10 Stories That Prove Small Acts of Kindness Keep the World Going

We may underestimate the weight of our kind small gestures. But for the person on the receiving end, they can become turning points. It becomes the moment they remember years later as the reason they didn’t give up, or the spark that helped them see themselves differently.

• For years, I took the exact same subway train. Same time, same car, same station, and said hello or nodded to the conductor/engineer. Enough to know that was always the last train of his workday. Just one of those NYC things.
  LSS, I moved, got engaged, got married, and lived elsewhere in Manhattan. Some years later, our marriage started suffering. One bad night, I ended up back at my old roommate’s apartment, like 7 years later, and crashed there, where I used to live.
  The next morning, the worst day of my life, I sat in the subway station looking at the tile floor trying not to cry as a grown man, and the train pulled up and stopped, and I heard him before I saw him. Very loud. “WHERE YOU BEEN, MAN??!!”
  I got to see the biggest smile in NYC, looking straight at me. It was just awesome. © Ok-Gift5860 / Reddit

• I was 24, heading home from work. It was already dark, and this rough-looking guy started walking right behind me. I panicked and decided it was a good idea to get on the first bus pulling up, just to get away.
  As the doors closed, he shouted, “Hey, you!” and threw my wallet onto the bus. It had clearly fallen out of my pocket when I was in the store buying milk. © Nikki / Bright Side

• I am a single F(46) with no kids. One day, I noticed the young girl I always saw at my local fast food place now had a sleeping bag. Turns out, her parents kicked her out as soon as she turned 18, and she had spent the week sleeping at the park.
  I took her home with me so she could sleep somewhere safe for the day... and ended up adopting her (not legally)! She is now 22 and has lived with me for 4 years—she pays for her own food, expenses, etc.—and has basically become part of my family. After years of living alone, before she came along, I feel my life now is so much happier. © seanneperth / Reddit

• My husband met an elderly woman at the airport whose flight was delayed. She had no one to help her. He asked if she could stay with us, and I agreed.
  The next day, we dropped her off at the airport. When I went to change her sheets, I froze after I found a note: “I lost my son three months ago. Last night was my first time smiling since his funeral. You gave me a reason to keep going.” © Elizabeth / Bright Side

• I was in this stupidly long line at CVS. It was moving at a snail’s pace, and my baby was fussing. And I was just trying not to cry from frustration.
  This sweet-looking older woman was in front of me. She turned around and smiled at my baby.
  Then the line stopped moving again, and she got really quiet.
  She looked at her hands and then back at me, and her voice got so soft I almost didn’t hear her. She said, “My daughter passed away two years ago today, and I just really miss saying her name to someone. Would you mind if I just said it to you for a minute?”
  My heart just dropped right there on the dirty pharmacy floor. I said, “Yes, of course, please say her name.” She said, “Thank you. Her name was Emily, and she loved the rain, and she would have loved your little girl’s laugh.”
  We just stood there in the quiet for a second, not moving in this dumb line, and I told her my name was Emily, too, and she held my hand, and we both just cried a little. © Single-Succotash-160 / Reddit

• I’ve lost 70 lbs and wanted a new coat, but was unsure of my new size. I tried one on and asked the “saleswoman” how it looked. She said it was way too big, asked the size, then went and brought me 9 back in a couple of sizes smaller, different colors and sizes.
  I tried them all on, fell in love with one, and hugged her for helping me. Imagine my surprise when she said she didn’t work there. I just reminded her of her mother, so she wanted to help me feel as good as I looked. © notryksjustme / Reddit

• When I was a little girl, I was taken under the wing of my mom’s old friend (I think coworker/boss), who had no grandchildren of his own. He did have children, but I am not sure how close they were. He gave me a strawberry-colored banana-seat bike when I was 3 and checked in with me at each birthday until I was about 5 and then lost touch.
  Fast-forward 12+ years, I’m 18 years old. My mom tells me about this man, “Oh, you remember Duke? He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer years before and was now in a hospital 2 hours from us, where he had been for years.”
  By that time, he was in his late 80s. We decided to drive up to see him in his hospital room and surprise him. My mom told me that his sons rarely came to visit him.
  I don’t know if that was because they had a bad relationship or because they were too busy. I don’t know which is worse. But I will never forget his face when he saw us come into the room. We wheeled him out to the lawn of the hospital. I don’t remember if we all spoke or whether we just sat there together.
  A few weeks later, my mom told me he had passed away. She surmised that since he had been in hospice care for so many years and then passed right after we came by, he had been waiting for us and felt like he could “move on” after our visit. © anonymous94808 / Reddit

• A few years back, I was in a giant Tesco with my dad, and he became unwell, dizzy, short of breath, obviously not able to drive. Managed to get him outside to a bench to sit down. Tried to call a cab, found out there had been a big traffic incident, traffic was backed up, and no cabs were available.
  A woman came up to us and said, “I’m a bit worried about you. Can I take you home?” And she did. A complete stranger was so kind, a genuinely lovely person. © CocoRufus / Reddit

• I(27F) lost my dad to cancer last year. He was 52, and it all happened way too fast. One day, he was tired and coughing a lot. Three months later, I was holding his hand in the hospital, watching him go.
  Now I sort of shut off emotionally. I didn’t cry much at the funeral. I didn’t talk about it. I went back to college after two weeks, as nothing had happened. I buried it deep.
  Cut to last week. It was my birthday. I don’t celebrate it, so I didn’t expect anyone. Then I heard a knock. It was a courier. He said, “This order’s from someone named ’Dad.’”
  My hands shook as I opened the box. Inside was a flash drive. I plugged it in and froze. There was a file named “Want to hear some truth?”
  I hit play. It was his voice. “Hey, sweetheart. I know you miss me. And I want you to know: I’m so proud of you. You’re doing amazing, even if you don’t see it yet.
  Now, I have a confession to make. Sweetheart, I’m sorry. Your mother and I lied to you. You are not... eating my ’secret recipe’ burgers at every barbecue. There’s no secret recipe.
  I’ve been buying pre-seasoned patties from Costco and taking full credit. That ’special blend of spices’ is Costco’s special blend. I just stand at the grill and flip things. That’s it.
  So if you think you’ll never eat those burgers again—you’re wrong. When you miss me very much, go to Costco, grab those patties, fire up the grill, and follow my steps: flip and take credit. I hope when you hear this today, it’ll remind you that I’m never really gone.
  I want you to start living again. Make those burgers. Share them with people you love. Alright. That’s all. I love you, pumpkin. I’ll always love you.”
  I just sat there on the floor, laughing and sobbing. He thought of me during the hardest days of his life, full of pain. I’m so happy to know what love is. © Mitchel / Bright Side

• Each day, as I left work as a public school librarian, I would see a custodian on his way in. I would smile and wish him a good evening.
  One morning, a beautiful handmade card with an apple, done in pastel, was left on my desk. The inside read, “Your smile always makes my day.” You never know what effect a simple everyday action can have on someone’s day. Always choose kindness. © VB-81 / Reddit

And here’s one more dose of hope to carry with you today. Take a breath, open your heart, and scroll on. These are the moments that prove compassion doesn’t need a stage to change everything: 13 Stories That Show the Softest People Have the Strongest Hearts.