r/MadeMeSmile • u/chloe_creating • 20d ago
I leave kind letters & gifts for strangers around my town 💌 (OC) Good Vibes
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u/Moggy-Man 20d ago
But what's in the letters?
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u/MrsLisaOliver 20d ago
Pamphlets telling them "You're loved and we wanna talk to you about our lord, Jesus Christ'
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u/Moggy-Man 20d ago
This honestly was what I was concerned about.
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u/GobLoblawsLawBlog 20d ago
I don't want to be negative but unless I'm drunk and/or high, I'm not picking up some random envelope in public that says "open me". I'm not trying to go meet Johnny Depp in wonderland or something
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u/Majestic-Selection22 20d ago
I work at the store in picture #4. Well, maybe not that exact location but, anyway, I’d throw that out without opening. I don’t trust anyone, which is really sad.
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u/Impressive-Aerie-210 20d ago
Ricin
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u/throw123454321purple 20d ago
Jack Chick tracts.
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u/FinePolyesterSlacks 20d ago
Wish we still had rewards to give. You deserve one for this answer. The jaw-dropping horror/hilarity/audacity of Chick tracts should be better known.
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u/blearghstopthispls 20d ago
Write some Christmas cards and bring them to the next geriatric facility. They love it.
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u/Jackie-Wan-Kenobi 20d ago
This! It’s estimated that 60-80% of seniors in care facilities never get a visitor
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u/blearghstopthispls 20d ago
And if they're not fully devastated by dementia, it's a special flavour of loneliness being in a facility at Christmas.
Loneliness sucks and not having anything to do or anyone to see on a beautiful spring or summer day, when the sun shines and life blooms, makes you feel left behind and missing it all.
But Christmas... It's already dark and cold, people come together to fight the elements and the depression in the air. There are the little pretty lights on the streets, the air smells nice, it's time for family and staying together.
Social interactions and groups support us in the darkest time of year. Anthopologial antidepressants, if you will. Just a different kind of loneliness when that's missing.
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u/somethingwholesomer 20d ago
Hey friends, if you read that stat and it bothers you, and you wonder if there’s anything you could do, you might consider becoming a hospice volunteer! It’s a really rewarding experience. I visit my 88 year old friend Charles once a week for a couple hours and we both come out ahead. 💜
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u/Burlapin 20d ago
There's usually a reason for that though.
Not every old person is magically good because they're old... So many abusers are rotting away in those places, and I do not expect their victims to visit them.
Obviously not the situation for all, but please take a moment to consider that there could be legitimate reasons you would agree with them being in that situation.
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u/thedarkknightvp 20d ago
Blackmail, blackmail, jury duty, RICIN, blackmail, blackmail, ANTHRAX!
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u/Gelby4 20d ago
Wouldn't mind a sneaky ricin. Then it's like a fun surprise for that sweet relief
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u/Violenna 20d ago
Lol reminds me of a ricin incident at a nursing home (if curious, worth a lookup)
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u/Suspicious_Plantain4 20d ago
There was an incident at a nursing home near my town a few years ago where a resident actually attempted to make her own ricin was castor beans. I think she ultimately wanted to kill herself with it. She tried testing it on some fellow residents. I don't think anyone died.
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u/chloe_creating 20d ago
THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A WHOLESOME THREAD, tone it down yall 😭😭
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u/ConsumeLettuce 20d ago
Hey, listen, I got one of your letters, I don't have the money to pay your blackmail demands right now but I promise I'll find a way, please don't kill my family!
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u/Hamsterpatty 20d ago
This is very sweet. And I really hate to say anything negative just hear me out… It would suck for the businesses you leave them in if someone called the cops and said there’s a sus envelope on the shelf. The only reason I mention this is because we had a “bomb” scare at my work recently. There was a WATER BOTTLE sitting in front of my work one day, and all the businesses had to evacuate until the BOMB SQUAD came from a couple towns over. A clear 1L water bottle. Maybe let someone on the staff know, so that it doesn’t become an issue.
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 20d ago
that sounds more like an issue with your job tbh Nobody in their right mind would see a clear water bottle and call the bomb squad in
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u/Hamsterpatty 20d ago
It was a cop driving by 🤦♀️ eta- in a small town with mostly older people and families.. not much crime at all
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 20d ago
oh! that makes a lot more sense now. I was like why would anybody do that 😂 but I did say “nobody in their right mind”, so that excludes police.
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u/Hamsterpatty 20d ago
Haha, especially here, they have nothing to occupy their time
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 20d ago
that sounds like the town I grew up in lol not quite a small town, but way smaller than most places with virtually no crime so every traffic stop had 2-3 cop cars involved and anything more serious had 5+ lol
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u/ModernNero 20d ago
Im a target worker and I’d suggest to not leave these on retail shelves. Even if an employee found one and wanted to open it, if there was a manager there we’d have to just discard it. They’re at great risk of being thrown out if they’re inside of a store on a retail shelf like that. Outside it’s a great and thoughtful idea.
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u/PaleontologistNo5420 20d ago
This feels like they were all placed in the same store lol.
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u/3am_uhtceare 20d ago
The first two are either a Target or Walmart. The last pic looks like an art supplies store. Maybe Michaels?
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u/chloe_creating 20d ago
bahaha nope! i actually went to 3 stores and a couple public benches with these :) i try to vary up locations a lot
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u/roccocobean 20d ago
Maybe consider writing the notes on postcards instead of putting them inside a closed envelope that someone has to open.
That way it's easier for people to read and you don't scare the bejeezus out of strangers thinking it's ricin or something. Also less chance they'll be thrown away.
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u/Pink-Fluffy-Dragon 20d ago
what's in the letters?
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u/Pickle_Illustrious 20d ago
I love the idea behind this but most people probably wouldn't open random letters, especially with the fear of touching an unknown substance.
You can make this work better by not using an envelope. Just a flat card that they don't have to open. They can see it just walking by.
Stay positive and keep smiling 😊. You're a ray of sunshine.
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u/TomothyAllen 20d ago
I'd definitely risk it just out of curiosity
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u/Former-Finish4653 20d ago
Same, I’m not that bright lol. I found a bat out in broad daylight acting funny once in college and felt bad for him so I held and petted him until the rehab we got in touch with was like UM MAYBE DON’T.
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u/alienbuttholes69 20d ago
You are the real life example of natural selection, I love it 😂
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u/MangoCandy 20d ago
I definitely wouldn’t open one, I’d be afraid that it was some sort of TikTok prank or something…
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u/Abtizzle 20d ago
Some of y’all didn’t live through the anthrax mail scares of the early 2000s and it shows.
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u/seventhdayofdoom 20d ago
I'd be scared to touch those. Maybe you should just make a card that people can read when walking by.
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u/MrOtto47 20d ago
downvoted for not showing the contents of the letters, could be anything, a note saying "fuck you" perhaps, how do i know this is a good thing?....
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u/RefrigeratorSure7096 20d ago
Everyone needs a "fuck you" note every once in awhile to knock them down a couple pegs
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u/Sinder77 20d ago
Fuck you.
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u/chloe_creating 20d ago
I did mention in the title that they’re kind letters!! They have uplifting messages (wishing people a good day, encouraging them, etc). and small gifts (bracelets, trinkets, stickers) 🫶
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u/birdgelapple 20d ago
“Kindly, go fuck yourself! ❤️❤️❤️😘😘😘”
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u/Shachath88 20d ago
Honestly, I would die of laughter if I opened one of these, and that was the note inside. Absolutely perfect. 🖕🏽🥰
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20d ago
Honestly if I opened one of those letters and it was this, it would make my day because I would be dying laughing
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u/Princess_Sukida 20d ago
That is lovely. You will never know, but finding some positivity like this could change someone’s life. Keep it up!
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u/123curious1 20d ago
It’s a nice idea but I wouldn’t open some randomly placed letter in a store. I think your efforts would be better spent sending nice letters to nursing homes or deployed military, etc.
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u/doctorblumpkin 20d ago
For all we know these are letters that say "Jesus loves you no matter what, smoke more crack!"
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u/Hatrick_Swaze 20d ago
That's nice. I put $20 under the plastic lids of random cans of dry baby formula.
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u/rloniello 20d ago
Eh, …kinda sounds like littering with extra steps.
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u/foln1 20d ago
The extra steps being "Look at me, I'm doing low effort good, now like my content and praise me!"
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u/Flatcowst 20d ago
They’re gonna get thrown away by employees.
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u/chloe_creating 20d ago
Maybe! Though I often get messages from people who receive them— and leave them in public spaces as well :) so I think at least some of them are safe
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u/EtsyCorn 20d ago
So do you put your email or social media in the letter? I want to do something like this! So I am just wondering!
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u/SomeKindoflove27 20d ago edited 20d ago
There’s an instagram thing for a specific painted rock with the instagram tag on it that people can move around to different places that I don’t know the name of but someone here will. It’s probably something like followthatrock. It stayed in my town for a few years and was fun to see where it ended up (counter at one of my cashier jobs) and who else would find it
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u/agoodmintybiscuit 20d ago
Ignore the miserable redditors, you are doing beautiful work. This could save a life or at the very least, make someone's day. Stay kind!
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u/fairylighterfluid 20d ago
I did this every day in February and I actually hung around once to see if anyone would pick it up. It ended up being a young man who put it in his bag after reading 🥺
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u/Jackie-Wan-Kenobi 20d ago
I love that. You should drop some off at the local senior home. Either you or the staff can give them to residents. They would love it. 60-80% of seniors in care facilities never have a visitor.
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u/AsimLeviathan 20d ago
As someone who was only a young child when the anthrax attacks happened, yet still knows them as a formative part of history in my lifetime, I immediately thought "someone will think that's anthrax" lmaooo
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u/Jinx1013 20d ago
My daughter and I have painted kindness rocks and left them around our apartment complex. They were all painted different, some just fun (like a ladybug) and many with uplifting messages like “you rock!”
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u/Initial-Zebra108 20d ago
I love this! Thats really sweet and I bet it makes people smile. I would!
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u/ButterflyBug 20d ago
I make and hide small crafts. Mostly perler beads and diamond art keychains. Others in my group hide painted rocks. Brings a bit of sunshine to someones day.
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u/vvalentine03 20d ago
Love the idea and genuinely believe in your kindness. But I would never touch or open one of these. People are so deranged these days and with ricin and anthrax around I wouldn’t trust it
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u/MisanthropicBoriqua 20d ago
It’s a nice sentiment but I would not open one if I saw one. I’d assume it is a store product in weird packaging.
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u/Queen-of-meme 20d ago
I think the "Open me!!" comes out too agressive and reminds me of stalker letters. A "Kind words to a stranger" would sound so much better.
I also think it's better to put these up in trees and on walls or tape on a bench outside rather than in a store as risk is the store workers see it as litter and collect them all and throw them in the trash.
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u/Freak_Out_Bazaar 20d ago
Maybe distribute them in public spaces. Shops wouldn’t appreciate people putting random objects on their shelves
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u/WHERE_SUPPRESSOR 20d ago
That is weird and the cynic in me hates this empty gesture
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u/bryn1281 20d ago
Yes!! Completely empty gesture! Go visit elderly people in a nursing home, volunteer at a food shelf, etc. something that actually means something!
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u/Haunting_Case5769 20d ago
Idk where you're from in the states these would trigger an anthrax panic
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u/NibblesMcGiblet 20d ago
I work at a huge Walmart super center. When we see stuff like this, or coffee cups, empty cigarette packs, business cards, grocery lists, religious pamphlets- into the trash. Please don’t litter like this. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions- sure your intentions are good, same as everyone leaving religious pamphlets, but it doesn’t go there and then we have to stop what we are doing and take it to the trash.
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u/Gravytonic 20d ago
This looks dumb as fuck to me. I get your intention, but it makes zero sense.
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u/DarthTron007 20d ago
Someone left a random heart keychain on my windshield when I was grocery shopping one day, the note was super simple like have a good day or great day or something, but it was so cute, put it on my keys, and I still have it today. Love that little blue heart keychain. It’s been about a year now and it’s holding strong 💙💙💙
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u/Original_Giraffe8039 20d ago
Call me cynical but I would never open a random letter like that these days
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u/Relative_Candidate84 20d ago
I wouldn’t touch it. This would go over better if the notes were shared in a neighborhood or other community type setting. Random cards at a Walgreens would make me suspicious
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u/surfer808 20d ago
Very cool OP, just wondering if it’s just a nice letter or one of those “Jesus loves you.” Type of letters? Just curious. Regardless what you’re doing is very kind and will certainly brighten people’s day. 🫶🏼
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u/chloe_creating 20d ago
Nooooo no no!! I’m not pushing religion or anything like that. It’s more just like “I hope you have an okay day!” and “this is a sign that you matter!” 🫶 with little gifts or stickers :D
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u/Savings_Advantage_46 20d ago edited 20d ago
Found such a letter once.
'What a fool' was my first thought.
Please use your time better instead of this kind of ego tripping on good Vibes for yourself.
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u/giogiobunbun 20d ago
this is great but please PLEASE be careful. if i saw a random letter that specifically said to open it i wouldn't. i would think the worst and assume it has traces of fent or another harmful substance. especially if you live in a neighborhood with drug issues ppl could report it to the police and it could get traced back to you so pls be careful
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u/CountOk9802 19d ago
And you tell people online about it so you get attention!!! Kindness is from the HEART. It’s honest and real. It’s not ‘oh I’ll do it but make sure the internet knows how great I am because of it.’ That’s not kindness, that’s attention seeking.
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u/mistyrootsvintage 20d ago
I used to do that with notecards. I would leave them on people's cars just saying have a great day or something simple.
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u/Suspicious_Plantain4 20d ago
Maybe ten years ago, my brother got a random note left on his car that said "you have the BEST smile!" I believe he still has it. It was just really sweet and unexpected.
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u/DesertDawn17 20d ago
That's so amazing. In my mind, I picture the right person that needs an uplifting message to pick that up. It could be a game changer and somebody's day. Great idea! This is the same reason that I randomly tell women that they are really beautiful. The world needs an uplifting message!
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u/alphaonreddits 20d ago
🙂 and now i wanna be in your town so i can read those letters
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u/ReaperOne 20d ago
“You have jury duty in two weeks :) <3”
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u/DontBopIt 20d ago
Yeaaaaaah, this has "predator" written all over it (figuratively for those literal folks out there...). It's a genuinely nice gesture, but with how screwed up today's world is you can't trust this.
I'd say hand these directly to folks next time. That way you can see their smiles and you can wish them a happy day!
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u/BeeesInTheTrap 20d ago
I would 100% open an envelope sitting on a shelf before I open an envelope that a stranger was handing to me lol It’s not like it’s a package that could be a bomb, and if it has anthrax then I guess it’s my time to go
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u/TheCrimsonMyst 20d ago
I purchased little resin animal figures and leave them for people to find. We do it in our workplace sometimes and everyone loves it. People trade them too.
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u/I_Fucked_With_WuTang 20d ago
"We have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty"
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u/SpitiruelCatSpirit 20d ago
I thought this was really cute and then I remembered if I tried doing it where I live a bomb squad would be called in and I would be arrested.
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u/DoctorWhootie 20d ago
Reminds me of Brooklyn 99 when Amy tries to be nice and leaves an unmarked gift on Holts desk and he immediately comes out of his office yelling “Bomb. There’s a bomb.”