In times of worldwide pandemic, where social distance is the new norm, people have had no choice but to rethink the attention they give to other people. We have had to redefine, some more, some less, the limits of who we really care about, and think of what kind of relationships we lack or need. No wonder so many people have ended up cutting ties with distant friends and strengthening the bond with a few real friends.
While longing for human connection, we have realized the real value of friendships we kept. After all, being in good company, where you can laugh, cry, forget about some things and remember others, make new memories, slow down time, aspire and inspire, is probably one of the biggest joys there is. And sometimes, in these occasions blessed by the universe, we meet people we feel an instant bond with. We can be total strangers, but it doesn’t matter.
So today, Bored Panda has compiled a wholesome collection of stories about total strangers finding immediate connection. It proves that there are relationships beyond our beloved real friends, and that maybe, we all are friends out there still waiting for the moment we will meet each other.
This post may include affiliate links.
My Heart
To find out more about how the pandemic affected our interactions with others, as well as some more things we always wanted to know about finding friends and maintaining the friendships we have, we spoke with Shasta Nelson. Nelson is a friendship expert, speaker, and author of three books including “Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Health and Happiness,” so she had a lot of useful insights to share about it.
“The pandemic has obviously reduced a lot of our opportunities for face-to-face connections and the social interaction that often happens spontaneously due to close proximity. A lot of people are feeling lonelier and are reporting higher emotional stress,” Nelson explained.
The Kindest Stranger
So I thought it was a good idea to fly by myself with a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old we were standing in line in security, on the verge of tears because Wyatt was screaming and James was exhausted. Out of the blue, one mom stops the line for security and says “here, jump in front of me! I know how it is!” Wyatt fell asleep and I was trying to carry everyone’s carry-on when another mom jumps out of her place in line and says “hand me everything, I’ve got it”. When I said thank you to both of them they said “don’t you worry, we’re going to make sure you get on that flight.” The second woman takes everything and helps me get it through security and, on top of all that, she grabs all of it and walks us to the gate to make sure we get on the flight. To top it all off, Wyatt starts to scream at take off before he finally falls back to sleep. After about 45 min, this angel comes to the back and says “you look like you need a break” and holds Wyatt for the rest of the flight AND walks him all the way to the baggage claim, hands him to blake, hugs me and says “Merry Christmas!”
Making A New Friend
There's No Limit To The Ways You Can Make Connections In Life
On the other hand, a lot of people are also reporting more meaningful interactions than ever. This is because they started “focusing time and energy on going deeper with fewer people. We have felt more comfortable being vulnerable, have reconnected with long-distance relationships, and have learned new things about each other as we base more of our shared time together on conversations more than on activities,” the friendship expert explained.
"That's No Blizzard. That's My Sister”
Older Gentleman Teaches Young Guy How To Tie His Tie
The young guy sitting down was struggling with his tie. The woman in the red coat noticed, and asked "Do you know how to tie it properly?" The young guy said "No ma'am." She taps her husband and says "Come to this side (her right side; he was standing on her left side) and teach this young man how to tie his tie." The older gentleman moved without hesitation (almost a reflex response) and gave him a step-by-step tutorial; then - afterward - the elder gentleman watched the young gentleman repeat the steps and show him that he had it.
Toddler Bonding With A Stranger At A US Airport
Last night, while waiting to board our plane, my daughter was being her usual inquisitive self wanting to meet and say “hi” to everyone she could, until she walked up on this man. He reached out and asked if she wanted to sit with him. He pulled out his tablet and showed her how to draw with it, they watched cartoons together, and she offered him snacks. This wasn’t a short little exchange, this was 45 minutes. Watching them in that moment, I couldn’t help but think, different genders, different races, different generations, and the best of friends. This is the world I want for her.
For anyone who feels like finding new friends is getting harder as we are getting older, Nelson said that it can definitely feel so. However, “it has less to do with age and more to do with the fact that the Consistency— repetitive time together—required for friendship felt more automatic when we were in school. The only equivalent we have now where we see the same people on an ongoing basis is the workplace, but we haven’t always been as encouraged to socialize there as we did when we were kids in school.”
As a result, “now, in order to build that ongoing, regular interaction that allows us to bond, we often have to initiate it, schedule it, and plan it,” Nelson added.
A New Friend
Flying Home For The Holidays Dressed To Surprise The Family. Before The Flight, I Met This Stranger At The Airport. Instant Best Friends
An Older Gentleman Came In By Himself To Eat At A Restaurant In PA. He Was Telling Some Stories To His Server, Who Went On Break And Joined Him During His Meal
some people just need a story to be heard, nice of the server to do that
Nelson also shared in what circumstances it’s possible for two complete strangers to become friends. “As I look at all the social science that researches relationships, I have found that there are three factors that are always present: 1) Consistency—repetitive time and shared experiences, 2) Positivity—positive feelings that leave us feeling accepted as we enjoy each other, and 3) Vulnerability—sharing and learning about each other.”
“So, yes,” she confirmed, “we can take strangers and create friendships as long as those two people spend time together in ways that leave them both feeling more known and more appreciated.”
Came Across This Today, Shows That Compassion Can Be All Anybody Needs To Pick Themselves Up
"So this is a picture of me (on the left) and Darren (a homeless guy from Liverpool). Every day on my way to work I see Darren. He says hello, we have a chat, and I go get him a cup of coffee. He's a massive Everton fan and I'm a massive Liverpool fan, but we always have good banter about the football.
Darren used to have a job, and a girlfriend, but he lost all that after his girlfriend passed away and he went into depression. Now he lives on the streets in Liverpool.
So I decided, that instead of spending money on stupid things at Christmas (like cards and expensive food) I'd use the money to get Darren and I tickets to an EVERTON match. When I told him he burst out crying and gave me the best hug ever. We had a great time at the match and he was so grateful (he even offered to buy the coffee this time).
Anyway, the reason I'm posting this today is that Darren is no longer on the streets. He's got a council flat and is working part-time. Last week he had me round for dinner. I'm so proud of him.
I posted this story to show you that a little bit of kindness can go so far and help get someone on the right track again. I used to drink coffee with Darren on the streets, then I did it at Goodison Park, and now we drink it in his flat."
Every Thursday, My Heart Is Full When I See The Joy That Our Amazing Garbage Man Brings Brooklyn When He Honks And Waves At Her With A Big Smile
And today, we finally got to meet him! Brooklyn and I wrapped up one of her birthday cupcakes and waited for him. When he came down our street, she ran to the corner. We were waving like usual and I motioned for him to come over by us. He pulled over, got out and gave us his BIG smile. Brooklyn was instantly speechless as she handed him the cupcake. I explained to him that he makes our day every Thursday, and we really appreciate the honking and waving, and how special of a day it is for us.
Then... (melt my heart)... he explained that he looks forward to seeing us every Thursday as well. He said that he has a meeting every Thursday morning and always tries to get out of there in a hurry so that he can make sure to see us every week.
That man is gorgeous I'd be standing waiting outside just to see that smile. That wee girl is so cute i love her boots
Snow White Comforts Boy With Autism Who Had A Meltdown In Disney World
I wanted to share an amazing experience that I had today Sunday August 25th in Epcot. My son Brody has Autism and is non verbal. We went to meet Snow White by the fountain at the Germany Pavilion at 4:00 this afternoon. My son was having an autism meltdown. He was crying and was overwhelmed and just having a hard time. Snow White was amazing with him!! She kissed, hugged and cuddled him. He was laying his head crying on her lap. She then took him for a walk away from the crowd! She was amazing. She held his hand, danced with him, took him over to a bench and sat with him. She went above and beyond!! She took so much time with him. She was a pure angel! She was magical and my family is forever thankful and touched!
Is there such a thing as an instant bond? To this, Nelson explained that we might instantly feel an interest in someone—something that makes us more curious and excited to get to know them. However, “to actually be bonded to someone requires a lot of time together so we can get to know each other.”
“Our closest relationships are those where we feel known and loved, and we can’t get there without logging hours together to incrementally learn those things about each other. In fact, some studies suggest it takes us 200 hours together before we really feel like we are best friends and can truly rely on each other,” Nelson concluded.
He Keeps Me Safe
It was Dress Like Your Favorite Person Day at 5-year-old Easton’s school today. Easton wanted to go as his school security officer Jeffery because he says “he keeps me safe.” So, his mom made him a shirt and surprised Jeffery at school. Best buds for sure!
This Is 95 Hirane From Japan. I Accidentally Entered His Shop To Ask For Directions. So How We Got Talking And Became Good Friends
And now he dedicates 2 hours everyday to teach me Japanese.
"Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover"
Sad we have a world where that's a legit concern for her, impressed that he was informed about it and was willing to go out of his way to make sure it didn't happen.
Elderly Man Finds A Fishing Mate After Posting A Classified Ad
After his fishing buddy passed away, 75-year-old widower Ray Johnstone posted a classified ad in search of a friend. He just wanted someone to go fishing with and offered to split costs with anyone who owns a boat. His ad got over 60k views, and he had offers from people around the world – including a guy who took him on an all-expense-paid, deep sea fishing getaway.
Grandma Accidentally Invites Stranger To Thanksgiving - Now, They’re Like Family
This has been on bored panda before. The old guy died, but they still meet up and always set a place for him. It restores your faith in humanity.
A Police Officer In North Carolina Spent His Lunch Break Sharing Pizza With A Homeless Woman
Be Kind To Each Other
These Teens At The Skateboard Park Treating My 5-Year-Old Like He's One Of Them
It means so much to little kids to hang out with teens and be like them even if it's for a short while. They're so sweet
Cashier Bro Looking Out For A Regular
This Kid
Just Two Friends On A Commute
This Is My Uber Driver Beni, He Took Me To The Hospital And Keeping Me Company Since Most Of My Family Lives Out Of The State
Well now, looking at Beni's shirt slogan as well, I think he is perhaps this kind of person. A good human. Stay Human! (As in the t shirt slogan, not a weird 'stay' command directed at you all 😅)
Watching The Game As Bros
I love it when parents are such good role models for their kids. Modelling behavior is one of the best ways for children to learn.
That Smile On Her Face Is Priceless
This lady in the washroom looking at me said, “I remember when my girlfriends and I would get dressed up and go out. I miss that.” So I said why miss it, we’re all out right now, aren’t we? Story short we have a new friend.
A Year Ago My Little Sister Left This World. This Weekend Her Heart Recipient Met My Mom And Shared Her Heartbeat
It amazes me when donor's families and recipients are able to get to know each other. In Australia they must be kept anonymous.
A Stranger Drove Two Hours And Used His Drone To Recover Meadow, Who Was Lost In The Woods For 10 Days
Caring Friend
A friend at work once needed a tampon but I only had cardboard which she couldn't use due to health issues. So from then on I always made sure I had plastic in my purse just in case. One day she did and I told her I always carry plastic in case she needed it. She cried and said no one ever did that
We Can Only Fight Hate With Kindness
Encouragement From A Stranger At The Gym
If anyone recognizes this man in the orange shirt, you walk up to him and shake his hand. He doesn't seem like the bragging type so I'll brag for him, while working out at Planet Fitness in Pascagoula a special needs man constantly approached him about 10 different times in a 45 minute time span with handshakes, hugs, questions, and interactions. Not only did this man smile, laugh, give him workout advice multiple times, and joke back with him while getting in his own workout but he didn't care who was watching while doing it. His patience, compassion, and friendliness was next level admirable. Towards the end of the workout the special needs man approached me and pointed to the man in the orange shirt and said "that's my friend" with a huge smile on his face. The pics aren't the best but they were the best creeper pics I could take at the time and this guy deserves recognition. The world needs more people like this man in the orange shirt, well done sir.
I bet to the guy in the orange shirt he just helping out a fellow human, no biggie.
Saw An Elderly Man Make A Move And Patiently Wait For Another Player. An Unlikely Partner Appeared And Warmed My Heart
Last Year I Gave A Guy CPR After He Had A Heart Attack While Driving. He Ended Up Surviving But We Couldn’t Meet Because Of His Condition And Covid. We Finally Got To Meet Up
Grandma Bro
████████! ████ usa ████ ████ offended ████ ██████ ████ ████ ████████ ████ ████ ████ censored? ████████ ████ ████ boredpanda ████ s ████ ████ wanky ███████ spanners?
Twelve Years Ago I Played A Game Online, Met A Kid And We Became Best Friends, Brothers. A Week Ago, I Met Him For The First Time In Person
Later that week, I was the best man at his wedding.
"These Workmen Are Awesome. This Man Has Sat Down For A Few Minutes To Explain To Our Boys All About The Road Works"
These posts are what reminds me of the hope I have in humanity 💞
Some People Are Too Good To Be True
I wouldn't move its rare to get that level of kindness from neighbours. Most are ass hats who complain about your bins or length of grass
Wholesome Friendship Beginning
Incredibly kind and loving gesture. And the friendship is the best gift of all I'm sure.
My Brother's Bike Broke Down And This Man Pushed It 5 Km (With His Scooter), Told The Mechanic We Needed Help And Then Bought Us Beer While The Mechanic Fixed It
My brother and I were traveling in Vietnam by motorbike. I was using my phone to translate, thanking him so much for the help and telling him we are from Canada. He explained to me that he had left his phone at home but wanted a picture with us. We took some pics using my phone and I added him as a contact. He translated that he would be back in a moment and jumped on his scooter. He returned with cold tigers for each of us. We offered many times to pay him for both his help and beer, but he refused. Again, Mr. Tran, you are a great human.
The hospitality of some cultures is beautiful. I loved Africa and worked and travelled around it I've never met nicer people. Would love to go back
Lowe's Ran Out Of Generators, And A Complete Stranger Gave His Generator To A Woman Whose Father Is Living On Oxygen. People Helping People. I Love My State
I remember this story and it still makes me want to cry. I really hope her dad is okay and I hope that someday this man is also helped if he's ever in a crisis.
Well Done
My Wife And I Couldn’t Get Our Baby To Stop Crying At The Restaurant, So We Started To Pack Up To Go Home. The Couple Sitting Next To Us Offered To Hold Him So We Could Enjoy A Night
Our baby slept on this kind stranger's shoulder the entire evening!
People Becoming Unexpected Friends During Isolation
They Deserve More Than Minimum Pay
Every Time I️ Come To My Gym, This Man Is Helping This Employee With Calculus
Two Strangers Sit Next To Each Other On A Flight And Meet Their Doppelganger
Seriously though, they ought to do dna tests to see if there’s a link.
These Friends Met On A Cruise And Reunited Over Twitter
Total Stranger Came And Braided My Hair While I’m In The Hospital After I Asked For Help In A Beauty Facebook Group
Guy Shares His Phone With A Little Boy
As much as every story warmed my heart here, some of the posts have been around for a while. I really hope that the new ones get upvoted to the final cut so that people have extra ammo in their "humanity isn't doomed" box.
This is what the world truly needs. A beautiful peace and friendship. No matter who we are, what color we have, what religion we follow, we are living the same Earth.
I work in an industry that's very hard hit right now with just a lot of aggression and unkindness. Being a huge baby I cried reading almost all of these. No matter how hard or mean someone is being, I try to go out of my way to help everyone in my path with that extra bit of love, empathy and warmth. One day I hope to be that 'stranger' that turns someone's day better.
I think this is the best post ever! Thank you BP. I cried though the whole post but they were tears of joy and hope in the world we live in. Indifference should be celebrated and embraced not challenged!
Good grief! Is anyone else emotional? Maybe this caught me at a bad moment, but I cried a lot while reading these.
This is my all-time favorite post on BP. We need more of this. We need more kind, caring people like this in the world. My face is splotchy now and eyes are red from crying, but it's been the best kind of happy crying. My soul is soaring now, for it recognizes the beauty in humanity. Thank you for the reminder, BP! 💜 #JustBeKind
I can never get through these articles without tearing up, and I absolutely love it.
I play a game online with my friend (who I also meant on another online game 11 years ago and we met for the first time in person last year!) but she wasn't able to play with me this night a few weeks ago. Sometimes people will chat while playing, my friend and I will use discord but there is an in game feature, and this teen guy was chatting with this younger kid, telling him how to play, etc. Mid game the kid goes "ooh blood" (it's a war game) and the teen dude goes "oh pause" and then talked him through how to remove the blood so you wouldn't have to see it. You can't really pause during play, people can still shoot you, etc, but it was so nice to hear this guy being so nice to this kid.
OK I've reun out of tissues! It has been a wonderful morning with the reminders that we can indeed be good, charitable, kind, generous. . . . Thanks
Thanks for the positive posts... I needed this after the past few days I've had.
One of my closest friends is a 75 year old woman (I'm 43) that lives in Australia (I'm in the USA) that I met in Scotland. We were on the same bus tour for 5 days and a few times there were activities neither of us could do bc of her rheumatoid arthritis and my MS, so while the rest of the group went off, we stayed behind and chatted. We haven't seen each other since that trip 5 years ago, but we talk on the phone a couple times a month, and when I've saved enough, I'm going to visit her. Sometimes the best friendships start from the most unlikely places.
My mother's mother was in her last few weeks before dying of cancer. My mom had been driving the two hours there and back every day. Obviously, this takes it's toll. One evening, her car ran out of gas on the freeway. She just sat there in the shoulder, crying. After a bit, a man pulled in behind her. After talking a bit, they found that they were related. He was the husband of her newly found half sister.
Damn, I did not expect to be crying after reading this. Really sweet posts, all of them 💜
Not sure why they had to say "this little black boy" on the last one. He's just a little boy. His race had nothing to do with the post. Lol. Weird
Due to his autism and speech issues my son has trouble conversing with people. However many times in the park other children, usually a bit older or even early teens will encourage him to join in. Which he does. Even if it’s just running around. When we were last abroad, he hung out with a French boy. Neither of them could talk to each other but they found other ways to communicate. The other boy had a tablet and they would watch cartoons on it.
This series of posts touches on something that actually really irritates me. So many of these posts are based on the idea of a negative view of someone based on their age/appearance/ethnicity, and then when that human being behaves like a normal human being, it's supposed to come as a surprise. And then the secondary idea is, look, there's no racism, because here's a black person and white person interacting. I feel like these posts come from white people who want to say a) I'm not a racist but also b) there isn't really any racism, because see, we can all get along. I just can't help really looking more deeply at what the message is behind some of these posts.
Going through these posts warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Bored Panda for making my day!
As much as every story warmed my heart here, some of the posts have been around for a while. I really hope that the new ones get upvoted to the final cut so that people have extra ammo in their "humanity isn't doomed" box.
This is what the world truly needs. A beautiful peace and friendship. No matter who we are, what color we have, what religion we follow, we are living the same Earth.
I work in an industry that's very hard hit right now with just a lot of aggression and unkindness. Being a huge baby I cried reading almost all of these. No matter how hard or mean someone is being, I try to go out of my way to help everyone in my path with that extra bit of love, empathy and warmth. One day I hope to be that 'stranger' that turns someone's day better.
I think this is the best post ever! Thank you BP. I cried though the whole post but they were tears of joy and hope in the world we live in. Indifference should be celebrated and embraced not challenged!
Good grief! Is anyone else emotional? Maybe this caught me at a bad moment, but I cried a lot while reading these.
This is my all-time favorite post on BP. We need more of this. We need more kind, caring people like this in the world. My face is splotchy now and eyes are red from crying, but it's been the best kind of happy crying. My soul is soaring now, for it recognizes the beauty in humanity. Thank you for the reminder, BP! 💜 #JustBeKind
I can never get through these articles without tearing up, and I absolutely love it.
I play a game online with my friend (who I also meant on another online game 11 years ago and we met for the first time in person last year!) but she wasn't able to play with me this night a few weeks ago. Sometimes people will chat while playing, my friend and I will use discord but there is an in game feature, and this teen guy was chatting with this younger kid, telling him how to play, etc. Mid game the kid goes "ooh blood" (it's a war game) and the teen dude goes "oh pause" and then talked him through how to remove the blood so you wouldn't have to see it. You can't really pause during play, people can still shoot you, etc, but it was so nice to hear this guy being so nice to this kid.
OK I've reun out of tissues! It has been a wonderful morning with the reminders that we can indeed be good, charitable, kind, generous. . . . Thanks
Thanks for the positive posts... I needed this after the past few days I've had.
One of my closest friends is a 75 year old woman (I'm 43) that lives in Australia (I'm in the USA) that I met in Scotland. We were on the same bus tour for 5 days and a few times there were activities neither of us could do bc of her rheumatoid arthritis and my MS, so while the rest of the group went off, we stayed behind and chatted. We haven't seen each other since that trip 5 years ago, but we talk on the phone a couple times a month, and when I've saved enough, I'm going to visit her. Sometimes the best friendships start from the most unlikely places.
My mother's mother was in her last few weeks before dying of cancer. My mom had been driving the two hours there and back every day. Obviously, this takes it's toll. One evening, her car ran out of gas on the freeway. She just sat there in the shoulder, crying. After a bit, a man pulled in behind her. After talking a bit, they found that they were related. He was the husband of her newly found half sister.
Damn, I did not expect to be crying after reading this. Really sweet posts, all of them 💜
Not sure why they had to say "this little black boy" on the last one. He's just a little boy. His race had nothing to do with the post. Lol. Weird
Due to his autism and speech issues my son has trouble conversing with people. However many times in the park other children, usually a bit older or even early teens will encourage him to join in. Which he does. Even if it’s just running around. When we were last abroad, he hung out with a French boy. Neither of them could talk to each other but they found other ways to communicate. The other boy had a tablet and they would watch cartoons on it.
This series of posts touches on something that actually really irritates me. So many of these posts are based on the idea of a negative view of someone based on their age/appearance/ethnicity, and then when that human being behaves like a normal human being, it's supposed to come as a surprise. And then the secondary idea is, look, there's no racism, because here's a black person and white person interacting. I feel like these posts come from white people who want to say a) I'm not a racist but also b) there isn't really any racism, because see, we can all get along. I just can't help really looking more deeply at what the message is behind some of these posts.
Going through these posts warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Bored Panda for making my day!