101 Short Stories that Will Leave You Smiling, Crying and Thinking

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Since its inception eighteen months ago, our sister site Makes Me Think (MMT) ha
s truly evolved into a remarkable online community. Every day, users share thei
r thought-provoking life stories and vote on stories that other users have share
d. Some are happy, some are sad, and others twist your emotions, pulling them i
n several directions at once.
As stated on the MMT About page, sometimes the most random everyday encounters f
orce us to stop and rethink the truths and perceptions we have ingrained in our
minds. These encounters are educationally priceless. They spawn moments of dee
p thought and self-reflection that challenge the status quo and help us evolve a
s sensible individuals.
I believe the 101 stories listed below perfectly fulfill that description. Of t
he thousands of stories that have been submitted to MMT in the last eighteen mon
ths, these are my personal favorites.
What do you think?
Today, after a 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the gr
ocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I didn t recognize
her. She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and sa
id, On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center. MMT
Today, at the age of 70, my grandfather graduated from college with a bachelor s d
egree in business studies. He s been a successful business owner most of his life
, but he told me he earned his degree to fulfill a promise he made to his mother
before she lost her battle with cancer 50 years ago. MMT
Today, my mom is a healthy 54 year old who successfully owns and operates a popu
lar bakery downtown a goal she had all her life. 15 years ago she was diagnosed
with cancer. In the face of death, she quit her store clerk job, opened the ba
kery, started chemo therapy, and succeeded on all fronts. MMT
Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the ro
ad holding him and crying. And just before he died, he licked the tears off my
face. MMT
Today, as a young up and coming lawyer, everyone in the firm was congratulating me
for winning my first big case this morning. And all day long all I could think
about is how I used a technicality in the law to help a murderer walk away a fr
ee man. MMT
Today, on our 50th wedding anniversary, she smiled at me and said, I only wish I
had met you sooner. MMT
Today, after 2 years of separation, my ex-wife and I resolved our differences an
d met for dinner. We laughed and chatted for almost 4 hours. Then just before
she left, she handed me a large envelope. In it were 20 love letters she wrote
me over the last 2 years. There was a post-it note on the envelope that said, Le
tters I was too stubborn to send. MMT
Today, when I slipped on the wet tile floor a boy in a wheelchair caught me befo
re I slammed my head on the ground. He said, Believe it or not, that s almost exac
tly how I injured my back 3 years ago. MMT
Today, someone else s tragedy provided the miracle my family had prayed for. Than
ks to this stranger, my dad will have a heart. It s so odd to think that an accid
ental death just saved his life. MMT
Today marks the ten year anniversary of the day when I slapped him and screamed
at him remorselessly for not letting me in the bathroom after we ate breakfast.
That moment also marks the positive turning point in my battle with Bulimia. I
think he saved my life that day. MMT
Today at 7AM I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went in
to work. At 3PM I got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I w
ent into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too. A man in a BMW pulled over,
gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job. I start tomorrow. MM
T
Today, I was working in a coffee shop when 2 gay men walked in holding hands. A
s you might expect, heads started turning. Then a young girl at the table next
to me asked her mom why 2 men were holding hands. Her mom replied, Because they
love each other. MMT
Today, after the funeral, I went back to my parent s empty house the house I grew
up in. As I gazed around in awe of all the great memories we made in it, I noti
ced an old photo of my parent s in their 20 s sitting on the coffee table. In my fa
ther s handwriting, across the back was written, In this moment, we were infinite. M
MT
Today, as I walked away from the airport gate alone with my head held high and e
yes beet red from crying, I knew at that moment what it meant to be a military w
ife. MMT
Today, a lady walked up to me in the gym and asked me to give her some workout p
ointers. She said, You look incredible! Watching you gradually tone-up and prog
ress in here has become my primary inspiration to get in shape. It made me smile
because I ve struggled with my weight since I was 15. MMT
Today, my grandpa died. As I was crying and telling my grandma how sorry I was,
she said, Let s stop being so sad and instead celebrate the 80 wonderful years he
was alive 60 of which he spent with me. MMT
Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother s hosp
ital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply
said, I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more
often. MMT
Today, my richest friend growing up filed for bankruptcy and one of my poorest f
riends growing up purchased his second vacation home. MMT
Today, I pulled into a small gas station in the middle of the desert in New Mexi
co and realized I had left my wallet at my girlfriends house 5 hours away. I ha
d no money and barely enough gas to make it another mile down the road. The onl
y other person that stopped for gas was a burly looking trucker. I was a bit re
luctant, but I asked him for some spare change for gas. Instead he filled my ta
nk and said, Someone did this for me a few years ago. MMT
Today, I was all dressed up and waiting on my blind date to arrive. He never sh
owed up. It made me feel ugly. I thought he may have seen me from a distance a
nd bailed. Then as I left the restaurant alone, I heard a little girl ask her m
om if I was a princess. It made me smile and it MMT.
Today, while I was driving my grandfather to his doctor s appointment, I complaine
d about hitting 2 red lights in a row. My grandfather chuckled and said, You alw
ays complain about the red lights, but you never celebrate the green ones. MMT
Today in downtown San Diego, I watched a blue collar Mexican man get harassed fo
r being Mexican. It was a blatant act of discrimination. And the man actually
began crying. As he left the office building, he took off his jacket. His t-shi
rt underneath read, I love the USA! MMT
Today, at a jazz club in San Francisco I saw a man and woman enjoying a drink to
gether. The woman was a dwarf and the man must have been 6 feet tall. Later in
the evening they went out onto the dance floor. The man got down on his knees
so they could slow dance together. They danced the rest of the night. MMT
Today, I was the maid of honor in her wedding. Four years ago she was declared
cancer free. Eight years ago, during our senior year of college, she was diagno
sed with breast cancer and told she had eighteen months to live. MMT
Today, I received a gigantic gift bag from one of my friends. She said she appr
eciated me being there for her, and that I am one of her best friends. She is m
entally and physically handicapped, and I merely see her for half an hour once p
er week. MMT
Today, my close friend died unexpectedly in a car accident. A cab driver saw me
crying outside the hospital all alone at 3AM. He stopped, helped me into the c
ab, drove me to my house 30 miles away and refused to let me pay him. MMT
Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed
. About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given
him a kiss since I was a little boy. MMT
Today I met a 90 year old woman at Kinko s who was getting her passport photo take
n so she could go on a Safari in Africa next month for her 91st birthday. MMT
Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling.
I chuckled and asked, Why? She replied, So you can help me save the planet. I chuc
kled again and asked, And why do you want to save the planet? Because that s where I
keep all my stuff, she said. MMT
Today, I am thankful that my family has acquired enough wealth so that my parent
s can afford to live in their own house and send me and my siblings to college.
But I miss the days when we were younger and were all crammed into a 2 bedroom
apartment and forced to play board games and eat supper together. MMT
Today, my father s mistress saved my mother s life when she ran into our fire-engulf
ed house and pulled my mother out to safety two minutes before the roof collapse
d. MMT
Today, at a funeral reception, everyone had something kind to say about the dece
ased. As they spoke through their tears, many of them admitted that they wish t
hey had told John how wonderful he was before he died. MMT
Today, after watching a violent horror movie, my little brother abruptly asked m
y grandfather how he wants to die. Like the sunset, my grandfather replied. MMT
Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hystericall
y at her 2-year-old daughter s antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop com
plaining about my life and start celebrating it again. MMT
Today, as they teased me and laughed hysterically, I just wished they could see
the world through my eyes. MMT
Today, as I read my brother s suicide note, chills ran down my spine because I was
horrified by the fact that I could relate to everything he wrote. MMT
Today, my son and I were in a car accident. I came out of it with just a cut ov
er my eye, but my son fell into a coma. The doctor said if he doesn t wake up soo
n his chances of a full recovery greatly decreases. An hour ago he opened his e
yes and said a word I thought I d never hear again, Mommy. MMT
Today, I interviewed a woman who is terminally ill. So, I tried to delicately ask
, What is it like to wake up every morning and know that you are dying? Well, she r
esponded, What is it like to wake up every morning and pretend that you are not?
MMT
Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he h
adn t eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Th
en my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first thin
g the man said was, We can share it. MMT
Today, I told my mom that I feel like I m failing with my alcoholism counseling an
d that I want to quit. Then she said my 8 year old brother told her, I really li
ke the new Elliot so much better. MMT
Today, I met an amazing guy at a local diner during the breakfast rush. He was
sincere and handsome. We agreed to meet back at the diner for lunch, but he nev
er showed up. I found out this evening from a mutual friend that he was in a fa
tal car accident on his lunch break two blocks away from the diner. MMT
Today, for two hours I stood next to a 50 something year old, burly biker lookin
g guy at a Lady Gaga concert while he sincerely sang his heart out. MMT
Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my b
roken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me. He helped me all t
he way across campus to my class and as he was leaving he said, I hope you feel b
etter soon. MMT
Today, I lost my mom to cancer. My whole life I wanted to build an empire of we
alth. And now that I m relatively wealthy, all I want is my mom back. MMT
Today, after telling my grandmother that I didn t want to risk making such a huge
mistake, she looked at me and said, Looking back on it all, there are so many mis
takes I wish I had had the courage to make when I was your age. MMT
Today, while everyone else was complaining about the overbooked flight, I smiled
and joked with the gate agent about my willingness to sit in the belly of the p
lane with the luggage. 15 minutes later, the gate agent found me sitting in the
 gate area and hand delivered a first class ticket to me. She winked and said, T
hanks for being so patient. As you know, the coach cabin is full. MMT
Today, the evening news report forgot to mention that I was driving home from wo
rk five miles an hour below the posted speed limit and that he was an intoxicate
d drug addict with suicidal tendencies who deliberately jumped out in front of m
y vehicle. MMT
Today at 3PM my wife checked herself into an alcoholic rehab clinic all by herse
lf after our son showed her bruise marks and belt lash welts on his backside tha
t she couldn t even recall giving him. I don t even know how I feel right now, angr
y at her or proud. My head is spinning, and it all MMT.
Today, I swore to her that if she followed through with it, I d do the same. And
she slowly pointed the gun away from her forehead and toward the floor. Then sh
e handed it to me and cried in my arms for almost three hours. MMT
Today, a 12 year old boy died in a house fire near my neighborhood. After he pu
lled his mom to safety, he ran back into the burning house for his 5-month-old b
aby sister. MMT
Today, my electric wheelchair broke down as I was rushing across campus to take
a midterm exam. Two female joggers noticed I was stuck and asked if I needed as
sistance. When I explained my dilemma, they both pushed me simultaneously all t
he way to my class and got me there just in time. MMT
Today, I was in line at the store behind a man holding a dozen roses. When he g
ot up to the cashier s counter, he realized that the cashier looked sad. The man
smiled and said, I m buying 11 of these roses for my wife. And then he handed the c
ashier the 12th rose. She smiled from ear to ear. MMT
Today, I asked my 6 year old son what he wants to be when he grows up. He said,
Mommy, all I want to be is happy. MMT
Today, as I watched my 75 year old grandmother and grandfather being silly with
each other and laughing in the kitchen, I felt like I got a short glimpse of wha
t true love feels like. I hope I find it someday. MMT
Today, we were supposed to meet in the park. But instead I met her in the hospi
tal s intensive care unit. And as I sat beside her bed and staring at her unconsc
ious body hooked up to all the breathing equipment, I reached into my pocket, pu
lled out the diamond engagement ring, and cried. I m still here waiting and hopin
g. MMT
Today, when I told my 8 year old son that all of our dreams are within reach as
long as we follow our heart and take action, he asked me if it was always my dre
am to be a waitress. MMT
Today, after spending the last year working 60 hours a week in an attempt to giv
e my family a more comfortable life, I forgot about my son s 14th birthday. My so
n told me what the family really needs is more of me at home. MMT
Today, I was diagnosed with a malignant tumor and given 3 to 6 months to live 10
minutes before the hospital realized they mixed up my biopsy results with the p
atient in the next room. MMT
Today, as my son cried in my arms, he said, What nobody realizes is that it s tortu
re. Every day of my life I wish I wasn t gay. MMT
Today, my blind friend explained to me in vivid detail how beautiful his new gir
lfriend is. MMT
Today, my mother passed away after a long battle with cancer. My best friend li
ves 2000 miles away and called to comfort me. While on the phone, he asked, What
would you do if I showed up at your house and gave you the biggest hug in the w
orld? I would surely smile, I replied. And then he rang my doorbell. MMT
Today, the main girl who bullied me in high school came into my office apologizi
ng and pleading for a job. I m still thinking about it. MMT
Today, I was stopped at a traffic light when a mid-aged homeless woman asked me
for change. I usually I don t give out dollars to the homeless because I assume t
hey are going to buy booze. But I saw her 45 minutes later at 7/11 buying bread
and peanut butter. She was so happy to see me. MMT
Today, my sister told me a student of hers turned eight years old on Friday. Wh
en I realized he was born on September 11, 2001, I said, How horrible for his fam
ily. My sister explained that his grandfather worked at the Pentagon and skipped
 work that day upon learning his daughter was in labor. MMT
Today, I was driving to a job interview when I saw a businesswoman standing next
to her BMW on the side of the road. She had a flat tire. I pulled over and he
lped her put on the spare. When I arrived to the interview, the woman who I hel
ped ended up being the CEO of the company. I got the job. MMT
Today at the Atlanta airport, as I walked off a plane dressed in my Army uniform
, a little girl grabbed my hand and asked me if I would be going back overseas s
oon. I told her I would be in 6 weeks. She smiled and said, Can you please tell
my daddy that I love him. My mommy told me he s never coming home from over ther
e. MMT
Today, I waited on an elderly woman at the local restaurant where I work. She l
eft me a $90 tip on a $10 tab with a handwritten note that said, I m 86 and I can t t
ake this money with me. So please spoil yourself with it. MMT
Today, I met an elderly man at a bar in Miami. When I asked him if he was vacat
ioning, he handed me a photo from his wallet and said, Today would be our 50th an
niversary. And although she s been gone 10 years now, this bar still reminds me o
f her smile - when we shared our first laugh here so many moons ago. MMT
Today, another cancer patient of mine cried and begged me to let her die. MMT
Today, my father told me, Just go for it and give it a try! You don t have to be a
professional to build a successful product. Amateurs started Google and Apple.
Professionals built the Titanic. MMT
Today, as soon as my 5-year-old baby brother came into my room, I yelled at him
to get out without even looking up at him. When he didn t listen and I turned aro
und to yell again, I noticed he had a bowl of cherries (my favorite) in his hand
s. He said, Sorry, I just wanted to share these with you. MMT
Today, when I got home from dropping you off at the airport, I sat at our kitche
n table and stared down at my wedding ring and then up at the photo of my dad ha
nging on our refrigerator, and then I cried. I just hope the war doesn t take you
away from me too. MMT
Today, after spending the last 3 years viciously bickering with the college kid
who lives next door, I found myself crying in his arms and thanking him repeated
ly for saving my son s life. MMT
Today at the diner where I work, an elderly couple came in for the 4th time this
week and requested my table. I asked them what kept them coming back. They to
ld me that I reminded them of their granddaughter who passed away 6 years ago.
Then they told me her name. She was my best friend at the time. MMT
Today, my dad told me and my little sister that we might lose our house. I was s
ad, angry, worried and stressed. My 14 yr old sister asked me what s wrong. When
I told her, she said, It s just a house. I don t care where we live, as long as we re
together. MMT
Today, I read countless articles about the slain soldiers at Fort Hood. And it
occurred to me that if these soldiers had been deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq a
nd died there, their deaths wouldn t have made the front page of the newspaper. M
MT
Today, I was walking past a group of homeless men who live near my complex. A c
ab pulled up next to the men and the driver opened up the rear door and pulled o
ut two huge grocery bags full of food. He set them down next to the group of me
n, got in his cab and drove off without saying a word. MMT
Today, for the four hours he was breathing, his father and I loved him for a lif
etime. MMT
Today, as I watched my oldest daughter graduate at the top of her class from Har
vard Medical School, my wife reminded me that we had her when we were only seven
teen. MMT
Today, I stopped to chat with the office janitor like I do every Monday morning
on my way into work. And at the end of our conversation he grinned and said, You
know, you re the only one who ever stops to talk to me around here, and you re the
President and CEO. MMT
Today, exactly twenty years ago to the hour, I risked my life to save a woman wh
o was drowning in the rapids of the Colorado River. And that s how I met my wife
- the love of my life. MMT
Today, I m in Iraq on my third tour of duty fighting for a cause I no longer belie
ve in. And I want to go home. But ever since I caught my wife having an affair
6 months ago, I m not sure I know where home is anymore. MMT
Today, as I stared down blankly at the $750,000 life insurance check, I couldn t h
elp but wish it had been me instead. MMT
Today, my wife checked herself into an alcohol rehab clinic after she glanced up
at me while she was eating her breakfast and asked how I got a black eye and fi
ngernail scratches all over my face. MMT
Today I found out that my high school friend I d been meaning to get in touch with
for the last year died last week. MMT
Today, I asked my mentor a very successful business man in his 70 s what his top 3
tips are for success. He smiled and said, Read something no one else is reading
, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing
. MMT
Today, after spending the last ten years serving liquor to alcoholics all day ev
ery day I looked in the mirror and felt disgusted. I ve concluded that I am, in f
act, a failure, even though all my friends call me a successful business owner.
MMT
Today, as my grandfather (a military doctor, war hero, and successful business o
wner) rested in his hospice bed, I asked him what his greatest life accomplishme
nt was. He turned around, grabbed my grandmother s hand, looked her in the eyes,
and said, Growing old with you. MMT
Today, it s just the six of us. One was raped when she was fourteen. Three come
from abusive households. Two were orphans. Like me, one spent almost two strai
ght years in a psychiatric facility as a kid. But I wouldn t trade a single one o
f them for all the perfect friends in the universe. MMT
Today, I was walking home from work in the pouring rain without an umbrella. I
was walking just behind an elderly man who had an umbrella. As we both passed u
nder the overhang to an apartment building, he stopped, turned around and handed
me the umbrella. He said, This is my stop and you look like you need an umbrell
a. Pass it along someday when the opportunity arises. MMT
Today, my friend told me she didn t mind being legally blind, with only 12% of her
vision. She said, After it rains there s usually a dew left on the grass. And be
cause of the way my eyes refract the light, I see rainbows in the grass. MMT
Today, at a neighborhood BBQ my neighbor s son - a 25 year old Marine dropped to t
he floor and started crying when one of the other guests lit off a round of fire
crackers. MMT
Today, the teenager I scream at almost every day for driving too fast in the nei
ghborhood because it worries me that he s going to run over my kids, ran across th
e street from his driveway to ours and grabbed my son off of his tricycle in the
middle of the street just before a swerving drunk driver ran over my son s tricyc
le and kept going. MMT
Today, I was in an accident that left me with a gash on my forehead. The doctor
s wrapped a bandage around my head and said I have to keep it on all week. I ha
te wearing it. Two minutes ago my little brother walked into my room wearing a
bandage on his head. My mom said he insisted that he didn t want me to feel alone
. MMT
Today, when I tapped the side of my wheelchair and told my husband, You re the only
reason I want to be free from this contraption, he kissed me on my forehead and
said, Honey, I don t even see that thing. MMT
Today, I was jogging in Central Park when this lady started screaming for help.
Her husband was having a heart attack. I ran over and checked his pulse. He d
idn t have one. I gave him CPR and got his heart beating before the paramedics ar
rived. I ve done some bad things in my life, but today I saved a life. MMT
Today, I met a powerful businessman who is worth 100 million dollars. In conver
sation he told me he regretted never making it to his son s hockey games or his da
ughter s dance recitals. It made me smile because my dad is probably only worth a
s much as this man s last paycheck, but he made it to everything. MMT
Today, at the food court in the mall, a beautiful girl about my age came up to m
e and hugged me with tears in her eyes. Once she calmed down, I realized that I
 had pulled her out of a bathtub a month earlier, her wrists covered in slashes.
I am an EMT, and her gesture of appreciation MMT.
Today, my fiancé was in a head-on collision car accident. He is currently in a co
ma. And all I can think about is the argument we had this morning. I screamed
at him for screaming at me. It was a petty argument. But if he could scream no
w, I wouldn t say a word. I d just listen to the sound of his voice. MMT
Today, I have two twin boys in my kindergarten class. I have heard from other p
arents that they come from a very broken home in which their mother is in and ou
t of rehab and their father is always away on business. But their 16 year old s
ister never fails to get them to school on time or pack them a healthy bagged lu
nch with a smiley face on it. MMT
Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I m working on fo
r my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she
said, Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile
. MMT