A heartwarming moment unfolded recently when an elderly New York man handed out flyers inviting strangers to meet up and “smoke a cigarette.” The real twist? A huge crowd actually showed up for the unusual gathering, and the wholesome turnout is now warming hearts online.
Since it was shared to the r/MadeMeSmile sub-Reddit by user Matt_LawDT earlier this week, the post has accrued over 238,000 upvotes and 3,000 comments, which means that it’s genuinely struck a chord with the local community within the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. The post includes four images, each capturing a heartwarming display of community.
The first image shows the flyer the man handed out to locals. It features a photo of him wearing a black blazer and blue shirt while holding a cigarette. The flyer also lists the details of the unusual meet-up, scheduled for Friday, November 21, from 2:00 to 2:05 p.m., with the location set for Waverly Place in Lower Manhattan. There’s even a QR code that people can scan if they would like a free cigarette, though they obviously need to be over 21 years old and also RSVP to the “event.”
The remaining three images show a huge crowd of approximately around two hundred people all gathered in the street, and many are holding cigarettes and smoking. It’s clear that the unusual invitation has resonated with locals.
As the viral post continues to gain momentum, the reactions have been overwhelmingly heartwarming. One of the most up-voted comments read, “Reminds me of the guy who invited people to watch him eat a whole rotisserie chicken in a Walmart parking lot.” while another added, “Or the guy who invited people in NY to watch him eat an entire container of cheeseballs.”
A third reflected on a similar experience they had in the past with another elderly gentleman, penning, “I ran into an elderly dude while hanging out at a park drinking gin and smoking my pipe. We smoked a bowl of pipe tobacco together and I shared some of my booze. Dude was rad as [expletive], he was just talking about his grandkid who got into university on a full ride scholarship for engineering. Seemed as proud as a grandparent could be. It takes a while to smoke a pipe so we hung out for like an hour. He was wearing a full tweed suit in summertime because, as he said, sometimes looking good takes a bit of sweat. Felt sad when it ended, hope you’re doing alright Jim cause I’ll never forget you.”
An ex-smoker also chimed in with, “Still glad I quit. It’ll be 2 yrs in 2 months.” while an alleged doctor added, “As a doctor, I HATE seeing this. As a human being, I LOVE seeing this.”
While the moment may seem small, it highlights the power of community and how coming together can bring a little sunshine into the life of one elderly New Yorker.
