People Describe The Best Encounter They've Ever Had With A Complete Stranger

The Same Cars

I was driving down a 3-lane highway in my old Taurus station wagon (unrelated but it's a very ugly car) and two other people driving old Taurus station wagons pulled up next to me. For a brief moment we were lined up perfectly across all three lanes. Just three Taurus station wagons aligned on the highway.

We laughed and waved at each other then drifted away. The absurdity of the moment + the fact that the other drivers also recognized it happening and shared the amusement is what makes it for me.

dooley211

Feel The Rain On Your Skin

I was walking along a sidewalk in midtown when there was a sudden heavy downpour.

A kind man nearby shared his large umbrella with me all the way to my destination 9 blocks away.

It was a simple act of sharing and kindness that I'll never forget.

Back2Bach

Fascinated By Rental Technology

I was traveling around the US on my motorcycle and I stopped at this bar in South Dakota somewhere for a bite and this guy sat down next to me at the bar and we both drank a beer quietly beside each other before he struck up a conversation. He was super friendly and had a draw that I couldn't place, sounded like an Okie.

He was traveling around the country too in his helicopter, just flying around the country stopping and getting a beer here and there, same thing as me except I was on a bike. I found this super odd.

We chatted forever and got a flight of beers eventually trying pretty much all the beers they had on tap. The oddest part was that this guy could not get over that he had an electric rental car, a prius. Like he didn't even know such things existed.

So we went out to the parking lot and he showed me how quiet it was (prius' had been around for a while at this point, it was not a new technology and I'd driven plenty of them at this point). He was amazed that it could drive and be completely quiet. I also found this odd considering the guy was flying around in a rotor seemly just for fun.

Anyway we parted ways and he was just so nice and happy he left me in a good mood for a couple days.

Brancher

Dinner With Strangers

I got back from a class trip and had to go home from the train station. On my way I had a homeless guy coming to me and asked me if I had some money for food and drinks...

I got myself my last 20€ and we went to a restaurant and had lunch together and had a great time. He told me everything about him and I did too. Still seeing him on the streets today, still greeting each other when we see each other

Nicolas8600

The Coolness Of Strangers

My wife and I were travelling in Tokyo and we were looking for a good non-smoking restaurant (a lot of them still allow smoking unfortunately) in the neighborhood we were staying. Most restaurants in that neighborhood were only advertised with discrete Japanese signs. We are white Europeans and looked obviously like tourists.

This Japanese guy comes out of nowhere, asking if he could help us, so we tell him what we are looking for.

Turns out that guy had been working in Germany for a few years, so he could speak English fairly well. He helped us find a traditional, upscale restaurant only visited by locals, hidden on the 8th story of a skyscraper that we would never have found in a lifetime.

The best part is that he obviously liked to chat with us, it reminded him of his life in Europe., and asked if he could join. We gladly accepted, and he helped us with how to behave and take our order. It turns out that guy was a high-level consultant for an accounting organization, and he insisted on paying the bill, so we got to eat in a very high-end restaurant that no tourist would have ever found, and didn't even pay for it!

ConsciousnessWizard

Strangers Becoming Friends

Ugh, I was at this blues dance at a scene I'd never been to, dancing with a lot of strangers and it was so fun.

But this one guy it just clicked with. We had three dances that night and each one worked perfectly, not a foot wrong or a misfollowed lead or a mistimed turn and, ugh bliss. Just pure, human, connection

Someday I hope to return to that dance and do it again.

Incantanto

Thanks For The New Connections

I went for an interview for a residency program. The programs usually interview multiple people per day at the same time. Everyone is so nervous sitting around prior to the interview, that no one talks. For one of my interviews, there were only two of us. The other girl came up to me and we both started talking about how nervous we were.

She hugged me and said "Well, you seem really nice. I hope we both match here and get to work together". After the interviews were over, she hugged me again and said she knew we would be friends in the future. It was an interesting interaction to say the least.

Funny thing is, neither of us matched at that site, but ended up matching together at another program. She is one of the nicest/kindest people I have ever met. Definitely my work bestie.

Pharm-Poet

College Days

I'm in my mid-thirties, and was on my bike riding past a park on my way to the bank when I hear a shout, "Hey, buddy!". I stopped my bike and looked over and saw 5 guys at the park looking at me. "You wanna play ultimate Frisbee?"

I guess they expected a 6th friend to show up but he had to cancel at the last minute so they didn't have enough players. Apparently I don't look like a murderer so they decided to take a shot an ask me to play. I stuck around for about 45 minutes and then continued on with my day.

Super fun time, and reminded me of college, when you easily could just create pickup games out of thin air by holding a ball and finding some friendly folks nearby.

qatest

Deep Convos

I gave a ride to a guy who came up to my work the day after New Years, it was getting dark, raining, and in the low 30s, I couldn't let him walk the 5+ miles back to town. Usually we only get addicts and loonies out in the woods where I work. But Alan was different.

He's a carpenter, from New York. Just a guy who's heart lies on the road and doesn't stay anywhere long. His phone had died and he couldn't uber back to his hotel. Instead of the usual small talk he pressed right in asking "So what it is that defines you, what makes you, you." and from there we talked about life, passions and focused on the bright points amidst the darkness of the previous year.

When I dropped him off he pulled out his wallet at my protest, but instead of cash handed me one of those little sayings that gets clipped to the end of teabags. The last few months have been extremely rough for me, between the phrase and the conversation, the whole experience was uplifting, somehow reassuring and a bit surreal.

"There is nothing like you, there was nothing like you, and there shall be nothing like you"

Bianator

One Day Stand

I met a guy on the bus one day. He and I looked very much like brother and sister. VERY MUCH. We talked for the whole bus trip, each of us opting to miss our respective stops. We ditched our plans and spent the whole day together at the beach, just talking and walking. Our connection was immediate. It was an amazing day. We never saw each other again, but I never forgot.

3Throw_away13

No sir

​I put off changing my name after getting married until my son was born a year later. I had to trudge all over downtown with a newborn in tow to get a copy of my marriage license, go to the DMV, and finally social security office. It was at the social security office that my son decided it was time to eat. I started to discreetly nurse him and a security guard looked in my direction. "Hey, you can't do that here!"

Two women jumped to my defense before I could even look up. "That is a federally granted right!" "She is feeding a baby! Are you against babies eating?!" "You keep nursing that baby, honey! It's a gift!"

The security guard gave them a weird look and tapped on a lady's shoulder in a seat two rows ahead of me. "Ma'am, you cannot make phone calls inside."

It wasn't even about me, but these two ladies jumped to my defense. I greatly appreciated it. I thanked them profusely.

recyclethatusername

Planes in the night

Was waiting at the airport for my flight, it had been delayed 2 hours. It was a full flight so almost all the seats near the gate were taken. There was one last empty seat next to me, so this older woman (Mary) asked if she could sit there. She was very friendly and we ended up talking about life and our relationships for almost the entire 2 hours.

My mother had been a very cold and toxic person. Mary's daughter had passed away from cancer years earlier. It was a very cathartic 2 hours for both of us. She shared stories and life lessons she hadn't had the chance to tell her daughter before she died. I told her about things I could never have told my own mother, and she gave me very honest, compassionate advice.

Wish I'd gotten her number or an email, but I was afraid of overstepping at the time.

thrown12212020

Compliments

I was at a club with some friends and the night was going poorly because my friend's birthday dinner reservations got canceled and the club was insanely busy so we couldn't even get drinks. I started dancing to lighten the mood and no one was really joining in much so it was literally just me.

Then a random girl came up to me and told me I looked "so hot" and to keep doing me. Honestly the best compliment I've ever gotten.

Just_a_toad123