Sometimes you can only open yourself up completely with a person you've never met and may never meet again.
That is probably because you owe that person nothing.
For a brief time you'll share an intimacy without judgement because there is no baggage.
And these moments can be life changing and affirming.
You never know how a quick smile or hello will change the course of a person's day.
Redditor v_rose23 wanted know about the people they've encountered that left a lasting impression though by asking:
"What's the nicest interaction you've ever had with a stranger?
Many years ago, a significant break up left me devastated.
After my ex and I shared our last goodbye on a balmy evening in the West Village, I had to make my train pilgrimage home alone.
The trek was about forty-five minutes from where I was, it felt like forty-five years.
I tried my best to keep a stiff upper lip.
But five minutes into the trip, nestled in between two girthy men on a crowded train, while listening to Adele the waterworks became unstoppable.
I diligently tried to hide my shame.
But between the snot, the tears and the drunken sing along to "Hello", there was no hiding it.
At my lowest moment, I felt a hand.
I looked up as a delicate young woman handed me a packet of tissues.
She just smiled and winked.
And then she exited.
I never saw her again.
But she reminded me, with no words, that one day it was all going to be ok again.
That there as still goodness in the world.
I needed that.
I wish I had told her.
I bet these next people can relate.
A Grand Family
When I was a kid me and my family travelled around Ireland for a bit. When it came time to get the ferry back to England, our van broke down and we missed it. There wouldn't be another ferry for two weeks.
The Irish family whose house we broke down outside of took all six of us in for two weeks and never asked for anything in return.
Giphy"I've had a rough few days"
i was staying in a homeless shelter and i'd just cut my abusive mother out my life. i felt like absolute crap and decided to sit in Mcdonald's for a few hours just to kill time. i'm sitting there and this wee girl (maybe about 5) comes up to me and asks me why i look so sad.
i don't want to bum this kid out so i just say "i've had a rough few days" she says to me "wait there, i wanna ask my mum something" so she runs back up to me a moment later and hands me a balloon. i'm a bit confused and try to say "thanks but it's your balloon, I don't wanna take that away from you" but she's absolutely certain this balloon will make me happy.
So i'm sitting there with this balloon she tied around my bag and invites her mum and sister over to talk to me because she thinks i need company and cheering up. it was actually really sweet. kinda reminded me no matter how sh!t my parents were, there's still good parents out there. I gave them my happy meal toy and £1 each. the mum was also super nice. we sat there chatting for a bit.
it doesn't sound like much but I'll always remember that because it was something I needed and just cheered me up. I think i might still have the balloon in a box somewhere.
Hours in the Rain...
I spent 10 hours total in Ireland once and in that time I got rained on for three hours and wind destroyed my umbrella, had a splitting headache and nearly pissed my pants, saved an old guy's seat in the top tower of the St. James' Gate Brewery and he ended up giving my wife and I free tickets for a bus tour, came with us and became our tour guide for the day. Brian, you were awesome.
Ireland seems great for these moments but I hear stories like this from all over the world and it makes me feel so much better about things.
Rock, paper, Scissor
I was searching for a parking space in the city where parking spaces are rare.
Just as I found one and set my blinker another guy coming from the other direction set his too.
We looked at each other undecided for a moment, then I signaled a rock paper scissor game through my front window. He immediately understood and we played one round. He won the game so I still had no parking space, but the interaction made my day!
When in Walmart...
I walked down the toaster aisle at Wal Mart a couple of summers ago and an elderly woman was trying to make a selection. She stopped me and asked me my opinion. Until then, I hadn't noticed that there were so many choices in toasters available nowadays.
We discussed the various merits of each toaster and hit upon the type that also toasted bagels as her son's family visited throughout the year and they enjoyed bagels for breakfast and she would love to provide that for them.
She thanked me for assisting her and wished that we could be neighbors. She said that she had lovely neighbors now but that I was so kind and would be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. That made me feel pretty good. I walked away beaming.
At certain moments in life all you need is a thank you or a good job by someone. And when that someone is a complete stranger it can mean more. They're not family, they don't have to say anything. They aren't a loved one, so there is no hidden agenda behind the sentiment.
You don't have to measure up or prove anything to a stranger, and Lord is that ever a freeing feeling. I have to admit, when it comes to my talents, I always soak in the compliments of strangers deeper. They're going out of their way for no reason except to be kind. This whole thread just proves the point on how connection matters. Even in unknown eyes.
Going Home
I was in Denver's International Airport and me and my dad were on standby the entire day.
First flight home we tried was early 4am. Then we tried four more throughout the day. As an 7 year old little boy, i remember feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and just exhausted because i wanted to go home so badly.
My dad bought food at one of the restaurants in the airport to cheer me up but i remember crying and bawling to my dad saying "i just want to go home."
GiphyLittle did I know i would meet one of the nicest strangers that day. On the last flight to Phoenix, Arizona at around 12 am, a man who was also on standby today gets called to board but he took the last 1/2 seats meaning me and my dad would have to stay overnight at the airport.
But this kind generous man decided to give up his spot so that me and my dad could get on the flight. I cried again and hug him with all my heart and said "thank you." He said that he also saw us the whole day on stand by and noticed that we were feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. His selfless act and generosity truly shaped the way I see humans and helped me be the person I am today.
Take my Handiwork...
On weekdays when I did my daily practice, a lady I didn't know would sit in a pew knitting afghans.
She'd listen to the organ music and knit, sometimes for 2-3 hours at a time.
One day, she came up to the organ console in the church's choir loft and introduced herself, showing me her finished afghan - a truly beautiful piece of handiwork.
She said, "I knit this for you as a gift in appreciation for your music. I look forward to hearing you practice each day."
When I look at that afghan now, I still see her sweet face, smile, and genuine kindness.
the lovely soul
15 years ago, I was on my first solo travel trip and I was walking along the pavement of this quiet residential area in Bangkok and it started raining heavily and this man with an umbrella who must have been walking behind me was suddenly at my side and we shared his umbrella for a few blocks and neither of us said anything because we didn't speak each other's languages and then when we parted ways we both smiled at each other and I remember thinking that this man's lovely, kind soul was visible both in his actions and his smile.
The Rear End
I rear-ended a woman on my way home from work once. I was in the middle of a heated conversation with my passenger, came upon a line of cars at a red light, slammed on my brakes but just couldn't stop in time. The whole thing was my fault, nothing but stupidity and negligence. No serious damage but I hit her hard enough to make her car rock forward.
She got out, asked if I was okay, and gave me a hug before getting back in her car and going on her way.
Made me rethink how I interact with strangers and changed my perspective of people forever.
Still think of her often.
Good Luck Friend
I took a motorcycle taxi in Bali. Haggled with the guy who wanted a bit more money than I thought the trip was worth. Jumped on the back of the bike and chatted as we rode along.
GiphyHe said he'd moved from another part of the country to Bali after his divorce, looking for a new life. I said I really understood what that was like and wished him all the best. When we got to my destination I only had the exact amount he had asked for, so I gave it to him and we both walked away feeling happy and understood. People are the same wherever they are from.
Be kind, to everybody, especially now.
Things are so fragile and everyone is on edge.
So let's do our best to spread some decency, even when surrounded by strangers.
Flash those pearly whites.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
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.