Hannah Riley
There are a ton of bad secrets to keep. You know: lying, cheating, stealing, cutting people’s brakes– all the standard offenses also known as “crimes”. There’s also wholesome secrets which include things like: paying it forward to someone who needs it, reminding everyone to come to a friend’s party so they’re not embarrassed when no one shows up, or even just slipping a $5 bill into someone’s pocket so they have a better day.
People on Reddit shared all their most wholesome secrets they were currently keeping and the results were pretty sweet.
1. A sweet gift for your Aunt.
I secretly drop pennies. For many years, my Uncle used to bend down and pick up every penny he came across, which was maddening to my Aunt who was worried the neighbors would see him and assume they were poor, needing every penny the could find. They used to tease each other about it.
My Uncle got cancer and passed away after a very long struggle. After the funeral we were walking to the car and my Aunt saw a penny, and said, “Oh John is thinking of me. He left this penny for me today.” So whenever I am around my Aunt, I purposely drop pennies on the ground for her to find. I haven’t been caught yet, and I hope I never do. -Redheadbanshee
2. That’s a major sacrifice.
Without revealing too much information, my previous job had a major perk: a lottery system in which the winners got to accompany a group to various locations in the world for a hybrid vacation/work trip.
I won the lottery one year and was selected to go to Istanbul.
I heard a coworker talking to her spouse on the phone about how bummed she was she did not get it (she was selected as my backup, but did not know who she was backing up). She had hoped to visit a long lost family member. She is a quiet, sweet, helpful person. Very behind the scenes, rather underappreciated.
I gave up my spot due to a “prior commitment”. She got to go instead. I had a great time looking at her pictures. -SchleppyJ4
3. Grandpas rock sometimes.
Not about me, but it’s a secret that nobody knows except me. My dad walked out on me when I was 14, but he kept in touch with my older brother. He bought my older brother a car, a $3,000 DSLR camera (when they were a new thing), took him on trips, etc. He hasn’t said a word to me since I was 14, though.
Anyway, when I turned 16 my grandfather went out and bought me a car. He’d have me over a couple weekends every month to help him around the house, help work on the boats with him, etc. At the time I thought he just needed help. I thought my problems with my dad were my fault for misbehaving for something, and that nobody in my family knew about them except me and my mom. The older I get, the more I realize my mom must have gone to him over the way my father was treating me, and he stepped in to help raise me. He was the best man I ever knew. -former redditor
4. Sometimes you have to leave some cash.
A friend of mine has problems with paying his bills. His parents don’t support him that much and he can’t get a good student loan because of stupid regulations. He often containers food at a local super market and then invites me to dinner and to hang out. He is about to get his bachelor degree, and has to be in lab almost all day, thus he cannot work more than a few hours a week. I sometimes leave behind 5-20€ randomly lying around in his room to support him. He wouldn’t take the money if I gave it to him directly. -Helmsguard
5. A surprise trip is incredible.
I’m taking my science geek housemate to Switzerland to go to CERN at the weekend.
I’ve tricked him into taking Friday and Monday off work, stolen his passport, slowly been stealing his clothes from him when he’s hung them up to dry.
I’m an expert packer so I’ve fit all we need for the weekend in one backpack so it won’t look unusual when we leave for our ‘day out at the beach’ on Friday.
He was practically my nurse when I was sick, so I owe him. I LOVE surprises.
Additionally, I made him a card that said thank you for all the things he did for me when I was sick. At the end of the card it says ‘Do you want the good news or bad news first?’. He asked for the bad news and I told him unfortunately we weren’t going to make it to the beach today. The good news was that we were going on an adventure instead.
We got through with plenty of time. I sat my housemate down to an airport breakfast and thats when I spelled it out. After that, I broke it to him that there was no family event on Monday and that they knew I was taking him away somewhere.
Then I told him not to expect to be coming home until Monday evening and not to worry because I’d sorted travel money, someone is moving into our house this evening to look after the cat, and that I had been gradually stealing his clothes for weeks so had all he needed. (‘Thats where my socks have been going!’)
After I’d finished explaining my trickery I got him to finally look at his boarding pass. He got excited about going to Geneva but he didn’t realise why we were going there. So I said ‘You know how I was asking you what CERN was the other day? Well I actually already knew all about it. Do you want to go there? Good because I’ve booked us a tour.’ That was when he really lit up. -online-version
6. This is so sweet!
Me and my friends once bought a valentine for a boy who wasn’t very popular in our class. We didn’t put our names on it, but he was so happy to have received one, he kept turning it over and over in his hands all day. -ranamefana
7. Now I’m wondering which adults did this to me.
When I was a kid I used to always twist the quarter machines on the way into stores just in case. Got lucky a couple of times and a few free toys. Now that I’m grown if I’m leaving a store with them I like to drop change into them if I have it and leave them half twisted. -spconnol
8. It’s so hard to make a cat like someone.
I’ve had my cat for 18 years. I’ve had my husband for 3 years. He always wanted a cat and never had one.
Their love is strong and true, but obviously the cat is slightly more attached to/familiar with me.
My husband loves that cat so much, and gets a little bit of a thrill out of the idea that the cat loves us equally even though I had a 15 year head start.
What my husband doesn’t know is that I sometimes intentionally annoy the cat so that he will go snuggle with my husband instead, because it is so damn cute how giddy my husband gets about it.-MaidMilk
9. Oui. Very sweet.
I’m learning French, but I’m trying to keep it a secret from my French speaking dad so I can surprise him. -ix_Omega
10. Surprise tickets!
I’m about to have “the talk” with my girlfriend’s dad before I propose. He’s a huge hockey fan, so I bought two tickets to the blackhawks’ first playoff game. He’s only had daughters so he’s never had the bonding dude experience of a few beers and live sports. Screw a casual get together, we’re going big.
I’m so excited to just show up at the house and be like “GET UP, GET YOUR GEAR AND LET’S GO I HAVE TICKETS”.
Anyway, I tell him how glad I am we can be at the game, how fun it is. Then i just come out and say it. “So I was trying to think of a cool way to bring this up. “I’d like to marry [gf], and i’d like your blessing.”
He’s surprised by the bluntness, but immediately gets a huge smile on his face. He says “Ultimately it’s up to her – but there are only a few things I ask of guys that want to marry my daughters. Love her, respect her wishes, and always let her be who she is. When I think about that, when I think of the kind of guy that would be the father of her children, of my grandchildren, someone who would be supportive and loving, i can’t think of a better guy for her.” (sidenote: Aww, he never gets mushy)
I’m picking up the ring next week. -flyingpenguin36
11. Nice little rent surprise.
My Aunt was gonna be short for her rent. I paid the landlord and told him to say that she paid it earlier in the month. She was so happy about it. Made steaks for supper and paid extra on other bills so she’d be ahead of them. -Canadian_Ireland
12. One for me, one for you.
Every year for my mums birthday when we go on a night out, I give people money to buy two shots. One for them, one for my mum. I just ask them to go over and wish her a happy birthday and give her the shot. It’s great watching her talk about it to everyone that will listen, how so many people knew it was her birthday and she got all these free drinks, how special she felt. Its worth the money just to see her face light up and get that sparkle back in her eyes. -Freaschky
13. Incredibly generous.
I work at a grocery store and a woman and her little girl went through with a cart full of groceries. It was the first week of the month and she was using her EBT card. For some reason is was declined and she started crying. She thanked us for trying it a few times and she didn’t understand why it wasn’t working. It was pay day and I didn’t make a whole lot as I was only a part time worker. However I went over to the bank in the store and cashed my check. I went to our customer service desk where she was on the phone with the bank and gave it over quietly.
My coworker paid for the rest and we didn’t make it a big deal. She wasn’t paying attention and was just handed the receipt and told to go home and enjoy the day we took care of it. She cried harder and thanked everyone and asked for a manager and was telling her little girl that this was a miracle. We had to tell her to not get a manager because where I work giving money during your shift is grounds for suspension. I will always remember her gratitude. -giggs401
14. It’s the little things.
I’m taking my daughters to McDonalds and the movies after school today.
They have no idea.
They think we’re going home to do spring cleaning (which I already did).
I can hardly contain myself, I’m so excited. -coffee_in_bed
15. This is so thoughtful.
I’m probably late so this’ll get buried, but when I’m in the car with my military-hardened dad, he will occasionally go on long rants about how much he loves, respects, and appreciates my mom for everything she does, and he’ll start saying these things completely unprompted and out of the blue, and my mom has no idea.
I’ve started recording these with my phone without him knowing, and plan to throw them all together into one big file and play it for them on one of their anniversaries.
Edit: “Rant” was the wrong term. He’s calm about it. It’ll be the two of us in his car and out of the blue he’ll start talking about how much he loves her and can’t believe how much she does to take care of us all. Its always about 3-5 minutes of just him talking about her to me. -Fuggin_Phil
16. A great birthday gift!
My dad is a car enthusiast, and has always said that he’d like to go to Cuba to see the old cars. He’s supported me and sacrificed so I could go to a good school, and allowed me to live at home during college. I graduate in May and have a job lined up and little debt. He turns 60 in October, and I’m planning on sending him and mom to Cuba for vacation. -CWalston108
17. So generous!
My almost 16 year old thinks he’s saving for a car. He’s actually saved about $11,000.
He doesn’t know I’m going to buy him a car and he can use that money for something else. -Stabfacenotback
18. It’s so nice finding a 20!
When I can afford to, I tuck extra $20’s in my parents’ and boyfriend’s wallets, so they think they forgot they had extra money. They’ve done so much for me, including covering my bills when I wasn’t able to, and none of them will let me pay them back, so it’s my way of secretly thanking them for their help and support. -former redditor
19. Who doesn’t beam at pizza?
When my girlfriend and her kid come to visit, I don’t order pizza because I’m feeling lazy. I order pizza because it makes the kid super happy. I always make sure to get extra pineapples, because that’s the kid’s favorite, even though her mom and I don’t really care for them that much.
It’s worth eating pizza that is mediocre to see a 4-year-old beaming because she gets pizza. -redicallyhip
20. They’re lucky to have savings like this!
My kids have bank accounts into which I deposit their Christmas and birthday money. Sometimes their mom and I will agree to use some of that money to buy things for them, but I actually pay for it out of my own money and let their savings build up.-JournalofFailure
