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We’ve been on the lookout for all the pick-me-ups lately, from cheerful songs to what readers are wearing at home. So, without further ado, here are 11 comments on heartwarming moments…
On a helping hand:
“I went into labor early with my second child while my husband was out of town for work. We had recently moved to a new state and had no family nearby, so I called the retired couple next door to see if one could watch my son and the other take me to the hospital. Not only do they rush to my help, but the wife ended up staying with me throughout the entire labor, helped deliver the baby and spent the night on the awful sleeper couch in the room. As soon as my husband walked through the door the next morning, she smiled, picked up her purse, said congratulations and left, knowing we would want to spend our first minutes reunited as a family alone. I tear up just thinking about how wonderful they were in such a crazy situation.” —Stefanie
On new indoor routines:
“Every morning, I get up at 7 a.m. I take the dog out, then open the blinds in the living room and lie down on the couch, wrap myself in a blanket, and wait for the rays to hit my face and the leaves of my nearby jade plant. I get an hour and a half of quiet with my dog, appreciating the sun, before my husband wakes up. It’s a beautiful way to start the day.” — Allison
“I do so many things to feel better during quarantine! Among them, drinking and smoking weed on the weekends, adding to my spring playlist on Spotify, organizing random areas of my house (spice shelf, tupperware drawer, etc.), sexting with my FWB, cooking in general (especially slow, methodical things like risotto and caramelized onions), making lists, putting on eyeliner before any Zoom interaction (an Indian woman needs her eyeliner!), occasionally treating myself to random sh*t I don’t need (Madewell jeans, gourmet condiments, perhaps a new cookbook), watching ‘The Big Family Cooking Showdown’…the list goes on!” — R
“I’ve become OBSESSED with nature over the last five weeks. I watch hummingbirds outside my window while working, and spend time on the front porch observing squirrels forage and fight. Oh, and the stars are the brightest they’ve been in 20+ years due to the reduced traffic pollution. There’s something deeply comforting about earth and its creatures carrying on as usual, and it’s humbling to recognize all of the beauty I never took the time to notice before.” — Em
On things that make us chuckle:
“Once I answered the phone at work with ‘Hi, this is Jen’, and the caller said, ‘Oh hi, Joan,’ and I said, ‘No, this is Jen,’ and she said ‘Oh hi, Karen.’ I gave up after that, but then, just for fun, I started answering the phone as Karen once in a while.” — Jen
“About 10 years ago, I was in line at Target, having a stressed out/overwhelmed/cranky kind of day. I noticed the cashier was singing as he was checking his customers out and thought, ‘This guy’s nuts.’ He sang through my purchases, then looked at me and asked, ‘Why don’t seagulls live by the bay?’ I looked at him blankly. ‘Because then they would be called bagels!’ he stated. I couldn’t help but laugh, and with a simple joke and a momentary connection that cashier turned my whole day around. It made such a huge impression that, 10 years later, all my husband has to say to me is ‘bagels!’ to make me smile.” — Summer
On things that make your heart flutter:
“When I was leaving the laundromat, I overheard a guy in the car parked next to me say, ‘I’ll be right back, okay?’ and I thought to myself, ‘Is he leaving his child in the car??’ I looked over and there was no one there but his dog sitting in the passenger seat. He was talking to his dog! I just about DIED.”
— Beth
“My three-year-old daughter takes my face in her hands and gives me a kiss on each cheek when she says goodbye, sees me after we’ve been apart and sometimes for no reason at all. I have no idea where she learned it, and those two pecks are like a blessing.” — Anna
On making errands special:
“My sister-in-law took me to Costco with her and let me take full advantage of bulk deals. We talked about so many important things that couldn’t have been adequately discussed with everyone else around. We even sat in the driveway afterward until we got cold. Dates are good for marriages, children and family relationships!” — Lacey
On serendipity:
“Ten years ago, in Oklahoma, I got a call out of the blue on my office line from a bookstore in Minnesota, and it turned out to be an acquaintance from high school calling about a book. There must have been a catch in my voice because he asked if something was wrong. This unsuspecting guy from a lifetime earlier had happened to call moments after I’d found out I was being laid off! I spilled, and he was so nice and encouraging about it. We lost touch again until a few years later and, well, that time I married him.” — Le
On perfect moments:
“My favorite song played at our wedding was definitely Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s my 85-year-old Cuban grandpa’s favorite song (he calls it ‘Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia’ because those are the only words he knows). Everyone sang along and the joy on his face while dancing with his grandkids is something I’ll cherish forever.” — Jenn
Have any more moments to add? We’d love to hear!
P.S. 15 funny reader comments and the best reader comments of all time.
(Photo by Samantha Gehrmann/Stocksy)
