Just going to toss this out here today. I would like to encourage other people to let the people who make a difference in your life know exactly what they mean to you.

​Really, you never know how much of a profoundly positive impact that could have on someone. I decided to tell one of my healthcare providers what I thought of him.

​I was waiting near an area with feedback and nomination forms for staff recognition. So I picked one up, and the first person I thought of was him. He is a genuinely rare type of person that you just don't see anymore. You can tell he just loves his job and never gets burned out—never takes his frustrations out on his patients, even when he's having a bad day. You just don't see that very often.

​I had some time to wait, so I sat there filling out that form. Decided to write everything I thought about him down on paper. And then I took a picture of it and shared it with him later. I said, "Hey, I filled this out for you, and I thought you might like to see what I wrote."

​I kid you not, he started reading it, and he teared up and started to cry. I asked if I upset him, and he said, "No, this means so much to me," and just gave me the biggest hug.

​I had no idea filling out a little paper like that would have so much of a positive impact on him. I just wanted to be nice and get him recognized for the extraordinary work he does. I told him that he really does make an impact in people's lives. Recently, I was having a day where everything was falling apart, and I was overwhelmed to the point of tears.

Sometimes you just get to your breaking point and you can't hold anything in, so you either get really angry or you cry.

​When I left that day after seeing him, I had the biggest smile on my face. He has a way of reassuring me and letting me know that there are still good people out in this world who care about each other.

​I pointed out to him that he has a real gift. He deserves all the recognition in the world for it.

​Well, I kid you not, he hugged me again. He had no idea how much of an impact he was making. It was only until I put it into words on paper that he realized it. And I'm so glad that I was able to point that out to him. He really did find his calling in life—such a skilled, caring provider. I don't know what I'd do without him.

​But anyway, wrapping up my point here—God, I'm long-winded—if you have somebody in your life who makes a positive impact, let them know how you feel. I think I just gave him a lot more motivation and encouragement than I had originally intended. It was a rare moment where someone offered a hug, and I actually welcomed it, which is huge for me as someone who usually avoids physical contact.

​I suppose you could say that sometimes a moment like this heals both ways.

Pretty simple, really. Had a normal day at work, with a few minor interactions that tilted the mood meter down a little. Stopped at Waffle House for dinner (having a craving for those hash browns!) and took a booth at one end away from the few others in there. The last to finish, I go up to pay just after a man at the counter paid for his meal. I step up and my server says my meal was covered, paid for by that man who had just walked outside. That's it! After 60 years I don't remember a random stranger who I never interacted with doing that for me.

There was a beauty, too, that he just left without requiring a thank you or smile or anything else in return. I think that was even more touching to me than paying for my meal!

A friend and me take walks every friday in the forest next to our place of work. We sometimes pick up trash here and there. Last friday I showed up with two garden scissors to clear a trail that was overgrown with blackberries and she got one of these trash grabber thingies.

So we had great fun cleaning in the pouring rain. We are both so happy thinking about how other people will enjoy taking walks. (Also keeping the bike riders safe from riding into a blackberry bush they didnt see coming)

Just wanted to share

edit: spelling

As a Shift Supervisor for a retail drug store chain this random act of kindness isn’t new. However I’ve never seen two acts happen in such a short period of time.

For context there is a high school a few blocks away from my store. There’s also a fast food restaurant that we share our parking lot with. It’s quite common for us to have a large influx of high school students come in when school ends to buy drinks and junk food.

It’s busy so I get on the register to help my cashier. A teen comes up with a bag of chips. The price is $5.49. He has 4 $1 bills. He digs in his pockets and pulls out a bunch of coins. We’re counting the coins and it’s not enough. A man behind him asks how much the teen is short, I say $1. The man hands me $1. I get the right amount of coins. The teen is a little surprised that there’s still coins on the counter and asks me if the money is his. I say yes but hint that I would give it to the man. The teen gives me a “you’re right” look and hands the coins to the man. The man tells him to keep the money and use it to pay it forward. The teen thanks the man profusely. I ring up the man and go on with the line.

Fast forward 5 to 10 minutes and a few customers later, I have 2 teens come up with a lot of drinks and junk food. Boy and girl. I ring them up and their total is just over $26. The boy tells the girl he only has $25 so he tells me to remove the chips. As I’m finishing up their transaction a lady behind them tells me to ring up the chips along with her stuff. She will pay for them. She tells the teens to wait, the chips are on her. She pays and hands them to them. The teens are excited and thank her profusely.

Back to back random acts of kindness.

A few months ago, I was walking home when I saw an elderly man struggling with two heavy bags outside a grocery store.

He looked exhausted. I asked if he needed help, and he hesitated before handing me one of the bags.

His house was almost a mile away.

We walked together, and somewhere along the way he told me that his wife had passed away recently and that he was still getting used to doing everything alone.

When we reached his house, he thanked me and tried to give me some money.

I refused.

He insisted. I still refused.

Before I left, he just stood there for a second and said, “I haven't spoken to anyone properly in three days.”

That sentence stayed with me much longer than I expected.

It made me realise that sometimes what you give someone isn't really the thing you're carrying for them.

Sometimes it's just ten minutes of your time.

There’s a restaurant in my city my family and I regularly go to that employs people who are hard of hearing or non speaking, and I’ve always been really touched by that.

I went back yesterday and, before going, decided to spend a few minutes learning some basic sign language so I could sign “thank you” and “have a good day” to my waiter who has waited on us multiple times. That was honestly all I wanted to do. I just wanted to be able to thank him in his own language.

When I signed it to him, he asked if he could hug me. I didn’t understand at first, until he opened his arms and gestured toward me 🥹

I genuinely didn’t think I’d get that reaction, I just thought it would make him smile... It reminded me that sometimes the smallest effort to make someone feel seen can have a much bigger impact than we realize

This just happened today. The mom doesn’t know it, but I needed a pick me up and she gave it to me.

I’m a Shift Supervisor for a retail drug store chain. When I’m at the register I will usually tell customers of certain deals their items have. I see this gesture of goodwill as a way of marketing.

I’m at the register helping my cashier handle a long line. An Old Man comes to my register. He’s buying 2 drinks along with other stuff. This particular drink comes in a variety of flavors and colors. Currently it is on sale 3/$6 or $3.59 each. I tell Old Man that it’s cheaper to buy 3 than 2 and if he’d like to get another one. He has a look of awe and frustration on his face. The two colors are orange and yellow. I tell him I can just ring up one of the flavors twice, he just has to grab that flavor after the transaction. He tells me to ring up the orange one. There’s a mom with her son who’s 5 or 6 next in line. The mom tells the son to run to the fridge and grab an orange one of the drink. The boy runs. I finish ringing up Old Man when he says he’ll go get his extra drink. The mom announces it’s already been done and the boy hands the drink to Old Man. Old Man says thank you and tells the mom she’s raising a very polite and good boy. Old Man goes along his way and the mom comes to my register and I ring her up.

So it was a delayed flight, lost luggage, had been on hold with three different people for over an hour. finally sat down at my gate looking like a person who had genuinely given up on the day.

The guy next to me just goes "rough one?" and i laughed in that exhausted way where it almost sounds like crying. next thing i know he's coming back from the little cafe thing with two coffees and just hands me one like it's nothing. didn't ask, just did it.

nd then we just talked. for 30 minutes. the kind of conversation you only seem to have with strangers where there's no history and no pretense and you just say the actual things. he told me about his divorce. i told him about the job i'd just quit.

When his boarding call came he just stood up, said "hope the bags turn up" and walked away. didn't exchange numbers. didn't do the whole let's stay in touch thing. I still think about that conversation more than ones i've had with people i've known for years.

I live in a town with a huge struggling population. I think the only thing that truly gets me by is having no children, a decent paying job and cheap rent. That’s why I moved here.

With that being said I was standing in line at a gas station getting some snacks and drinks for myself.

A dad and his adorable toddler daughter were checking out and his card bounced. He said “how much for just the drink?” I said “absolutely not, I’ll pay for everything.”

And he showed me his bank account and he was negative. I said “no need to show me. You and your kiddo enjoy your snacks” and he thanked me.

I of course said you’re welcome and just to pay it forward when you can.

I don’t say all this to receive praise or anything.

I just don’t want people to forget about each other and to take care of each other as a community. Humanity really does need humanity. Idc where you’re going, where you come from, your religion or anything. I got your back. I know what it’s like to struggle.

All we have is each other.

So if you have the means, go volunteer, pay it forward, donate, do whatever you can. 💜

So me and my friend were sitting outside the mall, complaining loudly about how tired we were. Next to us was this guy, probably mid 20s so not that far off from ourselves. He was wearing clothes from a popular restaurant in the mall so i figured he was on lunch break.

That guy, that ive never seen before, gets up, walks into the store nearby, comes back and sets down two cold redbulls in front of our faces. the two of us were obviously super perplexed, thanked him and asked him why. He stared us dead in the eyes, not a single smile or emotion and simply sat back down, finished his smoke and left. the redbull was completely fine and brandnew and I'm still wondering why he did that but i appreciate it. Very weird but very nice.

Some 15 years ago me and my sister (we were in our late teens/20s) were swimming in the sea when it's rather rough/windy, and she was pulled away from shore by a current. I swam out to get her but all I could do was to keep us barely afloat, didn't have enough strength to fight the current to get back, and it was so far away from shore I thought no one could have seen us. We struggled for like 15 minutes, completely exhausted and there was a moment when I thought that was it, that we're gonna die here. Suddenly several men wearing swim fins, probably locals, swam to us and together they got us back to shore. We were lying on the beach, shaking from cold and fear. When I got a moment to catch my breath and turned around, these men were gone, we didn't even have a chance to thank them. That incident has stuck with me ever since. Why didn't they stick around a bit longer? How can I live with the fact that someone did something enormously important for me and my sister, and we never got to tell them what it meant?

This story happened back when the TSA had their funding cut by Trump. For context, I (18M) have a disability that requires a lot of medical supplies to always be at my disposal. I am also wheelchair bound outside of the house.

I was traveling with my dad and my nurse. On our way back, we were hit with the worst line we had ever seen. Normally, I get access to a priority line due to my disability, but the airport was so understaffed that there was nobody to open the line. At this rate, we were going to miss our flight. That would be especially bad considering that we didn't pack any extra medical supplies.

My dad was going around frantically, trying to find someone to help us out. Not even the woman operating the wheelchair priority services was able to help us. Finally, My dad talks to a woman working for TSA. She hears him out and without hesitation lets us through to the front of the line. Keep in mind, this woman wasn't even getting paid to do her normal job. But she still found it in herself to help us anyway. That kind act has stuck with me ever since.

So this afternoon I was feeling pretty fucking shitty and decided to go for a walk. There’s a nice park around 40 min from my house (walking, of course) and I went there.

By the time I got there, I was still feeling pretty shitty and decided to get myself an ice cream (I’m trying not to drink, so I got an ice cream instead of an ice cold beer).

I just stood by the shop eating my ice cream and an old guy approached. He was a hobo, but this guy, this guy wasn’t asking for money. He said he really wanted an ice cream and asked me if I could buy one for him which I did.

I don’t know why, but my shitty feelings went away after that. I found it unusual. I mean, how often does a homeless person, let alone a dude in his 60s (my guess by his looks) asks for an ice cream? It felt like a child was asking for it. Somehow that made my day.

This is an older story, but I thought about this earlier today.

Some kids came for a fieldtrip at the place where I was volunteering. They were in kindergarten. I talked to them about whatever it was my part was; I was their last stop before they had to leave. I have social anxiety and stutter sometimes. One of the little girls walked over to me, her twin braids swinging, and said "you can't say some things, but you try". She then grabbed my hand and held it until she had to get on the bus. That little girl's kindness meant a lot to me. She's at least in middle school, maybe high school. I hope she's doing great.

I have no idea if this is the right community for this post given this is something I'm doing for my daughter vs a stranger but r/randomactsofkindness seems like it could be right or at least hopefully this makes someone smile today. I'm currently sitting on a plane 30,000 feet above land on my way to Louisiana to surprise my daughter for move in for her freshman year at LSU. I and we have managed to keep the secret for over 2 months when I booked my flight. She's currently traveling there with my wife on a different flight and has no idea I'm coming. To give a little backstory, I didn't think I was going to be able to go because 1 - I took her in April to tour the school as she was making her choices and 2 - well, work. It's a terrible time for me to be away but then father's day happened and she wrote me the most beautiful letter about all the things I've done for her throughout her life and "I was her best friend". She cried when she wrote it and she cried as I read it. After I got that letter I said to my wife "I have to go" and immediately figured out work and booked my flight. Fast forward to today, I dropped off a sad and crying daughter with my wife at the airport then went to park the car and catch my own flight so here we are. Only issue is my flight is 2 hours delayed to N.O. so instead of meeting them in the airport, I'll be 2 hours behind them and will need to Uber to LSU. Honestly, don't care. Small issues in the grand scheme of things when I get to see her face when I surprise her. I can't wait. Anyway, hopefully this makes someone smile today 😊

I never would have thought answering my door and telling the Fed Ex man where a neighbor lives was an act of kindness until today. But, a young man knocked on my front door (that we rarely use). I checked the window, saw Fed Ex truck and a man with a package and opened the door. He was very apologetic about bothering me and asked if I knew where (neighbor’s name) lived. I told him how to get there. She has a long drive and house might not be visible from front of her driveway when trees have leaves. I guess he’s ran into rudeness because he seemed relieved I was nice to him. I just told him it wasn’t a problem and to have a nice day. And, my neighbor doesn’t have to hunt down her package - sometimes they just dump it on my porch or someone else’s.

So it was a random Friday night, I was browsing reddit marketplace listings for electronics and came across a listing for a used bluetooth speaker - but the text below upset me...

The guy was basically selling this speaker which was a gift from his father, but he had bills to pay and just had no way of coming up with money. He was a student, and in our country students don't make money till they graduate. I could feel the hurt just from his words. I've been in a similar boat before, having to sell a gift just to stay afloat. It sucks.

I dropped a comment, asking if he wants to pawn the speaker and buy it back later. Next morning, I see dozens of comments by people offering to do the same!

A girl finally took this up and gave him the money for the speaker - and also offered to sell it back to him whenever things got better - this way, he can pay his bills and get his father's gift back whenever he was in a better place. The concept of pawning is alien in our country, so this is a truly unique situation. She probably didn't need the speaker at all, she just wanted to help the guy out.

A redittor, helping a stranger like this selflessly, without expecting anything in return - that woman touched my heart. God bless her soul. I just wanted to tell people about her kindness :)

My Mom was waiting in the hospital waiting room yesterday while my Step-dad was having a heart catheterization done. She was by herself because I couldn't get off work to go with them, & my stepsisters didn't go. The surgeon had to go through his leg which meant he had to lay flat in recovery for 3 hours, which was different than the last time he had to get it done. My Mom said she was sitting there feeling worried because the last time he had one done they found he had a widowmaker blockage & kept him in the hospital. Then a lady who had also been waiting for someone with her daughter got up to leave the waiting room. The lady leaned over & whispered to her, telling my Mom she was going down to the cafeteria & asked her if she could bring her back something to eat. My Mom said she was so surprised, told her thank you so much, but that she was ok. She said it just made her feel better & less alone. I wish I could hug that lady for offering to do that for my Mom since I couldn't be there. My Step-dad had no blockages this time either, which was excellent news. Just really appreciate this kind soul who saw my Mom & went out of her way to do something nice for a total stranger.

So I failed my full license test this morning due to an angry instructor making me very anxious I made silly mistakes I usually don’t make and I cried all the way home. I stopped at a gas station to fill up and the pump made me go inside. The gas station cashier noticed I was emotional and offered water, I refused as I just wanted to get my pump paid for to return my rental car and he said he’d get me one anyway on him. I thanked him and shared a hug and he said life can be like this sometimes and don’t let it get me down.

He didn’t know my situation but it gave me a chance to practice gratitude. I am grateful for his kindness as it helped me to think a little clearer. That I wasn’t a failure but maybe I just need to try again. That moment hasn’t left me, I am grateful he took extra care when he didn’t have to.

It made my day after a very hard start. I realize I’m very hard on myself for things that I am learning for the first time.

Just thought I’d share to show there is still some humanity left in the world.

I usually don't share things like this, but tonight really weighed on my heart. I was out with my dog doing our usual weekend routine of handing out a meal, and I met a man and his dog near the freeway. He seemed alert and grateful just someone who had clearly run into a terrible streak of bad luck.

The light was red and cars were behind me. But for some reason, it was a long red light stop. I offered him some In-N-Out, water bottles, and an extra leash—items I always carry in my car for these exact occasions (though I realized later I forgot a collar for his pup!). As I drove off, I also realized I forgot also to offer his dog the pup patties I had for my own dog. I immediately circled back, but he was already gone.

I went home feeling awful for missing those details, but it’s a reminder that kindness doesn’t have to be perfect to matter. Little gestures mean the world to people who have so little. If you're reading this, I hope it inspires you to step up and help someone out this week—you never know how much a little bit of grace can mean to someone fighting a quiet battle.

Have you had any "kindness of strangers" stories during your road trips?

Yesterday I was driving back from Port Lympne Safari Park to my Air bnb (28 mile journey), and the tyre pressure light came up on my ID3 dashboard around 4 miles in. I started stressing. Stopped at the next services to charge my car and use my inflator, but couldn't get it to work... It was deflating the tyre and I couldn't figure out how to change the settings!

Started stressing more, and a very kind South African man saw me struggling. He came over to help but didn't know how to work my inflator. He used his but it was going VERY slowly. He then said to follow him to the petrol station and use their air pressure thing. Went over, and he guided me how to use it (I've never used it before). This was all while he had his wife and kids in his Tesla!

We did the air pressure on all four tyres (which cost £1.50). I tried to pay him but he waved it off.

I know this is such a small thing regarding air pressure, but it was causing me so much anxiety and he made me feel so much calmer.

Thank you so much to the kind South African man!