10 Stories That Prove Kindness Is the Ultimate Cure

Sometimes, the world may feel like it’s running on anger and selfishness. But every once in a while, we come across moments that restore our faith in humanity. Real people being kind, not for show, not for gain, just because they care. These stories from everyday life remind us that kindness doesn’t just help others, it heals us too.

• I (26F) work at a small coffee shop in Oregon. A few months ago, a regular came in: an older man named Joe. He always ordered the same thing, a black coffee and a blueberry muffin. One morning, I noticed he looked off, so I asked if he was okay. He just said, “Rough week.” I comped his order and told him not to worry about it. A week later, he came back with a small card. Inside, it said, “Your kindness saved me that day. My wife had just passed.” He gave me a hug and started crying. I’ll never forget it. Sometimes, the smallest kindness really does pull someone back from the edge.
• I used to live above my landlord who was also a chef, and one night he made me a delicious bowl of pasta and sent his 2 little sons to deliver it to me. There was no occasion or anything. Pasta was great and we got our full deposit back when we moved out. He was a good dude. Worth mentioning he only owned the house and we lived in the upstairs, not some big realty co. — © F***_YEAH_DUDE / Reddit

• I was driving through Colorado when my car broke down on the side of the highway. It was freezing, and I was completely alone. Out of nowhere, a guy in a pickup stopped. I was scared at first, obviously, but he introduced himself from a distance and helped me calm down. His name was Mark, maybe late 40s. He helped me jump-start the car, and when it didn’t work, he called his friend who owned a towing service. He refused to take money. He just said, “Pay it forward, kid.” I did, two months later, when I helped a girl with a flat tire outside my gym. That felt sooo good!
• Dropped my wallet near a bus stop. It had $180, my ID, everything. I was sure it was gone for good. Two days later, a guy came by my work asking for me. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in days, and he handed me my wallet, every dollar still inside. I tried to give him money, but he refused. He said, “If I took it, I’d be just another story you tell your friends. This way, maybe you’ll tell people not all people are bad.” That line has stuck with me. I did take him to lunch, glad he didn’t refuse that haha.

• I work in a supermarket collecting and packing up customers’ groceries. My dad had just lost his unexpected battle with cancer, and I had just came back to work after taking some time off. I had my arms full of milk and I was carrying them to my cart, when one of them slipped away and broke. One of my coworkers happened to walk past me and saw all of this happening, so she immediately rushed to pick up the broken milk carton so it wouldn’t leak any more, took it to the trash and even brought me a new one. All without asking. It really warmed my heart, she was so sweet. I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal to her, but to me it was and still is. Sometimes I wonder if I should tell her everything and truly thank her from the bottom of my heart and praise her for her kindness, for the huge impact she left on me. If she even remembers any of it. It was so heart warming and amazing to see such kindness, I really needed that. Always be kind to people, you never know what they might be going through. — © Rag1ngRedHead / Reddit
• When I (31F) lost my job, things got rough. My neighbor, Mrs. Dawson, who’s in her 70s, noticed I wasn’t around much. She knocked on my door one day with soup and a loaf of homemade bread. She didn’t ask questions, she just said, “You look like you could use this.” We started talking every evening. She became like a grandma to me. Two years later, when she got sick, I was the one bringing her soup. We still laugh about how she “adopted” me through a bowl of soup. She’s a sweetheart!

• I’m a single mom, and one day my 8-year-old son noticed our elderly neighbor struggling to carry groceries. Without asking, he ran out and helped her. She was so touched she started crying right there. That small act started something big. Now, every Saturday, my son helps her with errands. She bakes him cookies in return. Watching their friendship bloom made me realize kindness can come naturally when you just raise kids to care. So proud of my little hero.
• I’m a waiter at a small restaurant in my home town. I usually wait the big tables for events which include about 10-15 covers per table. It’s be night there was a particularly large table of about 18 and there was this one older woman at the table who was elegantly dressed whilst everyone else was in casual clothes. She looked incredibly defeated because everyone else was ignoring her, so I went up behind her and said to her “you look gorgeous honey.” I have never seen a woman become so radiant and joyful in my life and she ended up leaving a £50 tip for the table. (In Scotland tipping is not necessary and is more of a kind gesture to the waiter. Biggest tip I have ever received at this job.) — © Otherwise_Acadia_951 / Reddit

• When I was a kid, I witnessed my brother almost fall into the Grand Canyon. My mom was yelling angrily and grabbed him, and then snapped at me to hurry up and follow them. I was terrified by what I had seen and because I was standing on a patch of ice, and if I moved I was going to slip too. I couldn’t speak as I watched them walk away; I was also afraid I that would be in trouble too. A stranger noticed and she reached her hand out to me to help me off the ice. I think about that moment a lot. A simple, silent gesture that has stayed with me for 24 years. — © basicwhoops / Reddit
• Growing up, my dad was always rude to me but treated my stepsister like a princess. It was so hurtful, I hated him and left home at 16. I got a part-time job as a waiter to stay afloat. It’s been 7 years now, and I had no contact with my family until yesterday. I found out he died from a stroke. I was unsure if I should go to the funeral or not, but I finally went anyway. When my stepsister saw me, she yelled, “HOW DARE YOU come here?”. I froze in confusion. Turns out, my dad secretly left me most of his inheritance along with a handwritten letter. In it, he apologized for how he’d treated me all those years, saying he was too proud and stubborn to admit his mistakes but truly regretted it. He wrote that he always admired my strength and independence, even if he never showed it. It brought tears to my eyes. I never thought I’d forgive my dad but I chose to be kind. It wasn’t easy but I did it for both of us. I hope he rests easy.

A reader wrote us a letter recently, sharing her complicated relationship with her dad. Read it here: My Dad Gave Away My Inheritance Because I’m Childfree, I Served a Payback He Won’t Forget