We all know that social media has its pitfalls. In fact, the U.S. surgeon general even wants to put a warning label on social media apps to alert us to the health danger it poses, especially to young people.
However, social media has also connected people around the world in a way that humanity has never seen before. That can be both good and bad, but when it’s good, it can delight and inspire people around the globe.
That’s where an Icelandic puffin sweater comes in.
Celia Robbins shared a post on X explaining that her 14-year-old daughter had asked her if she ever has any regrets.
“While I know she was asking this question on a philosophical level, my mind immediately went to this puffin sweater I saw in Iceland,” she wrote. “It’s been 3 years since I saw it in a shop there, & I still regret not buying it.”
Three years may seem like a long time to be pining for a sweater, but non-buyer’s remorse is a real thing, especially when you can’t just hop online and order something. Robbins really loves puffins, but the sweater was too expensive for her buy at the time, and when she went back to Iceland in 2022, she couldn’t find it again.
Fortunately—but unexpectedly—a random stranger who lives 4,000 miles away had the exact opposite regret about exactly the same sweater.
My regret is that I bought this exact sweater for my wife two years ago. She has worn it zero times. I’m in NYC. Cover shipping and it’s yours.
— Dave Wiskus (@dwiskus) June 3, 2024
David Wiskus, who is the CEO of Nebula and lives in New York, shared that his regret was that he bought that puffin sweater for his wife two years ago on a trip to Iceland.
“She has worn it zero times,” he wrote. “I’m in NYC. Cover shipping and it’s yours.”
Robbins was incredulous, but Wiskus was serious. “I would never joke about a puffin sweater,” he wrote.
The people of X became invested in the puffin sweater exchange. What are the chances, after all?
But sure enough, 10 days after Robbins posted the photo of the sweater she wished she’d bought, it arrived at her home in Berlin, Germany. Wiskus even covered the shipping and expedited it, despite Robbins offering to pay for it.
And wouldn’t you know, it fits her perfectly.
People are amazing!
Just 10 days ago, I shared a thought about one of my regrets in life. Of course, not buying a sweater sounds like a minor regret, but SO MANY could relate!
And then @dwiskus made my wish a reality. This sweater made it from NYC to Berlin in record time! 🐧 https://t.co/cWArXbQnxu pic.twitter.com/hgf0yl9tgC
— Celia (@CeliaBedelia) June 12, 2024
Robbins told TODAY.com she almost started crying when she received the package.
“I don’t know how else to explain it, but it’s like a tiny little moment where the universe cared about me,” she said. “I’m living in a new country. We’ve only been in Berlin for like 11 months, and sometimes life is really hard. I don’t speak German. I thankfully have a job where I get to speak English, but this was just the universe being like, ‘Hey, I care about you and what you want.’”
Wiskus told TODAY.com that he was on a work trip to Amsterdam when he happened to come across Robbins’ tweet and immediately recognized the sweater. It still had the tags on it in his wife’s closet.
“I was sincere. I would happily get rid of that sweater,” he said. “I didn’t realize so many people on the internet would be that excited about it.”
“I can’t stress enough, I really thought this was just, like, doing a funny bit with a random stranger on (X) and it’s just turned into this other thing,” he added. “But the sincerity of it is what I find so charming.”
How does his wife feel about him giving away her sweater? She’s okay with it, he said, but she did tell him, “you’re going to have to take me to Iceland so I can get another sweater.”
People have loved the story on Upworthy’s Instagram page, celebrating the internet being utilized for something so wholesome and magical:
“This is ABSOLUTELY what the internet is for. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“This is what I had hoped the internet and social media would partly be, connecting people around the world in really zany but loving ways. Keeping hope alive.”
“Stories like these keep me coming back to the internet 😍👏🐧”
“This is the best damn use of the internet—more like this story!”
Who knew it a puffin sweater would bring people together to gush over the positive side of social media.