r/wholesome

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Today, something happened that I honestly never expected. It was one of those moments that makes you feel like you've travelled back in time.

The last time I met this guy was in 2008. I was in Class 1, and he was in Class 4. He was my senior in primary school, and I have some really fond memories of him.

I was a very small and physically weak kid back then, and other children used to bully me. He was one of the people who stood up for me and protected me.

I was also the eldest in my family, so I didn't have an older brother or older relatives around me at school. In a way, I found that big-brother figure in him. Maybe he never realised how much those little acts of protection meant to me, but I remembered him as someone who made me feel safer when I was a kid.

My primary school only went up to Class 5. After completing Class 5, he got admission to a different school, and we eventually lost touch completely. We never met again.

Life went on. We grew up, followed different paths, and almost 18 years passed.

Fast-forward to 2026.

I usually don't travel by metro because my office provides a cab and shuttle service. But today, I happened to travel by metro, and eventually, I shared an auto with a guy who looked strangely familiar.

Something about him made me wonder if he was someone from my school days. I mistakenly asked him whether he had studied at my secondary school.

He corrected me and said he was from my primary school.

And suddenly, we both realised who we were.

We recognised each other after 18 years!

Think about it. We hadn't seen each other since 2008. We weren't in contact, hadn't been following each other's lives, and had no recent pictures of each other to remind us what we looked like now. We had both grown up, our faces had changed, and we had become adults with completely different lives.

Yet somehow, we recognised each other almost instantly.

What made it even funnier was that he was genuinely surprised that I recognised him. According to him, people don't recognise him anymore because he has grown a moustache and his face has changed quite a bit over the years.

So I asked him, "Then how did you recognise me?"

His answer absolutely got me. 😂

He said he remembered a little boy whose cheeks he used to touch, and that I looked exactly like that boy.

Apparently, I had some very memorable cheeks as a kid. 😭😂

And here's another funny thing: neither of us even asked the other's name!

We were so busy talking about our childhood, school, jobs, and everything that had happened over the last 18 years that asking each other's names never even crossed our minds.

We recognised each other, started talking like old friends, and just went with the flow. 😂

We talked about our childhood and everything that had happened since we last met. He told me how he had moved to Uttar Pradesh and eventually became a police constable. He was back home on leave to visit his family.

I told him about my life too, how I had grown up and become an engineer.

We talked for at least an hour. We even took a longer route just so we could continue talking. Neither of us seemed to be in a hurry to end the conversation. There was so much to catch up on after all those years.

He paid my auto fare as well. Later, we went to a restaurant together, where he insisted on paying again. When I asked him how I could let him pay, his response was basically, "You call me bhaiya. How can I let you pay?"

That small moment genuinely made me smile.

The strangest part is that we live barely a kilometre apart, yet somehow we hadn't met in almost two decades.

For a while, I genuinely felt like I was back in primary school. I kept thinking about that little boy from 2008 who was physically weak, got bullied, and had a senior who would protect him.

And now, in 2026, that same senior was sitting beside me, telling me about his life, listening to mine, and remembering little details about me that I had completely forgotten.

Before we parted ways, he told me to stay in contact.

And then I realised something I genuinely regret.

I hadn't even taken a single picture with him.

After 18 years, we had finally met again, talked for an hour, taken a longer route to keep chatting, shared a meal, and caught up on our lives. But I didn't have a single photograph to remember this particular day.

I really wish I had taken one. Maybe we'll meet again, and next time, I'll make sure we take a picture together.

I don't know whether he remembers how much he helped me as a child, but I do.

Back then, he was the senior who stood up for a small, weak kid who didn't have an older brother beside him at school. Today, I got to sit with that same person as an adult and call him bhaiya again.

It's strange how life works. Sometimes, people who were important to us during one small chapter of our lives disappear for years. We assume those days are gone forever, and then, completely unexpectedly, life brings them back.

We spend so much time growing up, changing our appearances, building careers, and becoming different people. But sometimes, someone remembers you not for the person you've become, but for the little kid you once were.

And the funniest part? We still don't know whether we would have remembered each other's names without the school connection, because we never actually asked. 😂

I didn't just meet an old school senior today. I met someone who, in his own small way, had been a big brother to me when I was growing up.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to explain why this encounter felt so special, but it was genuinely one of the most wholesome moments I've experienced in a long time.

There's an old saying that "to be loved is to be known," and today that just really hit me. I mean I complain about and argue with my family as much as anybody else, but it's days like today that really make me feel loved because of how well my family knows me, specifically my mom.

For some background, I'm a huge anime fan. Been watching anime since I was a child, and it was actually my parents who introduced it to me. Everyone in my family (aside from my younger sister) loves anime in one way or another, we all have different favourites, but we love anime. A couple of my all time favourites are ones I watched with my parents or older ones they introduced me to.

Anyways, today there was an event going on in my city. It was a local anime themed event that was going to have a ton of local artists and other vendors, as well as a cosplay showcase, and other stage events. But I mostly wanted to go shop for stuff to add to my collection; keychains, pins, prints, figures, etc.

I asked my younger brother on Friday if he wanted to go with me, but he had plans to go out of town and couldn't go. I didn't ask my sister because I know these kinds of events aren't really her thing and she already had plans. Later Friday night while watching a show with my mom, I mentioned that I would be going to this event Saturday alone because no one else could make it. I said I'd go to bed earlier and go to the event first thing to check it out and come home. Without thinking my mom said she could go with me.

I asked if she was sure she wanted to go, not because I doubted she wanted to go, but because she has health issues, so walking around for several hours surrounded by people could be a challenge. But she insisted she would go with me and I said alright. I was worried she might cancel last minute because her health can be unpredictable, she could wake up feeling sick and not be able to go. But thankfully when I woke up she was feeling pretty good and ready to go.

When we got there we walked around together for an hour or so and chatted with vendors, checking things out. I told her about my strategy and said I'd look at everything first and then decide if I wanted to buy anything. She asked me what series I was looking for things for and she said she'd keep an eye out for me. But eventually she wanted to split up and look at other stuff. I didn't want to be left alone but I said alright. We agreed to meet back up in a bit.

While looking around by myself I spotted a print of my favourite character of all time, and it was the only print of that character I had seen today. I made a mental note to come back and then kept looking for a bit. But I was a little anxious to meet back up with my mom. After a little more looking around, I called her and we met up.

When we met up I noticed she had a print, and it looked familiar. It was art from the same artist I was going to go buy from. So I commented on it, telling her "oh, I was going to go back to buy a different print from that guy." She laughed, pulling a second print out from behind the first one.

It was the print I was going to buy. She laughed and told me it was going to be a Christmas gift but that the surprise was spoiled since she didn't want me to go buy another one.

It just made me incredibly happy knowing that my mom knows me so well. Even for the rest of the time we were there she would point out things she knew I liked. She even pointed out characters that she didn't know (because she hadn't watched the anime) but she knew I liked them.

She even knew about how I preferred art of an older version of an anime to the newer one and called me over when she found an artist selling prints of the older version. She also remembered that I was going to buy a keychain and I almost forgot about it.

The whole day just made me feel loved and understood. My mom even listened to me ramble about anime she's never watched while we were driving home after the event.

I just feel so lucky to have my mom. As frustrating as she can be sometimes, she makes me feel so loved and understood, and above all else, when she doesn't understand she does her best to ask questions in order to understand.

If any parents, or future parents read this, ask your kids questions and get involved in their hobbies. It really does make children feel understood. And to be loved is to be known.

I've had a crush on this boy for about seven months now and I couldn't help but notice his peculiar way of dressing. very 90s/80s inspired, and even though most of it is not my taste I still thought it looked super cute on him and began loving it even more.

And so began wondering where he gets his stuff from and I noticed he follows a bunch of thrift stores on IG and to be honest, I used to be the kind of person disgusted by the idea of wearing other people's clothes for various reasons...and I was simply never into thrifting 😭 it never interested me

Tldr, not only have I begun thrifting for myself (and genuinely finding fun in it) but I've also started my own thrift store! The funniest part is that he has no clue he's he influenced me this much and probably won't for a while

Anyway, shout-out to my crush for indirectly contributing to the thrifting economy 🫡

TW
Trigger warning : depression & childloss

Today the weather has finally cooled down and it felt nice, cool and cozy inside. After dinner , My children & I got our blankets and laid down in the loft to watch the cartoon version of the grinch. My 3 year old thought it was hilarious and my older daughter enjoyed it just as much. They’re snuggling with me and their new stuffies. We’ve got our mini tree up for the ambience. I’m sitting with my kids thinking, this year Christmas will be different. I won’t be crying tears of despair coming from the pain of delivering a full term stillbirth child. I’ll be celebrating her life & how loved and cherished she & being thankful I got to hold her for 9 months. My antidepressants have seemed to help me as I am in a better place than last year.
My husband came back from the grocery store and bought us lots of treats and joined us in our cozy loft. As my youngest is dangling off her daddy’s shoulders and my oldest is resting her head on my shoulders , we’re watching the grinch together and loving the festive colors and warm cozy feeling of togetherness. Thank you God, for I have so much. I know our angel is looking down at us. I have a feeling this Christmas will bring me joy and peace . Next year we might even add another little baby to our family , if God wants. Christmas movies give me feelings of joy and hope. I am happy to say it has definitely helped my soul tonight 🩷 🎄