Has a random man ever told you to smile? Have you seen a man say this to another man?

This is actually one of my favorite stories to tell...

So about 4 years ago, I was divorcing my current boyfriend (we were married, divorced, lived separate lives, and got back together). We didn't divorce because anything happened, we just got married really young and it was overwhelming for us. So, we split up even though the love was still there.

I was driving around town after we signed the paperwork, just trying to relax while cruising around, and our fucking song came on. The one we had a massive pillow fight to... the one we played on our favorite road trip... the one he sang karaoke to and made a fool of himself when I was upset with him... the one we named our dog after... it was bad.

The water works just started and I couldn't help it. As I was regaining my composure, some guys pulled up next to me at a red light. One of them rolled down and motioned for me to do the same. I was like "I KNOW this stupid mother fucker is not trying to hit on me at a red light right now" but I rolled down the window anyway.

"Hey there! It's a beautiful day isn't it" It wasn't. It was hot and muggy and about to start raining at any moment.

"Not really" I wasn't in the mood for any bullshit.

"Well, any day you're breathing is a beautiful day. And you're a beautiful person. And whatever you are going through, it'll be ok, just make sure you keep going through it because one day you won't have to force yourself to. So if it is the best you can do, just smile. Smiling is good"

And then they drove off. He was extremely sincere in what he was saying and the fact that he was genuinely trying to make me feel better rather than trying to be creepy or hitting on me made my day better.

I've been told to smile before and my response hasn't been good, but this guy made me smile and made my day a little better. I've told this story to other people and some of them have mentioned he was condescending or rude, but I really didn't interpret it that way.

/r/AskWomen Thread