When you're having a bad day, sometimes it's the littlest things that can give you a small boost.
Whether it's someone holding the door open for you or another giving up their seat for you on the train, it's no skin off their teeth.
But the tiny gestures of goodwill can mean the world to you at that moment when you need it the most.
Curious to hear examples proving humanity still exists in the world, Redditor stranger2Me asked:
"What’s a small act of kindness you were once shown, that you’ll never forget?"
These Redditors who were going nowhere fast got an unexpected lift.
The Suprise Twist
"Neighbors asked to borrow my truck. Told them I could not trust my truck because the tires were bad"
"Next day mr neighbor called and said he was getting new tires for his suburban and I could have his old ones. Told me to just show up at this certain tire shop and they would put them on"
"Get to tire shop and they put on brand new Goodyear tires. I asked what happened to the old tires I was suppose to receive."
"Shop owner said the 'old tires' was just a story to get me in the shop."
"Mr neighbor bought me a full set of new tires instead of the old tires he said I could have."
– jorcam
Oh, Canada
"Riding my bike on a long trip through Canada. With about 50 miles to go, I had a major mechanical failure. Stuck on the side of the road in a foreign country within 5 minutes at least 10 cars had stopped to check on me."
"One guy loaded my bike in the back of his truck and drove me 30 miles to the border where I could catch a ferry back to the US. Amazing kindness and generosity toward a stranger. He just asked that I pay it forward and to date I've helped 5 cyclists who were broken down in honor of that promise👍"
– countlessbass
Push Came To Shove
"Alternator died while I was driving home from university. Engine died as I exited the freeway in the middle of the night in a not-so-pleasant part of town in the days before cell phones. As I'm pushing my car out of the intersection, a guy in a truck comes up and offers to push my car to my neighborhood a good three miles away. He does so, and I'm pulling into my neighborhood, he simply gives a wave and drives off into the night. I never even had a chance to thank him."
– KahBhume
Those who were in need of basic essentials remain forever grateful for their respective encounters with good samaritans.
Comforts We Take For Granted
"I was given access to a shower and a hot meal after being homeless for 9 months."
– A3V01D
Wrapped In Love
"I was nine years old, waiting for the school bus in Wisconsin winter. I had a thin coat, no hat or gloves. A woman driving past saw me and stopped, giving me a blanket from the back of her car. It was a long skinny one, so she wrapped it around my head and shoulders like a big scarf. I remember thanking her, but being confused. I told her I didn't know how I would give it back when I was done borrowing it. She hugged me and said not to worry. I still have that blanket."
– saintdelft
New Lunch
"My gym teacher purchased me lunch in 3rd grade after I dropped mine. I'm 34 years old and still remember this."
– bob_rob_III
Encouraging Teacher
"I recorded a homemade album with my garage band in high school and handed out a few CDs. A few weeks later my English teacher approached me with 5 pages of notes on what he liked and what I could improve on. He apparently got the CD from someone at the high school and listened to it all the way through (it was over an hour long). He didn't know I was the singer and guitar player until he asked the person who gave him the CD. He said that if I ever got a shot in a studio, I would create something amazing. Thank you to all the teachers out there who believe in their students. It makes all the difference to some of us."
– SuperSmokeyBear
People who found themselves in distress were comforted by thoughtful strangers.
The people involved in these situations may not have introduced each other in that moment, but the acts of kindness still remain forever embedded in memory.
Common Ground
"I took my sister whose in a wheelchair to the cinema for the first time on my own. At the end, I realized I couldn't undo the brakes and was blocking everyone. I felt like crying because I thought everyone was pissed at me, but some nice lady helped me, then took me and my sister out. She said she once had a son who needed a wheelchair. This was long ago but I'll never forget."
– Zedfourkay
"I was out of a job at a time that I had to support my mother. Finally landed one but I had to walk back and forth and I didn't have any shoes that would hold up on the walk or the work. Went to fb and mom asked around for some hand me downs we could buy from some one. A day later a very kind man showed up with a brand new pair of really nice shoes he had just gone out and bought for me. He left before I could even get any money for him. I cried."
– Bubbazord
The Girl Who Came From Nothing
"Sometimes the hero is the one who asks. A friend of mine has a son who was dating a girl with a really bad home life. She broke down at their house once because she’s started her period and couldn’t afford tampons that month. My friend found out she only had one pair of shoes that were falling apart, one pair of jeans she wore every day, and a few hoodies. The girl was my size so I passed down a few pairs of Nike shoes I’d never worn, a couple of Lush bath bombs and gift cards to Belk and JCPenney."
"My friend took her to the mall said she only bought underwear and bras since she barely had any that fit. It meant nothing to me since it was all stuff I had around my house but everything to that girl. There were about 6 of us that dropped off stuff for the girl, who said it was more than she’d ever owned in her life."
– elvra
Thank You, Reddit
"During the single most difficult time of my life, a stranger on reddit gifted me $500. To me, it was a fortune. I received it while at work and just broke down. It started the change of my life and a few months later I was able to move, met my now-fiancé, had my son, and found my job. I still message them once in a while to update them on my life and continue to thank them for their generosity, but I think they abandoned their account years ago."
"Edit: You all have inspired me to write them another message (it’s been a while). And a shoutout to everyone who has or wants to do something similar. I hope you understand how earth-shattering, in the best way possible, those kind of gifts can be."
– AngelMeatPie
Alas, there is still hope for humanity.
These heartwarming stories are reminders of how exceptional we are as human beings, and that it really doesn't take much to spread the love and extend a helping hand where we can.
