We all know that feeling. An embarrassing memory sneaking into our day, humiliating us all over again. While it’s easy to relive our worst times, there’s nothing stopping us from looking back on awesome memories instead. These people share moments that never fail to put a smile on their face.
#1 Burrito Sauce
Back in college, I was eating at Chipotle with my friend Anthony, who is typically a pretty suave guy. As we were talking, he was alternating between taking sips of his drink and dumping Tabasco on his burrito before taking a bite. He got lost in our conversation and I saw him grab Tabasco and start bringing it to his lips before catching himself. Then I saw him do it again, getting even closer to his mouth this time before realizing his mistake. He laughed it off. Another minute went by and, exceeding all expectations, he grabbed his drink and poured it onto his burrito.
#2 Something Slimy
For my birthday one year, I went to a restaurant called Onoir in Montreal with my sister and some friends. The waitstaff is people who are blind and you eat in the dark. My sister managed to throw a mushroom at me and hit me right in the middle of my forehead. Of course, I threw one back, but in the dark, I missed and couldn’t tell where it went.
About five minutes later we just heard, "There's something slimy on my chair!" from someone who had just been seated. We about cried from laughing. Also, having people sing “Happy Birthday” in complete darkness takes all the awkwardness out of it. There’s no one staring at you and you don't have to look at anyone.
#3 A Lot of Beautiful
When my daughter was little, she literally could not stop talking. She has ADHD and that's just one of the effects. One day, we were walking by an abandoned lot that looked like an old gas station or something. My daughter looked at it and said, "Wow, that's a beautiful yard!" I said, "That's a lot” and she went, "Yeah! A lot of beautiful yard!"
#4 To the Ferry
When my older kids were three and one, we took them to Florida to visit family and took a day trip out to a barrier island. We'd been telling the kids that we'd be riding a ferry out to the island. However, we didn't realize that the three-year-old heard "fairy" until she started crying when we got on a boat instead.
#5 Private Air Show
I used to work for a landscaping company cutting grass in industrial parks. One day, I was cutting a huge piece of the lawn after a light rain, and stirred up a bunch of bugs. Some swallows must have noticed and went on a sort of feeding frenzy all around me for like half an hour. I would be riding along and a bird would swoop what felt like inches from my head. It would then spiral all around to catch more bugs. After watching them for a minute or so, I knew they wouldn’t crash into me, so it was like being given a private air show.
#6 One-on-One Time
This one time, my brother and I went to the Dollar Store and went through every aisle, putting anything in the cart that we thought was cool. Of course, we pretty much messed around and ended up putting away 80% of the items we got. But I don’t hang out one-on-one with my brother much, so it made me really happy.
#7 Can I Ask You Something?
Mine would be when I first started talking to my partner. I had been asking co-workers about her for some time and then I found out that she was asking about me as well. We would talk here and there but I never had the guts to ask her on a date. When I finally built up the courage to ask her out, she was saying yes before I even asked! We laughed like school girls because I literally only asked if I could ask her something.
It makes me smile because I always had low self-esteem and underestimated how much I was worth in a sense of what I could bring to the table in a relationship. Having her love and support just makes me so incredibly happy now. I have to say that that memory just stands out during the good and even the hard times.
#8 Dancing Queen
My mom would sing and dance in the kitchen every Sunday morning when I was growing up. Times were always tough and money was always tight, but my mom made sure we were happy and healthy. One particular day when I was eight, I was woken up by the sound of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" blasting through the house and my mom’s off-key singing. As I walked to the kitchen, the smell of chorizo and eggs filled the air and there I saw her.
My mom, who only a few days earlier looked so miserable with her life, was dancing her heart out with a spatula in hand. When she passed away seven years later, I cried every time I thought of her, except for this memory. This is the only memory that got me through her passing. It not only makes me smile every time I think of it but it's my favorite memory of all time. I'm so lucky to remember her for who she was.
#9 Heart of Gold
When I was in early elementary, I was a carrier for strep throat. I would get the illness every month or two, so my family doctor said I needed to get my tonsils removed. The surgery went well, I recovered, but my family was struggling to pay the thousands of dollars in payment. However, one day, the doctor who did the procedure just walked into my mom's office and tore apart the medical bills. He did my procedure for no cost since he recognized our struggles. I was too young to remember this, but knowing about that makes me smile. It also makes me know that there are people out there with hearts of gold.
#10 Prom Date
My wife was my blind date to the senior prom. I'd have to say that my first time seeing her is a memory that always makes me smile. I remember the first thought I had when she walked through the door was, "This girl is way to pretty for me.” I felt like she was way out of my league. Turns out, she thought I was pretty handsome too. That night was one of the best nights of my life. The next day, I called her and asked if she'd want to go on another date, and she said yes. A few years later, we were married. We've been together now for over ten years.
#11 Last Moment Love
I think of my dog that we had for 14 years. In the last three years of her life, she lived a while away with my aunt as we moved and couldn’t have pets. I visited as often as I could but with work and school, it was difficult. I remember I was at a job interview and walked out of it feeling like I nailed it. I then looked at my phone and had 50 missed calls from family. I called back and was told they were putting my dog down that day. I ran straight to the train station and got on so many trains to get to her.
Even though it had been a year and she was so old and unwell, the second I walked through that door, she came to me. I could see it exhausted her to walk over, but she lay at my feet. She gave herself a push against my legs so she was on her back and could get belly rubs. My aunt said she had been behind the sofa all day refusing to get out.
However, as soon as I walked through the door, she lit up. Apparently, it was the first time her tail wagged in a couple of days. I stayed with her as long as I could, then she had to go. After all this time, I’ll always treasure that last memory of her and how even in her last moments, she still had so much love for me.
#12 Back on Track
I worked as a homeless street outreach worker for a couple of years. My co-worker and I saw a guy standing near a river. We felt something wasn't right and parked. My co-worker and I convinced the person that ending their life wasn’t worth it. A few weeks later, that person confronted my co-worker and thanked him for being there that night. That person had found an apartment and felt that their life was finally gotten on track.
#13 Bear Feet
English has so many words that sound the same for different things and it’s never-ending laughs with little kids. My son’s best one was when he was about three and had kicked off his shoes for the millionth time in the car after my asking him not to. That night it was raining and I said, “Fine! You’ll just have to walk through the rain in your bare feet then.” After a pause he said, “But mommy, I don’t gots bear feet. I gots kid feet!” It was so cute.
#14 Karate Chop the Bell
I did arts and crafts, storytime, etc. as a volunteer at the children's hospital. My best memory there is definitely when my favourite kid found a bone marrow donor. They have a large golden bell at the front of the ward that kids ring when they finish chemotherapy. She hadn't finished yet, but she just went up to the bell and karate chopped it.
#15 Afternoons With Grandma
The last afternoon I spent with my grandma. She was such a firecracker, always joking around and giving people the bird. We had a great time, just the two of us. She passed away in September 2019, about two months after her husband. I miss them both, but thinking about that last afternoon with her always makes me smile.
#16 Ruined Plans
The first time my daughter spoke an intelligible word. She woke up in the morning, looking at me said, “Papa!” The funny part is that my wife had, according to her, the perfect plan. She would say, repeatedly, the word “papa.” Then, when the baby would need anything, she would call me and not my wife. It worked until a certain point. Now she's jealous that the first word was “Papa.” But, when the baby wants something, she calls for her mommy most of the time.
#17 The Family Bed
My mom found out she was in the fourth stage of her illness when I was two and passed away when I was six. When she got diagnosed, she was given six months to live so, needless to say, she gave us lots of amazing memories and really lived in the moment. The story I always tell when talking about my mom was how one day she let me and my older sister stay home, which was a big deal when we were little. We went to Bulk Barn and got every item we wanted.
When we got home, we snuggled in my parents’ bed, spread out what felt like a never-ending amount of bags of chocolate and andy, and watched Disney movies all afternoon. When my dad came home from work, he just jumped right in and joined us. It was right before she went into hospice and the last “good day” I remember her having before she passed. The memory holds a special place in my heart.
#18 Mouthful of Mini-Wheats
One time my brother said something funny while I was eating cereal. I had a huge mouthful of unchewed Mini-Wheats and milk. I started to laugh, but then my sister said something funnier and I thought of the most epic funny thing to say, but I was trapped in the state of laughter. That on its own actually made me laugh even harder because of the situation I was in. Then my brother looks at me and I just pointed at him and then my sister and then myself and it was so stupid. I just fell to the floor, crying with laughter.
#19 Down the Dirt Road
I’m pretty sure it was a dream or something I imagined. But, I remember walking down a dirt road with heavy swamp vegetation (reeds mostly) growing on both sides and dense tree branches hanging over the road. It was around 10:00 a.m. at the end of June with patches of sunshine barely making it to the dirt below. I was a kid and was walking with a friend. It's where I go when I need to calm down…. if I remember it.
#20 Cool Fall Air
My daughter was born in July. The following fall, she often would cry at night. I would wrap her in a blanket and take her for a walk. Moments after we got into the cool fall air, she would fall asleep, but I would make the walk last as long as I could. Now every fall when the first cool evening hits, I smile and often take a walk.
#21 Wig Snatcher
The last time I saw my great-grandma, Claudine. She was 98 and had horrible dementia. She didn’t recognize my grandmother (her daughter) and it was honestly very sad. We were going to her house because my great-grandpa, her husband, passed away and we needed to go to his funeral. Before we left, we got a car wash and one of the guys there gave us a red carnation. It was a weird promotion or something I think.
After a 10+ hour drive, we made it to her house. I rushed inside and overheard my grandma begging my great-grandma to remember her because my grandma had recently been diagnosed with an illness. I gave her a second and knocked, then walked in. The very first thing my great-grandma said when she saw me was, “Is that my beautiful great-granddaughter?” I nearly cried just from that.
My grandma was super happy she remembered me, but sad she didn’t remember her. She decided I should spend time with her alone. She went off to go get some food I think, so it was just me and my grandma. We chatted for a while and the inevitable question finally came up, “Who was that woman in here earlier?” “That’s your daughter.” “Oh, really? Why does her hair look so weird?”
I went, “Oh, it’s a wig. She’s bald now.” I couldn’t bring myself to tell her her daughter had an illness, even though she wouldn’t remember. She giggled a bit then attempted to pull me in and said, “I’m gonna steal her wig!” I laughed, she couldn’t walk or lift her own arms on her own, let alone snatch a wig right off of my grandmother’s head.
After about an hour, my stomach started to grumble, so I called my grandma back in and went to the kitchen for some potatoes. After maybe five minutes, I heard my grandma scream. I was afraid my great gramma finally had passed away and rushed in, but it wasn’t that at all. My great-grandma did it. She ripped the wig right off of my grandma’s head. She told her to come close to whisper a secret and with all her might snatched it. She went on to love in a care home, got into many more antics and would call once a week begging me to take her away and start a traveling band.
#22 Disappearing Worries
At one point in my life, I remember I was hitting a real low point. In the midst of my dark day, my friend invited me over. I still had all these thoughts in my head, until she opened the door and her giant Siberian Husky jumped on me and started to lick my face. I started giggling and literally all my worries went kaput.
#23 Coffee Talks
My favorite memory will always be sitting at the kitchen table having a coffee with my mom. We would just sit and talk for hours over a pot of coffee. Truthfully, every time I have a coffee, I think of those times and smile. That probably contributes to my caffeine addiction. I need a coffee to get through my day and it has totally different meaning for me. That joyful thought always rights whatever wrong is going on. She lives several states away now and is getting older. I don't know how many coffee talks we have left, but I'll always have the ones we've already had.
#24 Touching Toes
My husband and I have a habit of touching feet when we sleep. It’s a nice comfort thing because cuddling in your sleep is just impractical and sweaty. Once, we were napping in the study on the inflatable mattress. We were head-to-toe because I was trying to use my phone while charging it. We fell asleep, I woke up and instinctively reached my toes to his toes. I heard a muffled "Hey!" because I forgot we were head-to-toe and shoved my feet around his head instead. It’s been 10 years and I still laugh thinking about it.
#25 Favorite Person in the World
I got to spend an entire week staying with my grandmother once when I was a child. That week was the best since I love my grandmother. We would scrapbook, sew, bake cookies, and do puzzles together. I was so happy to be able to spend time with her like that. She was my favorite person in the world. I loved my grandmother so much that when I was a little kid "what I wanted to be when I grew up" was a grandmother.
#26 A Lot of Cheese
During a family reunion, a bunch of us were sitting on an L-shaped couch near the kitchen. The rest of the family was in the kitchen. There were about 15-20 people in the area. My pregnant sister let out a silent toot and then said, “Whew.” Then the other six or so people on the couch got up from the awful smell almost instantaneously.
Then the rest of the family looked over and wondered why everyone but my sister is off the couch. My sister was just laughing and her face was glowing red. The kicker, though, was that she was only two or three months pregnant, so she didn't tell everyone. She just said, “I ate a lot of cheese.” Oh, man. I love that story.
#27 Stuffed Animals
When my siblings and I were kids, we were extremely poor. One Christmas, all my parents could afford was these little stuffed animals, about a dollar each. They were from both of my parents, but I always associated them with my mom. Mine looks like a wolf or a husky, and I always kept it. Now that she’s gone, I keep it on my bookshelf in my living room, facing my chair. Whenever I miss her, I can look over at the wolf and it seems like I can talk to her through it. I know it’s nonsense, but it really helps.
#28 Promised Treasure
Seeing my niece come into the world. She was the promised treasure, child of surprise at the end of my depression rainbow. I had lost my mom four years ago and really struggled. Suddenly, this little girl came along. She even looked like my mom, too. I remember holding her in the dark part of the delivery room and her opening her little eyes for the first time.
#29 Sharing a Split
I played baseball for ten years, all the way from little league to high school. My first several years I was great; hitting the ball, catching fly balls, stealing bases. The whole nine. My father was always so proud of me, I could tell he was really invested in my games. He never missed a single one. Every single game my dad would take me out for ice cream afterwards and when I did something especially great, we would split a banana split.
I'll never forget the day when I first struck out. I messed up bad, costed a game. I was so hard on myself. I was so scared to see the look of disappointment in my dad's face because he always called me his star player. I sat on the other side of the bench (away from the bleachers) and was barely able to focus through the last half of the final inning. After we ran the field and told the rest of the players "good game,” I was afraid to make eye contact at the gate while I was leaving.
I looked up, afraid, only to see my dad smiling ear-to-ear. He wrapped his arms around me, picked me up and told me I was still his star player. I asked if we could still split a banana split. Instead of having to share, we each got our own. I got extra fudge. I'll never forget how much we laughed that night together.
He taught me that failure isn’t something to fixate on, but something to learn from. He taught me that failure doesn't have to be scary. He taught me that it was a necessary part of life to make someone better. He taught me that everyone makes mistakes, even big ones and that the biggest part of failure is to always have compassion. We've had a really hard life, separately and together, but I'll never share a banana split with anyone else.
#30 Cookie Dough Bath
I worked at a restaurant. I walked in just as the dishwasher tried to clean off the ice cream scoop with cookie dough on it by shooting it with the handheld sprayer. The jet of water hit the curved part of the scoop and shot right back at her. She was saying something when she did it and got a good blast of wet cookie dough in her mouth and face. She gave herself quite a bath and was embarrassed but also laughing. We all had a good laugh about it.
#31 A Rule’s a Rule
I’ll never forget this one time when I was babysitting a six-year-old. We were “debating” on whether he needed to wear a helmet while riding his bike. His defense to me was, “I know how to ride a bike. I’ve been doing it most of my life.” I mean, what could I say? He’s wasn’t wrong, but a rule is a rule, bro.
#32 Best Compliment Ever
My boyfriend once gave me one of the best compliments I’ve ever received. I joined him on a DND campaign with his friends. I’m not great at it, but it was another thing for us to do together. The goal was to receive these special objects and a little girl character in the campaign had one of them. So I decided to talk to the character. I must have done a good job because my boyfriend said to his friends, “You know why she was awesome at that?! Because she’s a teacher!” I don’t know, I’m so used to getting physical compliments, so hearing him exclaim that I’m good with kids was one of the most amazing things to hear. I think about that often.
#33 Goofy Little Tattoo
Five years ago, my dog, Snoopy, passed away and he was my best friend for nearly 17 years. I wanted a tattoo to remember him. One night, after a bit of drinking I had my best (human) friend draw a caricature of him on my right arm. I'm right-handed, so it was hard for me to draw it myself and I figured that would make it easier. It turned out to be even harder trying to tattoo myself with my left hand and while slightly tipsy.
It came out very sloppy and it's definitely the worst tattoo I have, but it’s also my most cherished. I don't know if I ever want to get it touched up professionally because I kind of like how it's such a raw expression of emotion. It means a lot to me because I love him, miss him every day, and it's a way to remind myself of him that makes me smile. Even though it sucks that he's gone, remembering all the years, all the happy moments we had together reminds me how wonderful and special life is. So, if I ever need a little pick me up, I just look down at that goofy little tattoo on my arm.
#34 Clean Record
An officer could have arrested me for a small amount of contraband in the ninth grade. Instead, he cut me loose and made me promise to not have it on me again. I cleaned up my act and still have a clean record to this day. My life could have been dramatically altered had the officer not been as emphatic and forgiving as he was that day. I’m still very thankful every time I think about it.
#35 Only Eat Ravioli
Mine is a little bittersweet because we lost the baby. But, during my first pregnancy, my fiance and I were so scared of what was to come. My fiance was terrified and had no idea how to react and seemed more detached. Until one night I was starving and I couldn't keep anything down. He got up at like 3:00 a.m., ran to the kitchen and came back with a bowl of ravioli.
I clearly remember disagreeing with the thought of eating it, but I was so hungry that I had to at least try it. Well, I kept it down with no problem, much to my shock. My fiance laid his head down on my belly, rubbed it softly and said, "Wow, you're already so much like me. Driving your mommy bonkers and you'll only eat ravioli." That will stay with me until my last breath. It was so wholesome I can't help but tear up and smile.
#36 Cup of Joe
About a year ago, I was in a discount grocery store. I had about $20 left after bills and rent, so I had to carefully pick what to buy. In the end, I couldn’t afford to spend six dollars on coffee, so I put it back on the shelf and went to the register. As I was walking out of the shop, I heard a woman call after me. "Young man, you forgot this" I turned around and she thrust the jar of coffee into my bag.
I went to protest but she cut me off and said, "I remember what it was like, not having enough money and having to go without. You take that coffee and enjoy it, mate." She had the biggest smile on her face. She was like a beacon of light during one of my darkest times, and I always remember her. With every cup of coffee, I can't help but smile. Each cup reminds me there are truly good people in the world.
#37 A Man Named Marcus
A man named Marcus saved my boyfriend while I was on the phone trying to talk him down from a bridge. At that time, my boyfriend and I were doing long-distance and he was on a work trip in a different town. It was 4:00 a.m. and he was so partied out that he didn't know where he was except for high up on a bridge over water.
Marcus walked past and asked if my boyfriend was okay. My boyfriend said, “Yeah, I'm good. Just keep going, I'll be fine.” But Marcus didn't keep going. He sat with my boyfriend, who eventually put the phone on speaker so all three of us could talk. I told Marcus what hotel my boyfriend was staying at and he walked my boyfriend there. We continued to talk the whole way to the hotel. I don't think I'll ever meet Marcus, but I'll never ever forget him.
#38 Can I Do a Trick?
In the sixth grade, I had a boyfriend. It wasn't awkward or anything, but we just didn't do a lot of things. But I remember it was around summer and I had one class with him, keyboarding. I sat next to him every day in that class, I loved him. I remember telling him, "Hey, can I do a trick on your hand?" He said sure, so he gave me his hand, I took it, and told him to spread his fingers apart. I remember my heart beating so fast, but I interlocked fingers with him and we sat the rest of the keyboarding class with our hands like that. He told me it was really clever, and thinking back about it now, it makes me smile about how brave I was.
#39 Powerful High-Five
I went bowling with some friends a few years ago and as we were wrapping up our game, a kid’s birthday party started arriving. While the kids waited for everyone to arrive, they hung out in the lane beside us, cheered us on, started passing us our balls, just acting like a bunch of six-year-old boys who were stoked to "hang out" with us.
My friend bowled a strike and one of the kids shot his arms up for a celebratory double high-five. Of course, my friend slapped hands. What my friend and the child didn't anticipate was that the mass and momentum of this kid’s arms being pushed backwards knocked him right down. My friend high-fived a child to the ground.
#40 Fireworks Show
I was nine and it was my first time visiting Disney and holidaying in the States. Living in the tropics, I couldn’t get used to the cold summer nights of California and came down with a mild fever. I was rather down after realizing I wasn’t going to be able to catch the fireworks display, so my dad snuck me out when my mom was busy looking after my brother. He carried me to the castle where I saw fireworks for the first time in my life. He even indulged me further and let me go on some rides before that! Thanks, dad!
#41 Kids Being Kids
I went to Brean with my crush. There was a fair there with rollercoasters, food and cool rides. There were also bumper cars and horror rides. I was so close to her. Her presence made it 100x better and it was the happiest day of my life. No stress, no confusion, no toxicity. It’s the only memory I have that brings pure joy. I still feel the warmth of the sun and the taste of the food. We were kids being kids, and that was alright.
#42 Dinosaur Wiggle
My girlfriend in high school decided to dress up as a dinosaur for Halloween. She wore a black hoodie and cut a witch’s hat to make a tail. She covered herself in polka dots and was so happy to be a dinosaur. We were walking through the neighborhood and she would stop every 10 steps to wiggle her tail. We have been together for 10 years and that memory always makes me grin.
#43 Silent Amazement
I was walking down a dock with my friend Pat. I started to let one rip. I kept going and going. Pat, who thinks air biscuits are really funny, just kept looking at me in silent amazement, not wanting to break the magic. We both then collapsed in uncontrollable laughter. There was probably a whole month where Pat or I would start laughing randomly and both knew what the other was laughing about. He still texts me, about it, 10 years later.
#44 Tight Hugs
I was depressed for a long time and become a shut-in for roughly three months or so. I went back to my parents’ house once every month and every time I was there, my nephew would come to visit me. One day, he knocked on my bedroom door when he heard me crying. He then asked, "Are you sad?" when I opened the door, acting as if I was okay. Before I could give him any answer, he hugged my legs so tight that I cried again in the doorway. He never said anything, just there, giving me his best hug. It was all I need back then. I love him so much.
#45 Looking for Nuggets
I work in a supermarket and one time this old guy asked me for a "nugget.” So, I took him to where the chicken nuggets were. When we got there, he looked really confused and said, “No. I'm looking for nugget . You know? For shoes?'. Anyway, long story short, apparently “nugget” is just another name for shoe polish.
#46 Perfect Catch
In my eighth-grade math class, my teacher threw a dry erase marker on the ground because it was out of ink. I was sitting in the front row and the marker bounced up, twirled through the air, and I shot my hand out perfectly to catch it. I didn’t even think about it, it was purely reflex, and pretty cool at the time.
#47 I Like Like You
Before we started dating, my now-boyfriend went bar-hopping with some friends and got tipsy. He then spammed my phone with texts and Snapchat messages and they were all hilarious. But my favorite was right before he went to sleep. He told me that he “like liked” me. He now swears his brain didn’t realize he had already written it once, so he wrote it again. I always joke that he meant to say it that way, and now it’s a big inside joke. We really “like like” each other, guys!
#48 Carpool Karaoke
My ex and I and his daughter were all in the car. We had a Disney-themed playlist going and “Let it Go” was playing. I decided to serenade my ex with said song while he was driving. Watching him trying to keep a straight face was hilarious because his face kept trying to contort into a half-smirk, half I'm-trying to-be-serious look. He ultimately failed as he burst into laughter. That memory always makes me giggle.
#49 Perfect Feeling
When I was a kid on a family camping trip. I woke up in the morning. It was still cool out, but I was nice and warm in my sleeping bag inside our big old canvas tent. My parents were already up and making breakfast. I could hear them talking and the echos of someone chopping wood. I could smell the bacon cooking, too. It was a perfect feeling.
#50 Feeling Complete
I left home for two years heading to Brazil on a long-term humanitarian trip. My family was very supportive of me and all came to the airport. I hugged each of my siblings, then my mom and finally my dad. I’d already been crying a little, two years all the sudden seemed a longer time than I thought. After my father hugged me, he pulled away and just said, “I’m so proud of you.”
I can’t remember him ever saying something like that to me before then. Not that I didn’t feel it, but now he officially said it. It felt like all my life had been working towards that moment right there. I carried that memory with me all through Brazil and it hasn’t failed to this day to make me feel so complete.
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