15 people reveal wholesome experiences they had with strangers that made their day

Our daily lives are filled with monotonous routines and difficulties. However, sometimes we experience wholesome moments that restore our faith in the goodness of the world. A stranger's kindness and compassion have the power to make our day and put a big smile on our faces. This is demonstrated in a Reddit thread where several people shared their wonderful experiences with strangers. 

Reddit user u/picesPotato asked others on the platform: "What's the most wholesome experience you've had with a stranger?" Almost 8.3k comments were shared as Reddit users discussed some wholesome moments people have had the privilege to experience. Here are 15 of the most adorable and heartwarming stories:

1. A card declined

Reddit user u/CockDaddyKaren shared: "My card declined at a fast food place a couple of years ago. The manager saw it happening and came up and gave me the food anyway. It may have come from a 'f**k this establishment' mood rather than the unrelenting kindness of his heart, but either way it really made my day." 

2. A gift card

"I had a knock on my door and when I opened it, there was a stranger with a gift card to a local garden store for me. Apparently, her kid had been pinching tulips from my garden every day to give to his mom and they wanted to pay for them, once they figured out whose garden they were coming from," u/Greenfireflygirl shared. "I had thought squirrels were doing it and had regretted planting them the year before, not being able to enjoy them! I spent the gift card on more bulbs!"

3. Stranger's help

u/-partlycloudy- shared: "I was using crutches at the time after an ankle injury. Got off the tram to go to uni and hobbled straight into a surprise Melbourne spring storm. A guy with very limited English walked me from the tram stop to my class, holding an umbrella over me the entire walk (about 10 minutes). One of those lovely, warm fuzzy memories."

4. A comforting hug

u/datumerrata shared: "When I was 18 I had a friend in the hospital with brain cancer. His time was limited. I visited him when I could. He was kind of hippie alternative punk. I wore a leather jacket and had long hair. I walked to his room and a nurse saw me. Without saying a word she walked to me and gave me a long comforting hug. That's how I knew he passed."

5. Holding the hair up

u/DonutCarrotAll commented: "I was really drunk and started puking in the trash can in the women’s bathroom since there was a line to get to a toilet. One of the girls in line held my hair up and rubbed my back, telling me I’d be okay. I drunkenly told her I loved her; I may also have been crying."

6. Help in the Pharmacy

u/bluegrassmommy commented: "I have been diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and anxiety and I was at the pharmacy trying to get my meds filled but my card kept declining. A couple of the meds have major side effects if I skip a dose so I really couldn’t go without them. I was frantic and trying to figure out what was wrong with my card when another lady smiled and swiped her card for me so I could get my medication refilled."

7. Sharing a meal

Reddit user u/GrandJack23 shared: "I was going to a Starbucks to eat with a friend I met days ago. Suddenly a stranger about my age asked me how to go to that exact same place, so I told him that I was going there too and we started a conversation while walking. When we got to the Starbucks, we sat at different tables and I waited for my friend. He didn't appear. I asked the stranger if I could eat with him and he accepted. Now we are friends and we sometimes talk through our mobiles."

8. Helping a little girl

u/manualpropulsion shared that they are a wheelchair user. They added: "At a baseball game, a little girl came running up to me and climbed onto my lap. Her mom was apologetic but I told her it was fine, no worries—looking at the girl's face, I could tell she had some kind of developmental disability. Her mom explained to me that the little girl's grandfather used a wheelchair and she missed him. I rolled around a little to give her a ride, she giggled and had a good time, then she climbed off and went back to her mom."

9. Free ice-cream

User u/saptajitbanerjee shared an experience from their travels. They wrote: "I stopped at a small shop to buy some packaged water. I was in my tweens at that time, so I jumped out of my car and went to buy, a very old man sat at the shop, once I bought everything he took out an ice cream and handed it to me. I was about to take the bottles with me he picked the bottles himself and walked with me to the car so that I could have my ice cream. He was very old and scaly, very thin too. And once he saw that I had a younger sister he rushed back to the shop to bring out another ice cream for her. I insisted that he take money for it. But he didn't take it and just smiled. Maybe we reminded him of his grandchildren I presume."

10.  On the honeymoon

u/kiwiguy_ was on their honeymoon in Greece when they "nearly got stranded driving our little scooter back from a day trip. Finally found a petrol station in this village but it was during afternoon nap/siesta time. We apologized as best we could in the little Greek we knew. The guy obliged but looked a little annoyed. He casually asks where we are from and we tell him New Zealand."

They added: "His face lights up and is amazed because he had never met someone from NZ before. He asks us what are we doing so far away from home, we tell him that it's our honeymoon. He tells us to wait there and comes back with a bottle of wine that's obviously worth more than the €6 (about $6.5) of petrol we are buying. He refuses for us to round up the bill or for us to buy anything."

The stranger told them, "Honeymoon is honeymoon, be happy, go."

11. A special connection

u/CordesRed shared: "I was living in a one-horse town and working as a cashier in a gas station in my early 20s. I was upset and crying that I hadn't been paid on time and couldn't pay bills etc. This sweet older lady came in for her weekly newspaper and saw me crying. She asked what was wrong and offered a hug, which I of course accepted. Later on, I started dating my future husband and soon found out that sweet lady was his mom." 

12. A good kid

u/Outrageous_Claims revealed that they were "working at a store that sells electronics" when "a younger kid came in and said he needed a laptop for his new business. I said what’s the business. He said it’s just a clothing line, but all the jobs are given to people in recovery. And I said that’s very admirable, and I couldn’t help get teary-eyed."

They added, "He said 'has addiction touched your life?' And I said both my parents are addicts. He said 'mine too.' And then I said do you want a hug? And then we hugged for like 20 seconds and both cried a little. I sold him a laptop, wished him well, and I felt really warm and fuzzy for the rest of the day. He was a good kid." 

13. Dandelions

Reddit user u/AgeOfWomen shared that they were in a horrible state of depression a few years ago. "My life was a mess, my apartment was a mess, I was a mess. For a moment, I decided to just go to the park and sit for a while, as I was really at the end of my rope and had zero idea on what to do," they wrote. "Out of nowhere, a kid, possibly about three or four years, comes and hands me three yellow dandelions and runs back to her mom."

"I don't know why, but I always remember that. That day, I went home and cleaned my apartment and made it more tidy. I wouldn't say that my life miraculously changed, but I will say that, that one moment of kindness, that neither the kid nor the mom probably remembers, was one of the most memorable moments in my life."

14. A girl builder

Reddit user u/SockDwarf shared: "I was working at a local supermarket doing some construction and this little girl walks past with her dad. She stops and calls out: dad look, a girl builder. Had a little chat with her and she goes into the shops. On her way out she runs back and has another chat with me. She was four years old. Very bright little one. It was just very heartwarming how she recognized something like a female working in a male-dominated industry. I had a really bad day dealing with the builder who was being a bully because I couldn't be there first thing in the morning due to having to drop my kids off at school first."

15. Social Anxiety

"I was about 15 and crying on a step downtown because social anxiety was really a struggle for me. After a while, a girl of about 20 stopped just to ask me what was the matter. It took a lot, but I just opened up to her as she gently held me on her shoulder and wiped my tears away," shared u/jeff_the_nurse. "As I smiled before we went our separate ways, she promised me that things would get better. I was skeptical at first, but I always remembered our words whenever I was feeling sad. I really think she might have saved me from suicide. Leah, thank you again. I will truly never forget you!"