11 People Who Reminded Us That Kind Hearts Can Change the World

Sometimes, all we need to brighten our day is a simple act of kindness. A small gesture that can turn a bad moment into something uplifting — a memory that stays with us forever. What’s most interesting is that this genuine kindness doesn’t always come from friends or family; sometimes, it’s a stranger who reaches out in a difficult moment and leaves a lasting impression.

• Nine years ago (when I was 9 years old), my family decided to move from Belgium to Scotland. Only my dad could speak a little English; my mum and I couldn’t say anything beyond “Hi, my name is...”. I had to start primary school without knowing a single word of English. The teachers were useless — they didn’t try to help or teach me. Instead, they just sat me outside the classroom with a random English book I couldn’t even read. It was horrible. None of the kids in my year talked to me, and I often spent breaks crying. Then, one day, a girl from the year below came up to me and spoke the simplest English. She kept repeating herself until I somehow understood what she was saying. I don’t remember exactly what her words were, but from that moment on, we became best friends. She taught me how to understand, speak, read, and write in English. Because of her, I was able to finish primary school, move on to secondary school, and now attend university. To this day, it remains the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. How can a 9-year-old child be so caring? Although we drifted apart years later, I’ll be forever grateful. © DI-Fancypants / Reddit
  

• We were a poor family. My mom had made a point of saving up once so she could take my sister and me to the zoo and the museum. We had a wonderful day — we even ate out. Then, on the way to the bus stop to head home, she realized she’d overspent and didn’t have enough money for all three of us to ride the bus. We were facing a six-mile walk, and it had just started snowing. We ducked into a small Chinese restaurant and asked if we could use the phone — my mom was going to call someone for a ride. The owner asked why we needed the phone, and after my mom explained, he not only gave us the money we needed for the bus, but also sent us home with enough food to feed six people. My mom told him we’d try to pay him back one day, but he asked us to pay it forward instead. © hassenoma01 / Reddit

• It was a wet, slushy morning. My baby was sick, and we needed groceries, milk, and her prescription. I got the groceries and meds, and as I shoved my cart through the sloppy parking lot, my jug of milk toppled onto the ground and exploded. A woman saw me, picked up the jug, and said, “You can go back in, and they’ll get you a new one.” I replied, “Thank you, but my baby is sick, and I just need to get her home,” then started buckling her into her car seat and unloading the rest of my groceries. Just as I was finishing up, the same lady came rushing out of the store and handed me a new jug of milk. I was so thankful I literally started crying in the parking lot. It’s been almost 12 years now, and I still think about that woman and her kindness. I hope she’s having a wonderful life. © nevermindthetime / Reddit

• I paid for my friend’s eye surgery. They have been living 17 years with an almost completely blind eye. But the real hero is the surgeon who decided to do the surgery free of charge and got the anesthetist onboard for free too. The cost got cut down to the surgery room, the nurses and the implements. © steve_colombia / Reddit

• In 2008, I was in college and figuring out what to do for the next two or three days, until I was next paid, for food with approximately $6 in my bank account. Walking home from an evening class, I found $20 on the sidewalk. I couldn’t believe my luck. I could get ground beef, eggs, milk, whatever — I knew I’d be set for two days.
  Well, not a week later, I lost my cellphone and was in a panic. I needed it and couldn’t afford to replace it anytime soon. Later that day, my mom, who lived four hours away, called my brother’s cellphone and told him that someone had called her saying they had found my cellphone and would like to return it.
  I met this homeless man who said he had found my cellphone in some grass. He had opened it and called “Mom” and spoke to my mom about returning it. I thanked him and gave him $20 for his help — it wasn’t my $20 to begin with, anyway. © giugno / Reddit

• I win huge amounts of plush toys from crane games and donate them to local charities like free shops and toy drives. I’m talking large industrial trash bags full of them. I just like winning them and don’t need 20 octopuses. © cruznick06 / Reddit

• I was around 19 years old, in my first year of community college. My dad had lost his job, and my mom was supporting our entire family. We had been struggling for a while. I remember being in my night class one day, starving. I figured there’d be no dinner, so I told myself I’d go straight to bed when I got home and not think about being hungry.
  When I got home after class, there was a giant box of Costco pizza on the kitchen counter. Apparently, one of our neighbors had bought it for us because my dad had fixed part of her fence a few months back. I think it stuck with me because:
  A. I was so hungry, and
  B. The chances of her bringing food that night, of all nights, felt insane to me.
  It might sound stupid, but I’ll never forget it. © melimelsx / Reddit

• My card was declined while buying lunch on my break at the grocery store where I was working. The customer behind me handed the cashier $20 and insisted I keep the change (my lunch was around $5). I was 18, living on my own in a new city after leaving home, and just generally having a hard time. This was 10 years ago, and I still tear up thinking about it. She had no idea how much I needed that random act of kindness that day. © Coffeeandbunnies / Reddit

• At 14, I was so poor that I couldn’t afford lunch, and I used to pretend to forget it. A teacher started bringing me food every day, but then during that school year, she suddenly vanished and never came back.
  10 years later, I had become a lawyer. I saw her name booked for a visit. When she came in, I froze. She was the same woman I knew, with those same kind eyes. But I was shocked when she started to shake and tremble. She didn’t recognize me at first, but when I told her my name, she smiled.
  Her husband of 20 years had left her for a younger woman and taken all her savings in a planned scheme. She couldn’t afford a lawyer but had come asking for help—or at least reduced fees. I took her case and told her I didn’t want a penny.
  We won. She got all her money back—and even more in damages. She hugged me and said I’d saved her. I told her I was only repaying a debt—and that she could count on me, always.

• Riding to work one hot summer day in Prague on a tram with no AC—crowded, hot, and miserable. I was sweating rivers, but couldn’t even reach my handkerchief because the car was so packed.
  I was just standing there, feeling miserable, when an older woman smiled at me and handed me a napkin from her purse. I thanked her profusely. © FingerprintFile513 / Reddit

• When I was 15 or 16, my parents dropped me off at the mall to meet up with my girlfriend. We had a small argument, and she dumped me on the spot, literally running into the arms of some guy she knew—right in front of me.
  I was emotionally wrecked and called my parents no less than 30 times, but I got no answer. I was about to start walking the 8 miles back home when a kid in the grade above me came up and asked what was wrong. He drove me home and made me feel like my life wasn’t over. Thank you, Brian. © clappedhams / Reddit

On the other hand, there are those moments when we really want to help someone, but everything seems to go wrong. In the end, all that’s left are memories that make us laugh now — even though, at the time, they were pretty embarrassing.