The world is a lot bigger than any of us realize. 7 billion people is a lot and, unfortunately, we'll never have the time or opportunity to meet all of them. Fortunately, for us, sometimes we gain an insight into someone's life, a quick glance into their soul.
And sometimes we love what we see so much we share it on the internet.
Reddit user, u/Wide_Stop, wanted to know who we should never forget either when they asked:
Which random stranger do you still remember, and why?
Let's Start Off Strong
Trucker that pooped in a burger king sink 'cause you don't forget something like that.
Your #1 memory is also a #2 memory.
Don't Jack My Fries, Bro
GiphyI once worked at a tackle shop and one day I ordered a plate of fries for lunch from the restaurant next door.
20 Minutes later and I've just about finished my fries and a customer needs help with one of the rods. I put my plate down on the counter and help the customer. I come back to the counter and there's overweight guy looking to be in his 40s who's just eating my fries. I give him this look as if to say, "bro, Wtf". And he dead-ss looks me in the eyes after eating the last fry and says, "could use a little salt".
That's Some Real Confidence, Right There
Random guy on the buss eating a cucumber out of a bag.
His presence was too powerfull
A Kiss To Start It All Over Again
NYE 2017, I'm in a bar and the countdown to 2018 begins. I'm with a group of my friends and the countdown just ended as everyone screams "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" . I lock eyes with this handsome stranger, and both lean towards each other and kiss. That's it. Never got his number, never saw him again. Just a spontaneous kiss with a handsome stranger.
Helping To Shut You Up
Just a little backstory Several years ago my and my buddy got stranded in California because one of the cars we group road tripped with ditched us to go up to washing. Mind you were from Colorado. Completely broke our buddies mom bought us train tickets back back home. It's was a 3 day train ride five or take at grilling pace of like max 30 miles an hour. We had no money for food and by the 3rd day we were at each others throats out of hunger.
The guy in from of us must have heard us complaining and bought us a little 6 inch sub sandwich to share. Probably to shut us up lol I'll never forget him. Also on that same train ride we asked to bum a smoke from a stranger at a rest stop and when we got back on the train he tossed us a whole pack of cigarettes. He was going all the way to to Tennessee I'll never forget him either. The train ride sucked but on a lighter not people were really nice and seeing the country on a train is a memory I'll never forget.
Random Kindness On A Ferris Wheel
I was 7 and was on vacation with my family. There was a carnival going on at that time with a giant wheel present there. I'd never been on one so decided to go ahead and give it a shot. I seemed pretty confident, but as soon as I took my seat, for some reason I was absolutely terrified. A couple of strangers sat next to me as there was still space to accommodate them.
Once the ride began, I began shivering nervously, and couldn't get myself to look out through the cabin I was in. Then I felt a comforting hand over my shoulders. I looked around and it was a girl probably 10 years older than me at the time. She noticed me vigorously trembling in fear, and started having a casual conversation taking my mind away from it all. As the speed started increasing every round, she held me hand tightly and in no time, the ride was complete. I didn't even get to know her name. That was the last time I saw her. I don't even remember her face now. But I'll never forget that moment.
Maybe You Didn't KNOW You Were Sad?
Homeless dude walking off the bus had his pants sagging down so much you could see his tighty whiteys. I was on the way home from the cinema with my gf. He takes a look down at me, hits my knee with a plastic spoon to get my attention, and says 'cheer up'. The funny thing is I was doing fine.
Rednecks With The Save
I was crossing the crowsnest pass in the Rockies, doing yet another crazy move with my mom. We were driving in an old station wagon loaded with our sh-t, and I was a kid (maybe 13). The car overheated trying to go up the hill and we pulled over, billowing steam. My mom was trying to flag down traffic but nobody was stopping for about 20 minutes. Then a beat up old ford came up the hill and pulled over and two redneck-looking dudes hopped out. A guy with no front teeth popped our hot radiator with a screwdriver (he dodged the cloud of steam) and then they refilled the tank and also clamped a hose back on. He kept calling his truck 'flyjuice' and said he'd stay just ahead of us and watch that we made it over the pass. Both of them sounded like American hillbillies that had gotten lost too far north (this was in bc, Canada).
I still remember those rednecks saving us. They didn't ask for sh-t, either, and they left after we made it over the pass.
The Happiest Place On Earth...?
A mom at Disney World angrily yelling at her son to "Just shut up and have fun!!" after he said he was getting kinda tired.
[The] kid was like 6
Yeah.
I'm on a cruise. I'm washing my hands in a bathroom and this large Andy Reid-lookin' dude with a thick Pittsburgh accent comes out of the stall and says to me, "If you put your left hand and right hand under two different soap dispensers, you get double the soap!"
And I'm like, "Yeah."
Random Acts Of Kindness
I was playing laser tag one time and I accidentally tripped and twisted my ankle. It hurt so bad that I struggled to get up. A guy who was playing laser tag with me saw me and asked if I was ok. I told him what happened and he helped me up and out of the laser tag arena and into the main lobby. He even told an employee what happened and the employee got me an ice pack for my ankle. I still remember that stranger because it was such a nice thing he did for me.
But...How...Distance?
Random hungover/drunk Scotsman approached me and my mother one day and asked
"Excuse me, where can I find a phone charger? I went out in Glasgow last night and woke up in Sheffield"
To which my mother replied "this is Lincoln"
He looked a little worried, then walked off saying "aye, it's been a long day"
It was 10am, he was 270 miles from home, and over 50 miles from where he woke up. I will forever remember this hero.
...The Happiest Place On Earth.
Oh god this reminds me of another horrible person in Disney.
So we were on the Carousel of progress. It's a ride that's more like a show, and the whole audience seating area rotates. You aren't supposed to stand during the show because it moves.
There was a baby in the front row. Had to be about a year old, with a light up toy (the ones that spin). Well this little boy was playing with the toy the ENTIRE show. It was a little annoying, but I saw the mom had attempted to take the toy away earlier and the child started crying. And since she couldn't take the child out because of the moving floor, she decided the toy was the least distracting for everyone else. Personally, I'd rather have a little light than a baby crying in a show. It wasn't that bad. Whatever. It's a baby in Disney world.
Well, this adult man behind me stands up halfway through the show, and screams at this baby and mom. "SHUT THE F-CKING TOY OFF." In a room. Full of small children. On a ride. In Walt Disney World.
I feel bad for that dude's children.
R.A.K. (Random Acts of Kindness)
Background: I've struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. My hormones worked crazy fast at growing me up. In the 7th grade, I could almost pass for a 17 year old. I was tall and I had filled out early. I was relentlessly teased, ridiculed, and bullied about being fat (which I was actually not). At any rate, I started to eat my feelings (self-fulfilling prophecies much?) and did start gaining weight. Before I had my weight loss surgery, I weighed 365 lbs. I also suffer heavily from Body Dysmorphia and BPD. I have never thought of myself as pretty or beautiful.
Story: A short time after my son was born, I went shopping with my ex husband (we were still married at the time) to buy some clothes at Lane Bryant. I was probably around 300 lbs at this time. I just remember looking at a top, and the voice of a woman caught my attention. She said, "Excuse me, sir." She was in a motorized scooter, so my husband made to move himself and our stroller out of the way, thinking he was blocking her path and even apologized for being in her way. I turned to witness the exchange, and this caricature of a wild-haired older woman wearing red-rimmed glasses was reaching up to touch my husband's elbow. She smiled up at him and said, "I just want you to know that your wife is absolutely beautiful. You're very lucky!" She turned and leveled a smile at me and I walked over to stoop and give her a hug to thank her. We exchanged pleasantries and she turned and went about her day after wishing us a nice day.
That woman, for no reason whatsoever, felt the need to point out something I was more or less ignorant of. And she didn't say it to me, she told my husband. I dunno, it just always really stuck with me.
Stepping In For The Save
A customer at work a few years ago! I was 19 and it was around 11pm on a close shift when I cut myself very badly on a deli slicer. A lady walked up to buy something and there I was freaking out and bleeding everywhere... Turns out she was a nurse, and she dropped everything to come behind the counter to patch me up. She was so lovely, not only did she help me, but she also made a point to the company that there should be a qualified first aider on at all times. Thanks to her they did just that!
A Peak Into The Soul's Window
I was 36 hours away from leaving a very toxic relationship forever, and I was picking up a few items at the local convenience store near my house.
A woman whom I've *never* seen before in my life walked in, looked at me, and it was like she stared into my soul. English was her second language, and she was visibly intoxicated.
She walks up to me and gets pretty close to my face, then asked me, "Are you okay?" I said yes, and went about my business. She gently grabbed my wrist and looked into my eyes a second time, and suddenly appeared quite sober. She said, "I'm serious. I see you. You're not okay. You must go. You know this."
I played it off and thanked her for her concern, and let her know that everything was fine. She kept trying to give me her phone number, but the shopkeeper waved her off. I found out later that night that she's a domestic violence advocate/lawyer.
How she "knew" ... I'll never know. What made this even more complex and weird is that my soon-to-be-ex was standing within earshot, and I had to be very careful/play stupid in case he figured out that I really was planning to leave. Thankfully, he was talking with someone else and didn't overhear what she said.
We just played her off as a drunk/crazy woman, but that wasn't the case at all.
I was on a plane and out of the country the next morning.
Singing For The World's Enjoyment
I used to work a 24 x 7 Network Operations Center. I had a midnight-noon shift. It was 5am, and I was in a toilet stall in our building, and there was a guy humming to himself in his stall. Imagine a deep, booming, baritone voice echoing everywhere because there were a lot of stalls.
"Durrr der dum... da dum... da duh dum da...."
But every once in a while, he'd have to strain.
"Durr dum deh deh de-HNNNGGGGGRRRRRrum... dum dah dee, doo dum..."
And sometimes, he's sigh contentedly after a strain, like an impromptu jazz moment.
"Durr dum doo de-HNNNGGGGGRRRRR-- aaahhhhh... ... dum dah dee, doo dum..."
It's been like, 21 years, and I never forgot that moment.
And Now, We All Can Use It Too
GiphyThe old man using the urinal next to mine in a Denny's bathroom and said to me, "Ahhhhh. It makes the bladder gladder."
My SO and I still use that phrase to this day.
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.