was really upset because his mother was in the hospital and probably dying and he had no way to get to her in time. So I drove him 800 miles each way.
Pass Along.
I pass musical instruments on to kids who want to learn. I play several different things professionally, so frequently when I upgrade I need to clear some space. Rather than selling the old model, I try to pair it up with a kid who wants to learn. It's so much easier to learn on a real instrument than the dreck that is marketed toward beginners and parents.
And now I've made it such a part of what I do, I actually get donations from people of instruments they no longer play. It's sort of become a thing.
Basics.
unh hug GIF by University of New HampshireGiphyA few years back, when I was a student, I was behind someone in a queue for the checkouts. They had some basic groceries, nothing fancy. Their card got declined and they tried another but it didn't work. They had to take a few things out of their shopping to afford it.
The awkwardness was tangible in the air and I felt bad someone couldn't afford the basics so I tapped my card on the reader. I think I only had about £50 left for a month myself so I had hesitated at first but I knew I'd get by. People made a big deal about how generous and kind an act it was which was quite embarrassing to be honest.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.