Woman bought a random shampoo after checking it on Google — one pump in the shower brought back something she’d searched years to find
Some memories don't need photographs or old belongings to resurface. Sometimes, all it takes is a familiar scent. A woman who goes by @thickskulltizzy on Threads shared one such tear-jerking instance in a post on Friday, October 30, 2026. She was shopping for groceries at a supermarket and needed shampoo. She picked one at random, checked whether it would work for her hair, and eventually purchased it. Later, when she stepped into the shower, the second she pumped it, she bawled her eyes out. What she assumed was another everyday product actually had a special connection to her.
The woman mentioned that she purchased the shampoo without much thought. She picked it by chance, and when Google suggested it was safe to use, she considered trying it. However, when she pumped it, the fragrance hit her like a thousand bricks. “It’s the shampoo my mom always used in her salon,” she recalled. She later shared that after her parent passed away, she tried her best to find the same product because it was nostalgic and reminded her of her mother. However, because she didn’t know the name or any other details, even after searching, she couldn’t find it. “It’s the most memorable, most lovely smell, and I can’t believe I just randomly grabbed it off the shelf,” she remarked.
The shopper noted that this felt like it was more than a coincidence. She dreamed of her mom the previous night, and to get her hands on the one thing that reminded her of her mother felt like a clear sign. “She did that on purpose to let me know she’s here,” the woman said. She even shared a picture of her mother holding her as a baby, and mentioned how, despite being a single mom of two, she was generous and had the most contagious laugh. The loss of a loved one can leave us looking for them in the most unexpected places. The bereaved may find comfort in random items, practices, and other elements just to find a reminder of what life was like before they lost someone. In a similar instance, a barista’s recurring error became comfort for a grieving daughter.
The day her dad passed away, she stopped for a coffee and ordered a small. She always ordered the latter since it was all she could finish. Instead, the barista gave her a venti (large). It instantly took her back to how her dad used to order that size. It made her feel like he was looking after her even though he was no longer physically present. What felt like a one-time error soon became an intentional occurrence.
A year after her dad’s passing, at a completely different outlet, when she ordered a small, the barista again gave her a large. At the hospital where her dad died, they repeated the error. What could have been a reason for customers to lash out became a path to healing. They “unknowingly have played a hand in helping me keep this running joke with my dad, even in his absence.”
You can follow @thickskulltizzy on Threads for more stories.