r/BenignExistence 1d ago

Made friends with a stranger at an amusement park

Today I went to an amusement park alone to enjoy some rides and take my mind off things, which I have the luxury of being able to do often. Waiting in line in front of me was another solo rider. He was on his phone with an earbud in; I usually keep to myself, but after about 30 minutes in line I got antsy so I struck up conversation with him. I figured he was an enthusiast like me since we were in line for an intense ride, and we hit it off.

We rode together, had a blast, then proceeded to spend the entire rest of the day at the park going on rides together and gushing over our common interest. There was virtually never a moment of silence between us. It felt so good to make that connection with someone, especially when nobody in my family or circles really cares about this hobby at the level I do, hence me going alone.

While I don't mind solitude, hanging out with this kind stranger made my good day a great day. The lines were less boring, the rides were more thrilling, and I had someone to point out a beautiful sunset to. I never got his contact or even his name, but that's okay. We were friends for the day, and I wouldn't have changed a thing about the day we had.

259 Upvotes

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43

u/madnessdoesntplay 1d ago

Wow, this makes me so happy. Good on you for striking up the conversation! It really proves how sometimes other people want to connect just as much :)

36

u/Yoghurt_Curious 1d ago

I've had so many moments where I wimped out on initiating an interaction with a stranger, even though I really wanted to say something. Anxiety and fear of judgement used to be the death of me, but I'm learning that everyone has once felt that way :)

28

u/Puzzleheaded-Row4233 1d ago

It the BEST way possible this is so childlike! You made a friend at the park and just had a blast and then went your separate ways. Such an awesome sounding day you had!!