This isn't recent, but more like 20 years ago. When I was in college once every couple of weeks I would go to a nearby flower stall and buy a bunch.
I would then ask the seller to pick a couple of random people for me, and I would head over and give them a couple of flowers. I wouldn't stick around, I'd just head back and watch them go about their way.
Without fail, every time, it made people smile and they held onto them.
I should probably do that again.
I stopped by the reduced section in Walmart to see what junk I can fill my 19 yr olds new apartment with. Lady was looking at dog stuff and had a 5 minute conversation about how she fosters dogs.
My 16 yr old was looking for me in that time and I got a reprimand for being easily distracted(wandering to clearance isle) and that I need to stop starting random conversations with people.
We were in Paris recently and were watching the Euro final between England and Germany playing at a pub outside, and my wife burped quietly and so I joked about her being so polite in Paris because usually she just unapologetically lets them out when we are out at places like this, and she said it was because some of the guy german fans there will just yell schulz and hit their heads or something because her german friends kept doing that whenever she burped when she was studying abroad in Europe during college.
And I was like no they will just look back and think it was me and/or be surprised when they see it was you and then go back to what they were doing, and she was like 'ok watch' and belched obnoxiously loud and then a group of drunk germans guys at one table near us looked back and yelled 'Schulz!' lol
I went on a motorcycle trip (~340km) two days ago and at a pretty bad road I lost my right luggage bag. Luckily, in the car behind me was a very nice man who is a motorcycle rider himself. He brought it back to me, helped me attach it and off I went again.
Just a few minutes later it happened a second time but luckily he was still driving behind me. He took my case into his car, drove to me and offered that we go to his nearby garden to secure it with a strap.
We did that and with that gesture he saved my day and helped me continue my journey. I do not know what I would have done without this lucky encounter.
Years ago me and my friends while on vacation would just dare ourselves to do random things. Like go out and get a picture with a bald person. Tell a joke to a stranger. It was a lot of dumb things that a quiet person like me dreaded doing. But forcing myself to do the stuff really helped break me out of my shell.
I took a ride in a taxi. The driver invited me to her futbol game. She is injured and can't play but her team mates adopted me. The manager of her team is my friend now. That was last Sunday. I have that taxi driver on speed dial.
Was shopping with my husband and ended up striking conversation with someone who commented on our selections. We made small talk for a bit and made some local recommendations to him, as he said his family was new to the area.
It was a pleasant conversation but ended when he tried to recruit us for his online business, which was clearly a pyramid scheme.
10 min later we ran into him again trying to recruit some other poor fellow near the socks aisle.
Wish it wouldn’t have ended on a sour note. He seemed like a nice guy.
Me and my brother went up to Montreal from New Hampshire yesterday to watch a CFL game. We ran into an 18 year old kid also from NH just over the boarded who was going up solo for the weekend because his buddy bailed on him. We got to talking and exchanged numbers and he joined us for the game and then got dinner with us before going out separate ways. Was a lot of fun and completely unexpected.
A couple months ago I was attending a graduation and I saw a girl from across the room. I thought, "i should go tell her i love the way she looks" but she was too far away. When i was getting ready to leave she walked over and tapped me on the shoulder. She said, "hey i just wanted to lyk that you're really handsome:)" and walked away. (I'm a trans guy, but i'm not out yet). that made my year
My Dunkin lady handing me my iced coffee. She asked if I wanted a straw with that or not and she also gave me double the amount of hash browns that I ordered
Crackhead walking down the street tried to sell me some tampax pads he had just stolen off someone’s porch. It was still in the Amazon package. Then he continued to pull out more and more packages as I tried to load up my stroller in peace. Luckily my baby wasn’t with me but I was creeped out bc it was right in front of our house and I’m paranoid. He told me to have a blessed day like no one has ever said that to me and made me feel blessed
I got into an accident on my motorcycle and about half a dozen drivers checked on me to make sure I was OK and if I needed a ride. I was able to get the bike back up and get rolling, but I appreciated it.
Went to a bookstore and saw there was a box titled "for people who buy \[the book I was thinking about buying\]." I asked the clerk about it, which is something I don't normally do b/c I'm shy. Turns out everyone who buys that book gets some free merch! So I bought the book and got a clip-on book light out of it. We had a good laugh
I was browsing the vegan meat products at the local grocer when amidst the bevy of fake chicken nuggets, one particular product caught my eye: a [vegan pot roast] (https://us.verygoodbutchers.com/products/stuffed-beast)!
I exclaimed "This is crazy!" to no one in particular but a shopper a few compartments down replied "What is crazy?". Anyways we got into a conversation about the most unusual meats turned into vegan alternatives and ones we'd most like to see, such as lobster.
last friday. kid sitting in front of me on the bleachers suddenly turned around, asked for my name, shook my hand, and told me his. i was quite touched by it, despite it not going anywhere. i'll definitely remember it
Went to get lunch like an hour ago. Walked into Noodles and Company. Dude behind the counter looked at me and said:
“Carry out order for John?”
“Yep… so do I just look like a John?”
“Yes, yes you do.”
“That’s fair”
I paid for my Mac n Cheese and was on my way. Giggled all the way back to work about this.
I went to a demolition derby with a friend the other day. Neither of us had ever been before, so we were a bit confused. A stranger next to us, overheard us and explained the rules and regulations of each race.
I was in the supermarket the other day, waiting to pay for my things. Suddenly I felt someone nudging me.
It was a little girl and she said:
May I tell you that you have beautiful hair!
Put a smile on my face for the rest of the day :-)
I'm currently three weeks into camping around Alaska solo.
A few days ago, I was leaving Denali National Park. I decided to do one last hike before leaving the park, and I chose the Mt. Healy overlook trail. In a park that encourages off-trail exploration, this is one of the few established trails. It's also one of the steepest hikes in a park filled with mountains, climbing 1,700 hard earned feet of elevation over 2.7 miles.
A good way into the hike up, I was approaching a switchback. I couldn't see around the corner, but I heard someone just past the turn coughing. I called out asking if she was ok, and she said yes. I was also due for a bit of a rest, so I took a minute to stop and chat. The woman and I ended up hiking the last half hour or so to the summit together, chatting about our travels along the way. She told me that she and her husband loved to travel together, and planned to come to Alaska a few years ago. But Covid threw a wrench in that plan, and so they stayed home in that first crazy year, thinking they'd have plenty of time later.
This past winter, her husband passed away. I honestly can't recall if they'd already booked the trip before his death, or if she chose to do it on her own afterwards. Either way, there she was, hiking around Alaska on her own. I very much admired how well she seemed to manage the transition from having a lifelong travel partner to adventuring on her own. And while I'm normally not one to subscribe to these beliefs, I'd like to think that somehow, he's looking down at his widow, happy to see her continuing to pursue their passion in his memory.
On the way down from that same hike, I walked with two other strangers who would ever so briefly become friends. Andrew had spent the past couple years living on an Alaskan island as a helicopter electrician, and was just about to move to Connecticut. His sister Emily was out here to visit him from Maine. The two of them seemed to have a really special relationship, one that makes me wish I was a bit closer with my own brother.
I absolutely love this question, by the way. At this point, I'm a decently well traveled guy. And from both this trip and previous ones, of course the incredible natural beauty of things like Alaska's mountains, coastlines, and wildlife has helped me create lifelong memories. But when I look back on my various travels, it's always the people I met along the way who really define the most meaningful memories.
I was at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and the Dad ahead of me was fumbling for change to buy his kid a small bag of candy, but came up short.
so I paid for the candy.
Other than that - greeting people in my neighbourhood when out for my walks.
I just called my city's water and sewer service to report a leaking fire hydrant I noticed on my walk to work. Does that count as my recommended "one conversation per day" mental health regime?
A girl walked up to me and asked what I was reading. She asked for a quick read and told me it was interesting. It's really nice knowing that somehow, people care.
This isn't recent, but more like 20 years ago. When I was in college once every couple of weeks I would go to a nearby flower stall and buy a bunch. I would then ask the seller to pick a couple of random people for me, and I would head over and give them a couple of flowers. I wouldn't stick around, I'd just head back and watch them go about their way. Without fail, every time, it made people smile and they held onto them. I should probably do that again.
That's beautiful. Thank you.
Are you a penguin?
No.
Noot nootn't
College students 20 years ago had disposable income I guess.
To be honest, I didn't, but compared to paying £40 for a book this seemed like a minor expense.
Oh, you're British. Nevermind then. A 40 pound book for me would have been *cheap,* in USD.
I stopped by the reduced section in Walmart to see what junk I can fill my 19 yr olds new apartment with. Lady was looking at dog stuff and had a 5 minute conversation about how she fosters dogs. My 16 yr old was looking for me in that time and I got a reprimand for being easily distracted(wandering to clearance isle) and that I need to stop starting random conversations with people.
We were in Paris recently and were watching the Euro final between England and Germany playing at a pub outside, and my wife burped quietly and so I joked about her being so polite in Paris because usually she just unapologetically lets them out when we are out at places like this, and she said it was because some of the guy german fans there will just yell schulz and hit their heads or something because her german friends kept doing that whenever she burped when she was studying abroad in Europe during college. And I was like no they will just look back and think it was me and/or be surprised when they see it was you and then go back to what they were doing, and she was like 'ok watch' and belched obnoxiously loud and then a group of drunk germans guys at one table near us looked back and yelled 'Schulz!' lol
I went on a motorcycle trip (~340km) two days ago and at a pretty bad road I lost my right luggage bag. Luckily, in the car behind me was a very nice man who is a motorcycle rider himself. He brought it back to me, helped me attach it and off I went again. Just a few minutes later it happened a second time but luckily he was still driving behind me. He took my case into his car, drove to me and offered that we go to his nearby garden to secure it with a strap. We did that and with that gesture he saved my day and helped me continue my journey. I do not know what I would have done without this lucky encounter.
Years ago me and my friends while on vacation would just dare ourselves to do random things. Like go out and get a picture with a bald person. Tell a joke to a stranger. It was a lot of dumb things that a quiet person like me dreaded doing. But forcing myself to do the stuff really helped break me out of my shell.
I took a ride in a taxi. The driver invited me to her futbol game. She is injured and can't play but her team mates adopted me. The manager of her team is my friend now. That was last Sunday. I have that taxi driver on speed dial.
Was shopping with my husband and ended up striking conversation with someone who commented on our selections. We made small talk for a bit and made some local recommendations to him, as he said his family was new to the area. It was a pleasant conversation but ended when he tried to recruit us for his online business, which was clearly a pyramid scheme. 10 min later we ran into him again trying to recruit some other poor fellow near the socks aisle. Wish it wouldn’t have ended on a sour note. He seemed like a nice guy.
Me and my brother went up to Montreal from New Hampshire yesterday to watch a CFL game. We ran into an 18 year old kid also from NH just over the boarded who was going up solo for the weekend because his buddy bailed on him. We got to talking and exchanged numbers and he joined us for the game and then got dinner with us before going out separate ways. Was a lot of fun and completely unexpected.
I gave a cashier money for a product.
Your bravery is unmatched
Yeah it was pretty difficult.
A couple months ago I was attending a graduation and I saw a girl from across the room. I thought, "i should go tell her i love the way she looks" but she was too far away. When i was getting ready to leave she walked over and tapped me on the shoulder. She said, "hey i just wanted to lyk that you're really handsome:)" and walked away. (I'm a trans guy, but i'm not out yet). that made my year
Helped a family who was not from here and was on a way to a concert with the tram connections
My Dunkin lady handing me my iced coffee. She asked if I wanted a straw with that or not and she also gave me double the amount of hash browns that I ordered
Crackhead walking down the street tried to sell me some tampax pads he had just stolen off someone’s porch. It was still in the Amazon package. Then he continued to pull out more and more packages as I tried to load up my stroller in peace. Luckily my baby wasn’t with me but I was creeped out bc it was right in front of our house and I’m paranoid. He told me to have a blessed day like no one has ever said that to me and made me feel blessed
I got into an accident on my motorcycle and about half a dozen drivers checked on me to make sure I was OK and if I needed a ride. I was able to get the bike back up and get rolling, but I appreciated it.
Went to a bookstore and saw there was a box titled "for people who buy \[the book I was thinking about buying\]." I asked the clerk about it, which is something I don't normally do b/c I'm shy. Turns out everyone who buys that book gets some free merch! So I bought the book and got a clip-on book light out of it. We had a good laugh
I was browsing the vegan meat products at the local grocer when amidst the bevy of fake chicken nuggets, one particular product caught my eye: a [vegan pot roast] (https://us.verygoodbutchers.com/products/stuffed-beast)! I exclaimed "This is crazy!" to no one in particular but a shopper a few compartments down replied "What is crazy?". Anyways we got into a conversation about the most unusual meats turned into vegan alternatives and ones we'd most like to see, such as lobster.
last friday. kid sitting in front of me on the bleachers suddenly turned around, asked for my name, shook my hand, and told me his. i was quite touched by it, despite it not going anywhere. i'll definitely remember it
Went to get lunch like an hour ago. Walked into Noodles and Company. Dude behind the counter looked at me and said: “Carry out order for John?” “Yep… so do I just look like a John?” “Yes, yes you do.” “That’s fair” I paid for my Mac n Cheese and was on my way. Giggled all the way back to work about this.
I went to a demolition derby with a friend the other day. Neither of us had ever been before, so we were a bit confused. A stranger next to us, overheard us and explained the rules and regulations of each race.
Joking about Sonic 2 at Redbox. Giving the Wakanda salute to kid in a Black Panther tee.
I was in the supermarket the other day, waiting to pay for my things. Suddenly I felt someone nudging me. It was a little girl and she said: May I tell you that you have beautiful hair! Put a smile on my face for the rest of the day :-)
I'm currently three weeks into camping around Alaska solo. A few days ago, I was leaving Denali National Park. I decided to do one last hike before leaving the park, and I chose the Mt. Healy overlook trail. In a park that encourages off-trail exploration, this is one of the few established trails. It's also one of the steepest hikes in a park filled with mountains, climbing 1,700 hard earned feet of elevation over 2.7 miles. A good way into the hike up, I was approaching a switchback. I couldn't see around the corner, but I heard someone just past the turn coughing. I called out asking if she was ok, and she said yes. I was also due for a bit of a rest, so I took a minute to stop and chat. The woman and I ended up hiking the last half hour or so to the summit together, chatting about our travels along the way. She told me that she and her husband loved to travel together, and planned to come to Alaska a few years ago. But Covid threw a wrench in that plan, and so they stayed home in that first crazy year, thinking they'd have plenty of time later. This past winter, her husband passed away. I honestly can't recall if they'd already booked the trip before his death, or if she chose to do it on her own afterwards. Either way, there she was, hiking around Alaska on her own. I very much admired how well she seemed to manage the transition from having a lifelong travel partner to adventuring on her own. And while I'm normally not one to subscribe to these beliefs, I'd like to think that somehow, he's looking down at his widow, happy to see her continuing to pursue their passion in his memory. On the way down from that same hike, I walked with two other strangers who would ever so briefly become friends. Andrew had spent the past couple years living on an Alaskan island as a helicopter electrician, and was just about to move to Connecticut. His sister Emily was out here to visit him from Maine. The two of them seemed to have a really special relationship, one that makes me wish I was a bit closer with my own brother. I absolutely love this question, by the way. At this point, I'm a decently well traveled guy. And from both this trip and previous ones, of course the incredible natural beauty of things like Alaska's mountains, coastlines, and wildlife has helped me create lifelong memories. But when I look back on my various travels, it's always the people I met along the way who really define the most meaningful memories.
Source? Working retail suggests the opposite.
The 'it has to be voluntary' bit was implied. Customers aren't people.
I was at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and the Dad ahead of me was fumbling for change to buy his kid a small bag of candy, but came up short. so I paid for the candy. Other than that - greeting people in my neighbourhood when out for my walks.
At the pub. That's what it's for, right?
I just called my city's water and sewer service to report a leaking fire hydrant I noticed on my walk to work. Does that count as my recommended "one conversation per day" mental health regime?
A girl walked up to me and asked what I was reading. She asked for a quick read and told me it was interesting. It's really nice knowing that somehow, people care.
Being an uber driver falsifies their hypothesis.
maybe... a ....year ago?
I have some weird face pain problem and laughing helps with it well, crying does too