17 Stories That Prove Kindness is Still Present in Our World

An author once said “Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” And while this might seem hard, bringing joy and happiness to someone might just be the most simple thing you can do. You just don’t know the tremendous power a simple smile or a phrase like “things will get better” can have on someone. Don’t be afraid to show your gentle side and keep in mind that kindness is the only tool we have to make your lives essentially better.

• My daughter forgot her favourite toy in the car and was extremely upset. I send her photos to show her that Sheepy was alright and helping me at work.

• My mother-in-law never gave us presents for celebrations. The only thing she would give us was a package of biscuits or candy. But when our second daughter was born, we started thinking about buying a bigger house for our family. And suddenly, my mother-in-law gave us a tidy sum of money so that we didn’t have to take out a loan! So, she saved on our presents to help us buy a place to live.
• So once in high school, I ate at a Mexican restaurant and unknowingly threw away my car keys on my tray when I was done eating. I went and asked a worker if he had cleared them off the table and he said no, but that he had just taken the trash out to the dumpster. I remember going outside and calling my dad to ask if there was a spare and he told me no. So I went back inside feeling humiliated and about to ask if I could look through the dumpster only to see that this man had already dug through the dumpster on my behalf and ended up finding my keys for me. He just went above and beyond and to this day I am so grateful for his help. © erztoller / Reddit
• I had a very old stove that had an oven that didn’t even work, and I love cooking. But I didn’t have the money to buy a new one. On my birthday, my co-workers handed me a certificate that said, “home delivery” and took me to another room. We opened the door, and there was a box with a new stove in it. I burst into tears.

• My wife threw me a surprise birthday party. I normally don’t want to do anything. But she invited like 30 people and everyone brought me gifts. It was amazing and I remember crying because I was so overwhelmed by the whole thing. I’m holding back tears just writing this. © gtrdundave2 / Reddit
• 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 / Reddit
• Someone named Keon, in 3rd grade, said I wasn’t fat, I just had chubby cheeks. It made me very happy, and I still think about Keon’s words. I hope he’s doing well. © watrmeln420 / Reddit

• This was when I was homeless. I was living on the streets, and a night came on where I was terribly cold. Shivering. So another homeless guy came up to me. We talked for a bit. But then he reached into his backpack and gave me a nylon long sleeve shirt. © treuchetfight / Reddit
• Two people exiting a major grocery store in a plaza. One was a huge construction worker, bearded and in his work clothes. The other was a 70-ish woman with a small cart filled up. Traffic wasn’t stopping for the crosswalk. Big Guy walks out to the middle of the crosswalk and stops traffic for the lady to cross. He ends up walking her to her car and unloading her cart into the back of her car. They chatted for a few minutes afterward, then Big Guy started to take her cart to the corral thingie for them. She called out to him, and when he turned around, she gave him a very grandmotherly hug. © dal-Helyg / Reddit

• I teach the 8th grade. This week, my homeroom took an angel off the “giving tree”, which was from a little girl. All she asked for was a bike and clothes. My kids all agreed to bring in $2 each and we’d buy her clothes because we couldn’t afford to get the bike. Then today, very quietly one of them came to my room with this.

• I was on a bus and broke a grab rail when the bus stopped abruptly. I got so scared that I pretended to hold it as if nothing had happened. A man who was standing next to me helped me and pretended to hold it too. But when the bus stopped, he stepped out and took the grab rail with him. Turned out it was a curtain rod, and he was holding it tight to prevent me from falling. I cried.
• I was traveling on a bus recently and felt exhausted and hungry. My stomach was even growling. At a stop, an old lady came in, and I gave her my seat even though I could barely stand myself. Suddenly, I felt my bag moving, I looked and saw that the lady was putting a wrapped sandwich into it, and smiling.
• I’m old so I still have the newspaper delivered on Sunday. It is loaded with inserts that have money off coupons for various things. I cut the them out and take them to Walmart and lay them on the shelf next to the products they are for. Not a big deal, but I think everybody likes to save a buck or two. © printerbob / Reddit

Almost everyone has a story regarding an act of kindness and even Dwayne Johnson has shown his appreciation for the man who helped his career. All we need is compassion and a big heart.