Random strangers you remember fondly

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

Do you have people who you never really spoke to or knew, but they kinda made you smile and you still think about them years later?

Mine was a middle-aged guy I used to see at the gym, dad bod type but took his training VERY seriously. He used to coach himself, out loud, throughout his sessions: "just one more... that's it... YES" or "smashing it today, 2 more reps.....ONE MORE...UH!"

It sounds like it should be annoying but it was actually endearing, his total lack of self consciousness. I called him Encouragement Guy.

Do you have anyone you look back on?

When I was a teenager I had to get a bus home from school in rush hour , and a blind man used to get on the same bus with his guide dog. He was such a cheerful guy that would chat away to you if he sat down next to you. What really sticks in my mind is that he always used to come to the top deck of the bus, which blows my mind now I'm older at how he used to make getting around seem so easy. I'm in my fifties now and I still remember him from time to time.

I was in hospital for four days after my daughter was born. The first day there were four of us in the little side ward and I was exhausted (50 hour labour with almost no sleep), scared (solo parent) and full of hormones. The next day they other three went home but I had to stay in as she was struggling to feed. The woman opposite me was about a decade younger than me and this was her third baby - she was so confident and relaxed, as was her husband. I was too overwhelmed to talk to the other mothers, but before she left this woman stood at the end of my bed and told me I was going to do an amazing job, and everything would be fine. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I don't think I ever knew her name, but our babies share a birthday.

There's a Bluey episode called Babyrace where Coco's mother says something very similar to Chilli, and it always has me in floods.

A train journey that should have been straightforward and taken two and a half hours turned into a 7 hour nightmare. At one point we were packed 5 deep on a station platform with only a few trains going to our destination.
When one arrived DH managed to get on with our luggage.A very kind young woman let me get on ahead of her.Thankfully she eventually got on as well. We were all squashed up together in the vestibule for 2 hours.Everyone was so cheerful and considerate of each other. A young man stuck in the doorway took bags from a few people and managed to manoeuvre them onto the high racks so we had a few more centimetres of space.

When I was a teen I was out with my boyfriend. We were walking and just talking and laughing amongst ourselves.

We passed the hospital and a lady who was probably in her 70's walked by and said something along the lines of 'keep being happy and having fun, in my day we had to be all prim and proper' she said this nicely, and walked on her way. My BF said something like Ahh, poor you.

At the time being a young teen I thought I wasn't being improper in any way but later, and as time went on, thought maybe she'd come from a hospital appointment, maybe she was dealing with bad news and was definitely, In retrospect telling us to 'enjoy life' and make the most of things. Obviously I never saw her again but I often think of that little bit of advice.

Thought of another one. Was in Asda looking at the winter coats. A woman next to me was trying on a black one. She asked me did I think it looked ok. I said yes it fits you perfectly. She said “it’s for my son in laws funeral. He was only 43”. She was so sad. We chatted for a while and hugged when we parted. Never forgotten her x

I have so many!

1. The guy from an external company who came to upgrade my laptop at work. I don't know what it was but in that half hour we just clicked, which is very rare for me as I am quite shy. I wasn't an attraction thing, more like I felt he really got me, and I really got him.
2. The hairy biker guy at the bus stop I used to pass when driving into work. All we did was stare at each other, but there was something about him I was intrigued by. One day, he was just gone.
3. The lady I met in the smoking area who I spilled all the details of my failing marriage too. Things I had not even told any of my friends. Turns out she was going through the exact same, and our men sounded so similar. I told her, I WILL leave him in the coming year. I did. But I always wonder if she found her happiness too.
4. The crazy guy who got on my train to Birmingham. Everyone was avoiding eye contact as he was talking nonsense and being really loud. Of course, he ended up sitting next to me, and we had the best chat, he was hilarious

There was a Mum at my school we called Mrs Honeybun. It was the late 70's early 80's but she wore a beautiful 1960's houndstooth cape, floral shift dresses, winged lavender glasses and she sported a huge beehive hairdo, with a black velvet bow. She was just fabulous and I'm sure she inspired my love of vintage fashion.