10+ Everyday People Whose Actions Restored Faith in Humanity

Bad news travels fast. Kindness usually travels quietly. But every now and then, a stranger does something so unexpectedly good that it stops you mid-scroll and makes you think, okay... humanity isn’t doomed after all. These are the everyday moments people have shared online that prove decency is still very much alive and sometimes wearing sweatpants.

“My wife and I installed a free little pantry in front of our house. We planned to come back the next morning to stock it. But when we returned, someone had already filled it.”

• When I was 16, I was driving to my girlfriend’s house one rainy Saturday afternoon. A man was riding his bike in front of me. When he tried to get onto the sidewalk, he fell. I pulled into the nearest driveway and saw that his bike was mangled and his arm was bleeding.
  I put his bike in my trunk, gave him my old sweatshirt to cover his wound, and drove him home. When I dropped him off, he gave me his card. It turned out that he was a dentist at a local research hospital.
  Fast-forward to when I was 19: the same man took out my wisdom teeth for free as part of a “research experiment.” I’m not sure if they actually needed wisdom teeth for an experiment, but it just goes to show that good things happen to good people. © salty_snacky / Reddit
• I was once trying to get home after being at work for a horrible, long shift. I was trying to use my phone to pay for a bus but it just would not work. I was almost in tears because it was about an hours’ walk home otherwise and I was just exhausted.
  Lovely man about my age paid for my bus fare, and then gave me another couple of quid “in case I needed another bus later on” (which I did!) He absolutely saved my day. I think about him all the time. © Hairy_Relationship28 / Reddit
• When I was a teenager, I sold my bike for $30. I got a hit and set up a location. I ended up being greeted by two kids riding on one bike (one of them was standing on the pegs). The kid riding the bike bought it for his friend so they could ride together. © SchrockyBalboa / Reddit

“I usually eat Thai food every week, but I was sick for two weeks and missed out. When I came in today, I was greeted with a treat! Support small businesses!”

• A few years ago, I was at a music festival and got caught up in a mosh pit. After it ended, I looked down at my bum bag, which was strapped across my chest, and my heart sank. It was open, and my keys, phone, and card holder were missing.
  I looked around the area quickly, but I couldn’t find them. Even if I had found them, it was highly unlikely that any of them would be in usable condition. I spent the next eight hours of the festival in a bad mood.
  On the way out of the festival, I passed by the lost and found. Considering what I had just said, I was just going to walk straight past it. However, since it was on the way, I thought, “I may as well ask.”
  I cannot describe the smile on my face when the staff went to the back of the tent and picked up each of my items, one by one, from a plastic cup. I was also extremely surprised to find them in the same condition as when I lost them. My faith in humanity has been restored! © TheMalsh / Reddit
• I worked at Starbucks. One morning around 6:30, a customer came in, so I asked her how she was doing. “It’s already crazy, and I haven’t even started yet,” she replied. To make her day easier, I gave her her coffee order for free.
  A few days later, I was having a terrible morning. It was 6:30, and it was already chaos. She came in, asked me how I was doing, and I said the above.
  A couple of hours later, she came back with a gift bag for me. Inside was a nice bottle. We had both had bad mornings, and her small gesture made the day just a little nicer. © cuihmnestelan / Reddit
• I broke my foot while bouldering just a week into my semester abroad. I had never left the country before, so I panicked.
  After I fell, a total stranger came right over, recorded important information for the paramedics, and spent the next ten or so minutes asking me questions about my studies and research while waiting for the ambulance. I had mentioned that I was a student.
  He asked thoughtful questions, was kind, and calmed me down, even though I was freaking out. © bakeseal / Reddit

“I unknowingly dropped my wallet in the grocery store parking lot. When I came out, I found this note on my windshield.”

• It was my first job in conservation, and my boss was tough but secretly kind. I was a 20-year-old single mom with a six-month-old son. I had just received some bad news and was really struggling financially. My son’s father was coming and going. At the time, I wasn’t emotionally mature enough for a relationship.
  I had too much on my plate. One thing after another. I was the only woman on a crew of seven men. I was too girly to relate to the guys and too manly for my girlfriends. Nobody understood. I felt hopeless.
  One day, I cried during my lunch break. It was all piling up, and I was cracking under the pressure. The next day after work, as the other crew members filtered out of the work trucks, my boss said to me, “Just wait a second.” I was irritated because I thought he was going to criticize my work performance, as he frequently did with everyone.
  Instead, he waited until everyone was gone, pulled out his wallet, and took out a wad of cash. He said, “I don’t know how much is here because I just grabbed a handful. But I want you to take all the money in my wallet and use it to get yourself out of that hole you’re in.”
  It’s been almost a decade since then, and my life has completely turned around. I’m deliriously happy now. That gruff, sour old forester made a big change in my life and had a lasting impact. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to have known and worked for him. © iron_annie / Reddit
• When my wife gave birth to our firstborn, the woman she had shared a room with during the early stages of labor had a stillbirth. Instead of bonding with her newborn, my exhausted wife spent three hours comforting this woman after giving birth. There was something about the bond of mothers that connected them.
  The woman and her husband have since become close friends of our family. They had two beautiful children after this, and they still credit the support we gave them after the stillbirth, especially during those three hours, with helping them get through their grief. It was the kindest act I’ve ever seen, done by the kindest person I’ve ever met. © Elcapitan2020 / Reddit
• At my lowest point, I was broke, unemployed, and depressed. I didn’t believe in myself or my abilities. I was ready to give up.
  Thankfully, my sister and brother-in-law took me into their home and helped me in every way. They saw something in me that I couldn’t see at the time.
  The best part was that they believed in me and supported me as if I were their own child. That was the biggest turning point in my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for them. © VaporBender / Reddit

“I’m not homeless anymore! A woman I met at work offered me a room in her house. My new room even has its own bathroom! I’ve never had a bathroom to myself before!”

• My new puppy was dying. The doctors couldn’t diagnose him. He was receiving blood transfusions. Someone donated their dog’s blood for free so that my dog could live.
  I don’t know them. I couldn’t pay them, nor could I thank them (they didn’t know who they were donating for). These transfusions bought time for a diagnosis. My pup survived and recovered; he’s a normal dog now.
  I often wonder if I pass these people when I go grocery shopping, to the gym, or sit in traffic. They volunteered their time, brought their dogs, and gave me the gift of having my dog. They didn’t even expect a thank you.
  This blood donation program saved my five-month-old dog, who is now four years old. © International_Week60 / Reddit
• I’m epileptic. Once, during a school assembly, I had a seizure — it was pretty bad, too. When I woke up, the first people I saw were my English teacher (she was smiling and telling me it would be okay) and my health teacher, who was apparently the first person to run and get me help.
  I was in a super emotional state after the seizure, and I began to cry and say “I’m sorry.” I was hushed by my teacher and helped down the bleachers by them.
  My health teacher, my English teacher, my choir director and the school counselor all stayed by me until I got into the ambulance. My Literature teacher also ended up sending me a very nice video of her and all of her family wishing me well. © alienartissst / Reddit
• I was 3 months late returning the books. When I tried to pay the fees, the librarian snapped, “Just go! You’re holding up the line.” I felt dismissed.
  Last week, I returned for another book. My jaw dropped when I heard people in the hall say, “The head librarian had been donating her own money to cover late fees for families for years. She processes them as ’fee forgiveness fund’ waivers, but it’s just her personal checks about $50 a month. Been doing it since her daughter died. She loved reading books.”
  I was one of those families. Her coldness suddenly made sense. She never wanted gratitude for something she did to honor her daughter’s memory.

If these stories made you smile, tear up, or text someone “people can be awesome,” mission accomplished. And if you’re still in the mood for wholesome chaos, there’s another collection of real-life moments waiting for you.