I was traveling on a train when I was 18. Met a boy, Larry, and we had a heart to heart for six hours. It was a really deep and emotional conversation. We exchanged numbers. I lost his. Found it months later and we spoke once. But nothing came of it. Larry, I hope you're doing well out there!
man I'm from the Detroit area. Years ago I hopped on the train to go see my best friend in Chicago. I sit down, start to get settled with my laptop, drinks and snacks, then this dude who looked around my age asks, "hey anyone sitting here?"
I kinda internally rolled my eyes, like seriously? There were plenty of open seats, wtf. I didn't wanna cause a scene or whatever so I was just like nope, and he sat down. Turns out, he was a really cool dude and we had a ton in common. We shared some whiskey and had an amazing ride. Turns out his sister was getting married thay weekend in Chocago and we were gonna be on the same train home, so we made plans to sit together on the ride home.
We had another great train ride home, and we were like hell yeah, let's hang out!! And we never did. I still think about that every now and then.
I met my best friend of the last 15 years when he moved in with me and my then girlfriend, who was his ex who had his kid.
I was against it at the time, and it turned out it was for the best.
My girlfriends ex and father of her child, whom I met when he moved in against my will.
I did not expect to become friends with him. That is not a typical recipe for a strong friendship.
When I was in HS I found out the ex who cheated on me was cheating on her new BF.
I reached out and invited him to the movies and then took him to dinner and told him.
he didn’t believe me at first but was really respectful and funny - we got along great. eventually he found out.
Don’t talk much these days but he was a great friend! she has a type
I once made friends with a pigeon at a bus stop. We bonded over our mutual love for people-watching and French fries. It was like a real-life Pixar movie, just with more feathers and fewer talking animals.
During One of the lockdowns, I was waiting on a friend, and they asked what I had gotten up to.
Oh, I befriended a pregnant squirrel at my favourite park bench by the water. Would bring her unsalted almonds on my daily walks.
When I was a kid, there was a girl riding her bike along my street who stopped to ask for a glass of water since it was pretty hot. I gave her some water, and we got talking and then I gave her a tour around my house. It turned out she lived around the corner from me and knew another kid who lived on that street and happened to be friends with my brother; she and I were pretty good friends for many years.
On my first day of first grade, I got off the school bus and didn't know where my classroom was. I guess there was a teacher there to meet me and guide me to the classroom, but I didn't know that, and slipped past them. I decided I would just follow this girl with a pink backpack who was walking in front of me.
We were both lost. We were in the same class and had both slipped past the teacher. She became my first friend (but sadly disappeared after a few weeks and I never found out what happened to her).
I was in line at an autozone and this older mechanic guy in his 50s maybe asked me if I saw a certain movie that came out. this turned into a solid 10 conversation about films. this guy knew his shit
When I was fourteen I found a penpal website and I posted an ad to find a penpal in USA to help me with understanding/learning English more as well learn USA history. I got a response from another fourteen year old and we instantly got along. He greatly helped me with my English and was very patient with me trying to learn English but also he was a complete history nerd. To this day twenty-four years later we’re still good close friends and we’ve video chatted as well he’s like an uncle to my kids. We’re going to finally see each other in few weeks at a Comic-Con in his homestate.
Connected with the lead guitarist of a semi popular 80’s British/irish/American rock band in the MySpace days. They were my favorite band when I was in high school. I shared with him a concert video I shot of the band in ‘90 via YouTube. Stayed in touch. The lead singer lives in Seattle and the guitarist connected us when I visited a couple of years ago for a show. Met for a beer. Now we’re great friends and go to shows together whenever I’m in town which is a few times a year. And I stay at his house. Seeing The The together in November. Both are super great guys. So surreal hanging out with someone you watched on 120 minutes as a kid.
Playing Warzone during the pandemics. I randomly joined a team and we played nicely. Ended up winning. We added each other as friends and started playing everyday. A random joined our team, we won and friended him too.
One month later I was speaking more with them than with my IRL friends. We knew each other's lives and goals.
Fast forward 4 years, one of them is in Sweden now with his family (his wife was pregnant when we met) and I am in Italy, so playing became harder, but we still talk somewhat regularly.
The funny thing is that if we had lost the first game, this friendship wouldn't have happened.
Befriended a Ukrainian cam model who happened to be the same age as me and in university studying geology and then did nothing sexual at all for months and just chatted whenever she was online with her taking occasional breaks for private shows. Eventually she asked for my skype and we talked on off hours and she gave me an unsolicited private show for free. One day she never logged back on and we've been living our separate lives (this was before the war), but I'll always wonder what happened to her...
We met on Facebook for an RPG, I even remember what it was about.
Lost contact.
Then somehow we found each other and went like "Are you..?!"
Now it's been x years and we're still very good friends.
Was playing Ark and was flying around looking for bases with open chests. Saw this Dino I wanted so knocked it out. These three guys come running up to me and say hi. Give them some things and say hi back. Anyways I kept running into them. Eventually one of the dudes friends me on ps. He lives across the world and we met sitting on our couch’s lol
Back in 1999 my friends and I went to see The Matrix on opening weekend. We all loved it of course and we left the theater and were standing in the alley behind it talking about the movie and smoking when this big punk dude comes up to us. We figured he just wanted to bum a smoke but he just wanted someone to talk to about how much he loved the movie and he'd seen it by himself. He joined in our conversation and we all got along great.
That guy ended up being best friend / roommate to every single member of that friend group at one time or another for 20ish years.
Reddit :)
guy saw my tattoo in a pic. turned out he was a few years younger than me.
we chatted about books and movies and started talking about college life, turned out he lived right down the road!
dude has been a total rock in my life. one of the most empathetic, caring people ever.
love u seb
A couple of older ladies at a thrift store.
They’d save stuff that they think I’d like or thought were funny to show me. They’d say “oh I was waiting for you to come around this week!” And call me their grandchild
I really don’t remember how the relationship started considering most times I come in a store already with headphones/playing music. I’ll wave hello, but don’t usually go out of my way to speak to others
I had to be 8 or 9 years old on an Amtrak train with my mother and there was this pretty girl, the same age as me, sitting behind me with her mother. Our parents were having small talk with each other, then the girl's mother said to her daughter, "Hey honey, why don't you show him your video game." I switched seats with her mother and me and the girl played the handheld game, ate snacks and goofed around the entire 6-7 hour train ride. I was so young and naïve and didn't realize that would be the last time I ever talked to her. It was one of the best moments of my life. I'm tearing up just thinking about it again.
I met my absolute best friend through an old job when she was 18. She's 7 years younger than me and pretty much my polar opposite. We should have next to nothing in common, but for some reason we hit it off. Now i'm a guy, and she's not obviously, but before Reddit starts Redditing, she's very much gay. We've been going strong for a few years now and talk almost daily. We kept our friendship alive even when distance was an issue. We've been through a lot together and she's one of the few people I've never had a single doubt about if she really cared or not. She's a real ride or die and I'm so thankful to have met her. If I ever get married screw having a best man.
About to call it a night in Switzerland after a boring evening when suddenly... there was a riot and fires in the middle of the road and people in gas masks lobbing bricks at riot police (in Switzerland!).
Asked some locals WTF is going on. They told us they'd never seen anything like it either, but if we wanted we could quit that place and come with them to a club. Anyway they took me and my friend (who was stationed there with the UK Govt) to this awesome underground multiplex place with multiple dancefloors and fussball. Halfway through getting pummeled by two of these Swiss fellas, tear gas started coming through the window and we all had to leave the club. Everyone was lined up and searched and my friend used his diplomatic privileges to skip the line (lol) and we never saw those Swiss people again (one of them was a very cute Swiss blonde girl who made it clear she was open to it, but I was too shy to make a move on and ended up making things awkward...)
Anyway, reading this back it doesn't actually count, but I like to think if we saw them again, we'd have all been friends and could've reminisced about the time Bern, Switzerland temporarily became Gotham city 🔥
I once formed a great friendship with the bartender at a tiny dive bar in the middle of nowhere. We bonded over our mutual love of obscure '80s movies and ended up becoming really close friends outside of the bar. It just goes to show that you can find connections with people in the most unexpected places!
I worked as a night watchman at a country club for over twenty years and befriended many a stray cat over those years. Spent a lot of time with those cats/kittens over the yeats. One season I befriended and hung out with a mated pair of canadian geese. I could show up and call out to them and they would come flying across the lake to me.
Ran across a LOT of animals there. Found and returned seven dogs to their owners. Rescued a racoon and possum from inside trash cans. A small snapping turtle trapped in a stairwell too.
I thought a person from my local (Ireland) Pokemon Go group was talking in a German Facebook group about her hardships. This person wanted to learn German, so I didn't think about it and offered a listening ear.
Turned out, I weirded out a random person from Thuringia and we became friends.
I met a guy on a bbs named Phish aka Joel. He was good friends with a guy named Derek and his gf Amy. Used to go to meet ups and stuff and hang out from time to time.. funny thing is you all know him now as Deadmau5. Small world eh?
i once went over to my at the time girlfriends place and met her cousin there, me and my girlfriend finished up in the room and came out and i started talking to her cousin and took her instagram and now 10 years later we’re married.
Me and another girl named Zero were on a bus when we were younger and zero turned to me on said bus and goes "I like your red hair. Will you hangout with me?" that led to a friendship from 3rd grade till now
I worked at a gas station when I was younger. Had a regular come in who was an MP in the Army for 23 years. We always had great conversations, so we swapped digits (this was 7 years ago) and he is to this day one of my best friends. He’s helped me out when I’ve been homeless, even helping me move 1,700 miles away to stay with him when I had nowhere else to go. I made friends with his sister too since the move!
I just got off the train in Chicago and walked up to Giordano for some beer and to make a day plan on transit. A young man sat next to me and ordered a whole meatlovers deep dish. About half way through him waiting for his pizza we struck up a condo About this and that. Turned out he was in the army for his years and just got discharged. This was his first meal back in Chicago. He gave me half his pizza, we drank beer and got stuffed. Eventually we went our separate ways and never met again. The world is a big busy place, but we are all individual people. Easy to forget that sometimes.
Standing in line for a roller coaster at a Six Flags park and striking up a conversation with the guy standing next to me. It was so random too, because he was just in town visiting, while I was a local. I ended up living with him for a bit to see if I wanted to permanently live in the area he was in (I didn't), and then I've visited him since he's moved to Portugal and plan to visit him again in the next couple years.
gun course. when I was 13 I made friends with a 40 or 30 year old cop getting into hunting. I was surprised when I found out that they need to get a gun liscense too .
Visited New York and went to Staten Island for a visit.
I had gone into a little bar for a drink, and about 10 minutes later a whole Italian-American wedding all piled into the bar. A group of guys saw me sitting there, clearly a pale blue-skinned Scotsman on his holidays, and bought me a drink. We spoke about the couple and Scotland and Italy and football/soccer and baseball. About half an hour later they all left.
It was good. I hope they're all doing well.
For most it’s unusual but for me it’s normal due to my hobby. But I met my friend at a gas station over a snickerdoodle cookie. (His nickname is snickerdoodle)
I met one of my best friends on the bus on our way to school. She’d play her small boom box that’s how I first noticed her. One day she got up and approached the bus driver mid ride, bus driver pulled over and she briefly exited the bus. When she got back on the bus we started talking, she said she’d told the bus driver that she thought she was going to be sick and he pulled over so that she wouldn’t throw up on the bus. We’ve been friends for twenty five years now!
Playing Connect 4 in the middle of a pit at a metal gig.
Blended two groups together that night and it lasted a few years going to gigs and festivals together before everyone drifted away as is life.
Hiking the Grand Canyon. Met a fellow hiker just resting, small chit chat and asked if we would join him on his hike for the day and we agreed, he taught us the local plants and what the natives used them for, showed us the native drawings, taught us how to conserve energy hiking. It was a great way to make a friend. Hope you're doing well Chris.
Met him on a zombie apocalypse page.
Met in person 2 months later.
First official date was a zombie prom.
He proposed at a funeral home (friends lived there)
Moved in together 4 months after engagement.
Eloped 17 months after that.
We have been together 12 years now and married for 9.
There was an app hear me. It was basically about promoting mental health. You could be a listener there and you get to connect to people around the world, listening to them when they need to talk about something to someone. So there you could save chats with someone you clicked during the session. I made a few friends there but the most crazy one was with one girl who was basically a budding writer. We clicked instantly but we didn't exchange our numbers or any social media for that matter. She just told me about her blog. After around a year or so ig ,I suddenly remembered her and went to her blog and found her email I'd and wrote to her! She replied within a few days and her mails were somehow my comfort place over the next few months. We used to write to each other regularly but because of my exams I got busy and missed her last mail. I could only write to her after about 8 months when I was searching for her mail in my inbox but till then she was gone ig.
I still check for her mails. She's a sweet and very ambitious girl who knew how to put feelings into word well.
I ended up writing a lot.😭
Some strange places I’ve struck up friendships:
Book launch
Job interview (with the interviewer)
Hostel (with hostel staff)
Taking food together at a buffet
Lived in a poor area where most ride bikes to get booze and drugs:
Started my oldie truck but it got ten feet before dying. Started pushing it back up the slight driveway. Maybe it’s this….
70+ year old guy stops his bike and asks me
What’s wrong. I explain the symptoms. He’s just a random dude on a bike going to buy drugs.
Takes one look at the engine/issue, and goes: “blah blah blah, it’s this.”
He asks for a pen and paper and lists everything I need and to call him when I got the items.
I go to some hole in the wall parts store in Brandywine, and when I tell them who sent me, they go bananas and talk about how he tuned this race car or how he build the fastest boat motor using two Lincoln engines…..go back, call him up and within two hours I’m driving this truck 60mph up and down the road!
Lost touch over life. Went to visit him and his brother said he’s *in Gods Hands now*
Take time to listen to people and don’t judge them so quickly. We all have demons we are struggling with every day. Rip Jerome
My friend and I became best friends while we were in prison. I have recently been released and he still has 8 yrs to do. We still talk everyday if not by phone through a texting app the tablets at the prison has.
Not an unusual place, but I unexpectedly found a friend in my manager at work. Only person I know who truly understands the crap I've gone through. I've struggled with my mental health, and I was homeless for a while. My manager has also been through those things. It really helps to have someone who relates to me that way.
I sat down at a table outside a theater during a film festival and a man sat down with his parents. Much to my surprise, I noticed they speak Dutch which is the language I have taught myself. I politely asked “Are you guys speaking Dutch?” and they said yes and I started speaking to them. I still find it really kind how his dad turned his chair so he could face me and listen and they were genuinely interested in talking to me.
We’re still friends a year later and I am leaving the country in a month to go to Germany and plan to meet him in the Netherlands.
met my best girl friend in college because she was sorta dating my best guy friend from home. it didn’t workout between them, but we enjoyed each others company so much we never stopped hanging out!
Befriending the amusement park management while getting evacuated from the park's Log Flume (It was always right before the Final Drop)
And on a related note - that's my least favorite part of said ride just because of how often it broke down while I was on it back in 2021-22 (Managed to avoid the bad luck in 2023 and as for 2024 It's too early to tell)
I was looking for friends and tried a furry app because I thought why not. Found a guy on there and we got talking now we go out for dinner a few times a month. It’s been great and he is nothing but kind and down to earth.
made a male friend in 5th grade but stopped talking to him over the summer since i didn’t have a phone. i discovered near the end of 5th grade he may/may not have had a crush on me so i was awkward and didn’t really speak to him in 6th grade
near the end of 6th grade (i got a phone and his number from somewhere) i randomly texted him to ask him a question. but i chickened out of asking him if he liked me and continued talking to him and with another unexpected friend i made that year.
later during a field trip on the last week of school one of his classmates (who surprisingly had a big mouth) openly said that he liked me and blah blah blah. in front of us both. i couldn’t really ignore that but i tried to change topics fast.
later i confronted him and he confessed that he did like me but not anymore and i was relieved. we both chose to remain friends after that and still spoke with each other and the other friend.
fun fact!: the other unexpected friend mentioned before told me that she secretly liked him but was uncertain if she should! (she has also known him longer than i have, since abt kinder or 1st grade)
[удалено]
what band tho?
I was traveling on a train when I was 18. Met a boy, Larry, and we had a heart to heart for six hours. It was a really deep and emotional conversation. We exchanged numbers. I lost his. Found it months later and we spoke once. But nothing came of it. Larry, I hope you're doing well out there!
[удалено]
A nice long train ride sounds perfect to get to know someone...
man I'm from the Detroit area. Years ago I hopped on the train to go see my best friend in Chicago. I sit down, start to get settled with my laptop, drinks and snacks, then this dude who looked around my age asks, "hey anyone sitting here?" I kinda internally rolled my eyes, like seriously? There were plenty of open seats, wtf. I didn't wanna cause a scene or whatever so I was just like nope, and he sat down. Turns out, he was a really cool dude and we had a ton in common. We shared some whiskey and had an amazing ride. Turns out his sister was getting married thay weekend in Chocago and we were gonna be on the same train home, so we made plans to sit together on the ride home. We had another great train ride home, and we were like hell yeah, let's hang out!! And we never did. I still think about that every now and then.
LOL this is like that movie where the couple meet on a train and get one night together :,)
I love getting the late trains, these are the stories I like to hear
I met my best friend of the last 15 years when he moved in with me and my then girlfriend, who was his ex who had his kid. I was against it at the time, and it turned out it was for the best.
[удалено]
My girlfriends ex and father of her child, whom I met when he moved in against my will. I did not expect to become friends with him. That is not a typical recipe for a strong friendship.
When I was in HS I found out the ex who cheated on me was cheating on her new BF. I reached out and invited him to the movies and then took him to dinner and told him. he didn’t believe me at first but was really respectful and funny - we got along great. eventually he found out. Don’t talk much these days but he was a great friend! she has a type
I once made friends with a pigeon at a bus stop. We bonded over our mutual love for people-watching and French fries. It was like a real-life Pixar movie, just with more feathers and fewer talking animals.
During One of the lockdowns, I was waiting on a friend, and they asked what I had gotten up to. Oh, I befriended a pregnant squirrel at my favourite park bench by the water. Would bring her unsalted almonds on my daily walks.
> feathers and fewer talking animals. 'Fewer' implies there was 'some' talking animals
I am ugly and fairly hatable to most people but I met a blind dog and he licked my face
Me, but it was a blind man on a bus. I was laughing too hard for him to understand my screaming no!
What the fuck...
When I was a kid, there was a girl riding her bike along my street who stopped to ask for a glass of water since it was pretty hot. I gave her some water, and we got talking and then I gave her a tour around my house. It turned out she lived around the corner from me and knew another kid who lived on that street and happened to be friends with my brother; she and I were pretty good friends for many years.
On my first day of first grade, I got off the school bus and didn't know where my classroom was. I guess there was a teacher there to meet me and guide me to the classroom, but I didn't know that, and slipped past them. I decided I would just follow this girl with a pink backpack who was walking in front of me. We were both lost. We were in the same class and had both slipped past the teacher. She became my first friend (but sadly disappeared after a few weeks and I never found out what happened to her).
I was in line at an autozone and this older mechanic guy in his 50s maybe asked me if I saw a certain movie that came out. this turned into a solid 10 conversation about films. this guy knew his shit
When I was fourteen I found a penpal website and I posted an ad to find a penpal in USA to help me with understanding/learning English more as well learn USA history. I got a response from another fourteen year old and we instantly got along. He greatly helped me with my English and was very patient with me trying to learn English but also he was a complete history nerd. To this day twenty-four years later we’re still good close friends and we’ve video chatted as well he’s like an uncle to my kids. We’re going to finally see each other in few weeks at a Comic-Con in his homestate.
Connected with the lead guitarist of a semi popular 80’s British/irish/American rock band in the MySpace days. They were my favorite band when I was in high school. I shared with him a concert video I shot of the band in ‘90 via YouTube. Stayed in touch. The lead singer lives in Seattle and the guitarist connected us when I visited a couple of years ago for a show. Met for a beer. Now we’re great friends and go to shows together whenever I’m in town which is a few times a year. And I stay at his house. Seeing The The together in November. Both are super great guys. So surreal hanging out with someone you watched on 120 minutes as a kid.
What is the band name? I want to check out their music
Playing Warzone during the pandemics. I randomly joined a team and we played nicely. Ended up winning. We added each other as friends and started playing everyday. A random joined our team, we won and friended him too. One month later I was speaking more with them than with my IRL friends. We knew each other's lives and goals. Fast forward 4 years, one of them is in Sweden now with his family (his wife was pregnant when we met) and I am in Italy, so playing became harder, but we still talk somewhat regularly. The funny thing is that if we had lost the first game, this friendship wouldn't have happened.
Befriended a Ukrainian cam model who happened to be the same age as me and in university studying geology and then did nothing sexual at all for months and just chatted whenever she was online with her taking occasional breaks for private shows. Eventually she asked for my skype and we talked on off hours and she gave me an unsolicited private show for free. One day she never logged back on and we've been living our separate lives (this was before the war), but I'll always wonder what happened to her...
Username checks out
Had a similar experience with a redditor. Just a cool girl who was the exact friend i needed at that time (hell still do)
We met on Facebook for an RPG, I even remember what it was about. Lost contact. Then somehow we found each other and went like "Are you..?!" Now it's been x years and we're still very good friends.
Was playing Ark and was flying around looking for bases with open chests. Saw this Dino I wanted so knocked it out. These three guys come running up to me and say hi. Give them some things and say hi back. Anyways I kept running into them. Eventually one of the dudes friends me on ps. He lives across the world and we met sitting on our couch’s lol
Back in 1999 my friends and I went to see The Matrix on opening weekend. We all loved it of course and we left the theater and were standing in the alley behind it talking about the movie and smoking when this big punk dude comes up to us. We figured he just wanted to bum a smoke but he just wanted someone to talk to about how much he loved the movie and he'd seen it by himself. He joined in our conversation and we all got along great. That guy ended up being best friend / roommate to every single member of that friend group at one time or another for 20ish years.
Reddit :) guy saw my tattoo in a pic. turned out he was a few years younger than me. we chatted about books and movies and started talking about college life, turned out he lived right down the road! dude has been a total rock in my life. one of the most empathetic, caring people ever. love u seb
[удалено]
A couple of older ladies at a thrift store. They’d save stuff that they think I’d like or thought were funny to show me. They’d say “oh I was waiting for you to come around this week!” And call me their grandchild I really don’t remember how the relationship started considering most times I come in a store already with headphones/playing music. I’ll wave hello, but don’t usually go out of my way to speak to others
I had to be 8 or 9 years old on an Amtrak train with my mother and there was this pretty girl, the same age as me, sitting behind me with her mother. Our parents were having small talk with each other, then the girl's mother said to her daughter, "Hey honey, why don't you show him your video game." I switched seats with her mother and me and the girl played the handheld game, ate snacks and goofed around the entire 6-7 hour train ride. I was so young and naïve and didn't realize that would be the last time I ever talked to her. It was one of the best moments of my life. I'm tearing up just thinking about it again.
Wow, that's great to have such a nice story. Thanks for sharing.
I made friends with a homeless guy that rode my bus in St Louis. He told me no one offered to sell me weed because I looked like a Fed.
I met my absolute best friend through an old job when she was 18. She's 7 years younger than me and pretty much my polar opposite. We should have next to nothing in common, but for some reason we hit it off. Now i'm a guy, and she's not obviously, but before Reddit starts Redditing, she's very much gay. We've been going strong for a few years now and talk almost daily. We kept our friendship alive even when distance was an issue. We've been through a lot together and she's one of the few people I've never had a single doubt about if she really cared or not. She's a real ride or die and I'm so thankful to have met her. If I ever get married screw having a best man.
About to call it a night in Switzerland after a boring evening when suddenly... there was a riot and fires in the middle of the road and people in gas masks lobbing bricks at riot police (in Switzerland!). Asked some locals WTF is going on. They told us they'd never seen anything like it either, but if we wanted we could quit that place and come with them to a club. Anyway they took me and my friend (who was stationed there with the UK Govt) to this awesome underground multiplex place with multiple dancefloors and fussball. Halfway through getting pummeled by two of these Swiss fellas, tear gas started coming through the window and we all had to leave the club. Everyone was lined up and searched and my friend used his diplomatic privileges to skip the line (lol) and we never saw those Swiss people again (one of them was a very cute Swiss blonde girl who made it clear she was open to it, but I was too shy to make a move on and ended up making things awkward...) Anyway, reading this back it doesn't actually count, but I like to think if we saw them again, we'd have all been friends and could've reminisced about the time Bern, Switzerland temporarily became Gotham city 🔥
I still have long conversations with the guy my ex cheated on me with 8 years ago.
I once formed a great friendship with the bartender at a tiny dive bar in the middle of nowhere. We bonded over our mutual love of obscure '80s movies and ended up becoming really close friends outside of the bar. It just goes to show that you can find connections with people in the most unexpected places!
I worked as a night watchman at a country club for over twenty years and befriended many a stray cat over those years. Spent a lot of time with those cats/kittens over the yeats. One season I befriended and hung out with a mated pair of canadian geese. I could show up and call out to them and they would come flying across the lake to me. Ran across a LOT of animals there. Found and returned seven dogs to their owners. Rescued a racoon and possum from inside trash cans. A small snapping turtle trapped in a stairwell too.
I thought a person from my local (Ireland) Pokemon Go group was talking in a German Facebook group about her hardships. This person wanted to learn German, so I didn't think about it and offered a listening ear. Turned out, I weirded out a random person from Thuringia and we became friends.
I met a guy on a bbs named Phish aka Joel. He was good friends with a guy named Derek and his gf Amy. Used to go to meet ups and stuff and hang out from time to time.. funny thing is you all know him now as Deadmau5. Small world eh?
i once went over to my at the time girlfriends place and met her cousin there, me and my girlfriend finished up in the room and came out and i started talking to her cousin and took her instagram and now 10 years later we’re married.
Christmas dinner is probably akward as fuck now.
Me and another girl named Zero were on a bus when we were younger and zero turned to me on said bus and goes "I like your red hair. Will you hangout with me?" that led to a friendship from 3rd grade till now
I worked at a gas station when I was younger. Had a regular come in who was an MP in the Army for 23 years. We always had great conversations, so we swapped digits (this was 7 years ago) and he is to this day one of my best friends. He’s helped me out when I’ve been homeless, even helping me move 1,700 miles away to stay with him when I had nowhere else to go. I made friends with his sister too since the move!
Met my best friend at a Danny Valencia (former mlb twins player) autograph signing. We went to a twins game the very next day and the rest is history
I met two German girls when I was exploring The Amazon. Ended up spending 3 weeks together, and the entire time was a blast.
I just got off the train in Chicago and walked up to Giordano for some beer and to make a day plan on transit. A young man sat next to me and ordered a whole meatlovers deep dish. About half way through him waiting for his pizza we struck up a condo About this and that. Turned out he was in the army for his years and just got discharged. This was his first meal back in Chicago. He gave me half his pizza, we drank beer and got stuffed. Eventually we went our separate ways and never met again. The world is a big busy place, but we are all individual people. Easy to forget that sometimes.
Standing in line for a roller coaster at a Six Flags park and striking up a conversation with the guy standing next to me. It was so random too, because he was just in town visiting, while I was a local. I ended up living with him for a bit to see if I wanted to permanently live in the area he was in (I didn't), and then I've visited him since he's moved to Portugal and plan to visit him again in the next couple years.
gun course. when I was 13 I made friends with a 40 or 30 year old cop getting into hunting. I was surprised when I found out that they need to get a gun liscense too .
My former parole officer is now my pool buddy. We go play at clubs every weekend and Wednesday nights
Visited New York and went to Staten Island for a visit. I had gone into a little bar for a drink, and about 10 minutes later a whole Italian-American wedding all piled into the bar. A group of guys saw me sitting there, clearly a pale blue-skinned Scotsman on his holidays, and bought me a drink. We spoke about the couple and Scotland and Italy and football/soccer and baseball. About half an hour later they all left. It was good. I hope they're all doing well.
For most it’s unusual but for me it’s normal due to my hobby. But I met my friend at a gas station over a snickerdoodle cookie. (His nickname is snickerdoodle)
I can't think of any off hand but it's a great topic.
I met one of my best friends on the bus on our way to school. She’d play her small boom box that’s how I first noticed her. One day she got up and approached the bus driver mid ride, bus driver pulled over and she briefly exited the bus. When she got back on the bus we started talking, she said she’d told the bus driver that she thought she was going to be sick and he pulled over so that she wouldn’t throw up on the bus. We’ve been friends for twenty five years now!
Suprisingly, reddit. The guy I'm talking about is now one of my close friends and we chat really often.
Going to medical school
Everyone at my job can't speak english well or is antisocial.
We talked for a bit. Somehow he ended up saying "I can break your leg" while he had a torn shoulder. We are friends.
Playing Connect 4 in the middle of a pit at a metal gig. Blended two groups together that night and it lasted a few years going to gigs and festivals together before everyone drifted away as is life.
Hiking the Grand Canyon. Met a fellow hiker just resting, small chit chat and asked if we would join him on his hike for the day and we agreed, he taught us the local plants and what the natives used them for, showed us the native drawings, taught us how to conserve energy hiking. It was a great way to make a friend. Hope you're doing well Chris.
Met him on a zombie apocalypse page. Met in person 2 months later. First official date was a zombie prom. He proposed at a funeral home (friends lived there) Moved in together 4 months after engagement. Eloped 17 months after that. We have been together 12 years now and married for 9.
A bus today. Had a chat about iPads and Gen Alpha.
There was an app hear me. It was basically about promoting mental health. You could be a listener there and you get to connect to people around the world, listening to them when they need to talk about something to someone. So there you could save chats with someone you clicked during the session. I made a few friends there but the most crazy one was with one girl who was basically a budding writer. We clicked instantly but we didn't exchange our numbers or any social media for that matter. She just told me about her blog. After around a year or so ig ,I suddenly remembered her and went to her blog and found her email I'd and wrote to her! She replied within a few days and her mails were somehow my comfort place over the next few months. We used to write to each other regularly but because of my exams I got busy and missed her last mail. I could only write to her after about 8 months when I was searching for her mail in my inbox but till then she was gone ig. I still check for her mails. She's a sweet and very ambitious girl who knew how to put feelings into word well. I ended up writing a lot.😭
Some strange places I’ve struck up friendships: Book launch Job interview (with the interviewer) Hostel (with hostel staff) Taking food together at a buffet
Lived in a poor area where most ride bikes to get booze and drugs: Started my oldie truck but it got ten feet before dying. Started pushing it back up the slight driveway. Maybe it’s this…. 70+ year old guy stops his bike and asks me What’s wrong. I explain the symptoms. He’s just a random dude on a bike going to buy drugs. Takes one look at the engine/issue, and goes: “blah blah blah, it’s this.” He asks for a pen and paper and lists everything I need and to call him when I got the items. I go to some hole in the wall parts store in Brandywine, and when I tell them who sent me, they go bananas and talk about how he tuned this race car or how he build the fastest boat motor using two Lincoln engines…..go back, call him up and within two hours I’m driving this truck 60mph up and down the road! Lost touch over life. Went to visit him and his brother said he’s *in Gods Hands now* Take time to listen to people and don’t judge them so quickly. We all have demons we are struggling with every day. Rip Jerome
Met my best bud at a bus stop during a rainstorm. Life's full of surprises!
My friend and I became best friends while we were in prison. I have recently been released and he still has 8 yrs to do. We still talk everyday if not by phone through a texting app the tablets at the prison has.
Not an unusual place, but I unexpectedly found a friend in my manager at work. Only person I know who truly understands the crap I've gone through. I've struggled with my mental health, and I was homeless for a while. My manager has also been through those things. It really helps to have someone who relates to me that way.
I sat down at a table outside a theater during a film festival and a man sat down with his parents. Much to my surprise, I noticed they speak Dutch which is the language I have taught myself. I politely asked “Are you guys speaking Dutch?” and they said yes and I started speaking to them. I still find it really kind how his dad turned his chair so he could face me and listen and they were genuinely interested in talking to me. We’re still friends a year later and I am leaving the country in a month to go to Germany and plan to meet him in the Netherlands.
met my best girl friend in college because she was sorta dating my best guy friend from home. it didn’t workout between them, but we enjoyed each others company so much we never stopped hanging out!
Befriending the amusement park management while getting evacuated from the park's Log Flume (It was always right before the Final Drop) And on a related note - that's my least favorite part of said ride just because of how often it broke down while I was on it back in 2021-22 (Managed to avoid the bad luck in 2023 and as for 2024 It's too early to tell)
I was looking for friends and tried a furry app because I thought why not. Found a guy on there and we got talking now we go out for dinner a few times a month. It’s been great and he is nothing but kind and down to earth.
A traveler I met on a long flight.
I have a best friend in my head:myself
made a male friend in 5th grade but stopped talking to him over the summer since i didn’t have a phone. i discovered near the end of 5th grade he may/may not have had a crush on me so i was awkward and didn’t really speak to him in 6th grade near the end of 6th grade (i got a phone and his number from somewhere) i randomly texted him to ask him a question. but i chickened out of asking him if he liked me and continued talking to him and with another unexpected friend i made that year. later during a field trip on the last week of school one of his classmates (who surprisingly had a big mouth) openly said that he liked me and blah blah blah. in front of us both. i couldn’t really ignore that but i tried to change topics fast. later i confronted him and he confessed that he did like me but not anymore and i was relieved. we both chose to remain friends after that and still spoke with each other and the other friend. fun fact!: the other unexpected friend mentioned before told me that she secretly liked him but was uncertain if she should! (she has also known him longer than i have, since abt kinder or 1st grade)