Some folks tend to get more cynical as they grow older. After all, life often comes with all sorts of pitfalls and unexpected problems that can leave a person feeling like the universe is just out to get them. So it can be helpful to remember that, actually, there are good people out there.
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I bought a dining room table off Facebook marketplace after my ex took ours during the separation. It was a tough season. Went to pick it up and there was no way I was fitting both the table and chairs into my vehicle. I also failed to bring bungee cords. The FB stranger, knowing very little of my situation, immediately loaded up her van with the chairs, helped me secure the table into my car, followed me home (all the way across town, tailing me to make sure the table didn’t fall out on the highway,) and helped me move the new furniture into my dining room.It was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me. I sent her a hand written thank you note and gas money, but there is no way to adequately express the gratitude I have for that person and her kindness.
This was about 10 years ago. I vaguely remember trying hard to hold back tears on the subway one night coming home from work. Someone walked past me and made a quick movement to leave something on the seat next to me – it was a tiny origami crane folded from a paper transfer ticket. That little act instantly changed the trajectory of my evening. I still have the crane in my jewelry box!
I worked as a search and rescue coordinator for a while (US Coast Guard). We’d had a rough case that went late into the night - a kid fell off a boat and we didn’t find him. I’d just come out of the calls with his family to tell them that we were suspending the search and then I had to drive home.It was raining and it was probably around 2 in the morning. About 10 minutes from home, I got a flat tire. The nearest place with any kind of parking lot was this private school - I rolled into the parking lot and started to change my tire. After a few minutes, the security guard came over and started to say “hey man, you can’t be here, this is private property.” I told him that I’d just come off the worst day of my f*****g life and that if he didn’t mind, I’d change my tire and be on my way.He backed off and then came over with an umbrella. He held the umbrella over me for the remainder of the time that it took me to change my tire. We didn’t speak. After I got everything taken care of, I looked in his direction to say thanks, but I was on the verge of tears and struggled to get any words out. As he held the umbrella over me, he said it was okay and that he hoped things would get better. I’m even tearing up a little bit trying to type this all out. I didn’t say anything - I hopped in the car and got home.That meant so much. There’s a little more to the story, but the point is that he didn’t have to do or say any of that. He could have just gone back to his booth and watched me change my tire, but he didn’t. He cared and it made such a significant impact. I’ll never forget it.
I went to Cook Out once in college. I was in a really bad spot because of a horrible TBI, and I had been crying in bed most of the day but finally ventured out that night for some comfort food. My voice must have sounded pretty horrible over the speaker, because as the guy at the window handed me my food, he said, “Hey, it sounds like you’re having kind of a rough day, so I put some extra caramel in your milkshake and extra cheese on your burger. Hope that’s cool.“That was probably twelve years ago and I still think about him because it was just such an unexpected and sweet gesture. If you read this, Cook Out superhero, I’m sorry I started crying again after you said that- that was probably super awkward- but you are a wonderful human and I hope life has rewarded you richly for it.
I had a car that was on its last legs. It was in the shop and I asked the mechanic if the car would make it out of state and back.( only 5 hours to the next state). I explained I had family death to deal with. He gave me the keys to his car. No questions asked. Thank you Jesus 🙏!! I made it there and back. I filled the tank, washed and cleaned the inside of his car, bought floor mats and a thank you card! I always recommend his shop! THANK YOU JOHN, from the bottom of my heart ❤️.
My wife bought something off of FB marketplace and found out the lady selling stuff was a single mom moving out of state and had no help. My wife went over to her house every day for a couple of weeks and helped her pack up her stuff.
When I was 16, I was at an employment provider appointment(they help you look for work if you’re getting unemployment payments in Australia). I was living pretty rough back then, all I wanted was for somebody to give me a chance. Lynda came out to me after the appointment, put $20 in my hand and whispered “please, get yourself something to eat”. It wasn’t a secret that I was in a bad spot, I was clearly malnourished, covered in bruises, and wearing donated clothes. I bought as much food as I could with that money, and cried while I ate it in a parking lot. I’ll never forget her.
Some time ago, I witnessed an act of kindness that left a deep impression on me… I was in a small coffe shop when an elderly lady reached the counter and, upon trying to pay, realized she had forgotten her wallet. She clearly felt uncomfortable and embarrassed, nervously apologizing. Just as the situation started to become awkward, a man who was further back in the line stepped forward, and without saying a word, paid for her coffee. He did it so naturally, as if it were something he did all the time. The lady tried to apologize, but he simply smiled and said, “Don’t worry, we all forget something from time to time. Enjoy your coffee"What impressed me the most was the simplicity with which he acted, without seeking any recognition. It made me think about how the simplest actions, those that seem small, can have a profound impact on someone else’s life.
I was in a coffee shop in denver downtown. There was a homeless guy in bad shape as well in the shop sheltering from a snowstorm. A stranger came in, saw the guy and went back to her car and gave him a package that said “homeless kit” , which I think had some packaged food, blankets, some papers and other things that I couldn’t see. Honestly, it was really cool to know something like that exists, and I genuinely think it helped him in the short term.
My boss and I closed up the restaurant and he stuck around with a homeless guy. Sat down with him and they ate food together.We were the last one’s out, so like 1am. Didn’t say anything about it, just walked over with a bag of food, sat down and ate with him.Something so delicate about the simple stuff that makes us human.
I buy 5 or so Ikea umbrellas and keep them handy when driving around in the rain. Sometimes there’s a perfect opportunity to roll down the window and ask a pedestrian if they’d like an umbrella.Recently a student leaving his class said his umbrella was just stolen and he seemed thrilled with the timing of the umbrella offer!
When I was homeless and still with my ex, we would camp out at McDonald’s to use their wifi, and if we were lucky get a deal on food through the app.It was close to Christmas time and we were there doing our usual thing, and a man got up and dropped a $100 bill on the table as he went out, not saying anything. I barely had time to say thank you as he went out the door.
My mom was pick-pocketed at a Walmart. A few hours later a woman called saying she found the wallet - the thieves threw it on the side of the road. We met the woman to get the wallet. My mom offered her money for returning it; the woman refused and just asked her to pay it forward.A few years later I found someone’s pet cat and arranged to return him to his owners. The owner offered me money for caring for the cat until she could come get him. I did the same as the woman who found my mom’s wallet, and refused any money and asked them to pay it forward when you are able.
Today the librarian must have noticed my 2 year old was reaching his limit of staying-quiet-and-not-grabbing-all-the-books and offered him a sticker just in time. I didn’t even notice she was there until she saved the day!
May 2005 I was driving from Atlanta to Chattanooga. Car in front of me was pulling a trailer. A wheel came off and got lodged under my car. I was on the interstate and my car started spinning. My car went backwards down a hill until it hit a tree.A woman who had seen it happen pulled over and ran down to my car to get me. She’d seen sparks under my car. It hadn’t rained recently and she risked her own safety to help me get out of my car. My door wouldn’t open, so I had to crawl out the passenger door. My shoe had come off and she told me, “Forget the shoe!” When we got to the road, she hugged me as I cried.I wish I’d gotten her name. I’ve never forgotten her and like to think of her as my guardian angel.
I once saw a AskReddit post asking what people wanted for Christmas. I said a InstaPot. Some stranger on reddit messaged me and sent me one via Amazon. That was like 5 years ago and I still use that thing every week. Thank you again fellow redditor!
I work at a coffee shop in a bad part of town. One of our regular customers rides his bike to one of his jobs, he stops in every morning for some coffee, well one day his bike got stolen, his only means of transportation. A customer overheard the hubbub and went out and bought him a bike, we had it waiting for him in our backroom the next day. Bike lock included.
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Actually it was my kids when they were nine. An older lady fell down in the supermarket parking lot and they both ran over and helped her up and made sure she was ok.
Standing in line at the packed grocery store, I waited in line. A teen stands in the back of a line one over, holding flowers. A middle aged guy in that line sees him and goes over to him, offers him a short introduction and a handshake then pays for the guy’s flowers. It was so random and so sweet. Right around homecoming time.
ONE TIME, I was at a café, and a stranger paid for an elderly woman’s coffee without her knowing. When she found out, she smiled so big and said, ‘I guess there’s still magic in the world.✨’ It was such a small gesture, but the joy it brought her was unforgettable. 😊It really made me realize how a tiny act of kindness can ripple through someone’s day in the best way.🌟.
ONE TIME someone did the pay it forward in the McDonald’s line in front of me. One. Time. That moment stuck with me so much (I was living in my car and 17 at the time) that for the past decade I have not stopped doing it when I can. I forgot to for a while. Maybe a year. I was “busy” so something in my gut said “just leave the change for the next person” last time I hit the drive thru. Man. I never look back for reactions but this time I did and this man (BIG MAN) had this beaming smile and I swear, I just hope I had a big smile like that when it first happened to me cuz those people deserved to see that. I was full of joy and so was he and it was a wonderful moment. We should all keep paying it forward every day even in the small ways.
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1975 total strangers somehow learning we had no food brought boxes of food and even a toy for 2 year old son and a doll for 7 year old daughter. I was overwhelmed. I never forgot this and try to pass it on.
We were in line at Walmart, chatting with our then 4 year old while waiting. The person in front of us was purchasing quite a bit with different payment methods (gift cards, debit card and some cash).Our child was getting a little restless and so we were telling him that this was a good time to practice patience and grace. Once the person was done checking out, she handed us a Walmart gift card and said, “you’re doing a great job raising him, please use this as a thank you from me. Don’t forget to continue instilling valuable life skills as he grows older.”I kept that gift card and it hangs on the fridge. It’s something that reminds me that people appreciate and notice a parent who is trying hard to just raise a good human.
Someone at my local bakery paid for a little boy’s birthday cake in memory of their own family’s lost son.
One time a stranger bought my coffee when i dropped my wallet. still makes me believe in humanity a little bit more you know.
A group of hippies came out of nowhere to help me push start my VW bug. It was so sweet and made me remember why I loved living in San Francisco. .
A nice older gentleman stopped to help me replace my tyre late at night after I popped it. He was so kind. I thanked him profusely and he just said it’s what he’d wish someone would do for his daughter if she was in my situation. I still think about that day 🩷🩷.
I was going through my divorce, been separated for a couple of months, and I’d had little appetite during that time. I was having a particularly hard day and for whatever reason, fries and a Coke sounded good. More comfort carbs than hunger.It was also between the lunch and dinner rush and not busy. Like you, the car in front of me paid for my food. I burst into tears when the lady at the window handed me my bag and told me it was taken care of. It was only a few bucks but man, it was just what I needed in that moment.
The time I was pregnant and travelling with my two young boys (3&5yrs) and a random stranger carried our bags from one terminal to another. The stranger wasn’t even going to that terminal.Same trip. A woman lent us her laptop during the flight when the portable dvd player I had brought ran out of batteries and there was no place to plug it in.
One day my wife and I got a flat on our way to work, we pulled into a parking lot of an office. We must have looked like we were struggling lol because this guy came out of nowhere, was dressed up to go into the office like us, but this must have been where he worked. He came over and offered to help us. Took care of the issue in minutes vs what it would have taken us to get it done. I don’t think about that guy enough, but maybe getting this out here will add to his good karma in life!
One time I was bawling my eyes out in my car in a gas station parking lot (as one does) and two young women knocked on my window to check on me. It touched me and totally brought me out of my doom spiral.
Someone approach a crying person and stayed there to comfort him because it’s not always about the money that can help people. I think that’s why we have the so called “Time is Gold”.
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