10 Touching Stories That Prove Small Gestures Can Spark Big Changes

Choosing to be kind isn’t always simple, but it’s the small things that can leave a lasting impact. Whether it’s helping a neighbor in need or reuniting someone with a lost item, these thoughtful acts make a difference, no matter their size. Kindness has a ripple effect, often inspiring others to pass it on.

• A good friend of mine recently lost his mom. They were so very close, and I could tell that it hit him hard. Every Wednesday, his mom would write him a card and tell him how proud she is. Since she died, I started doing that anonymously.
  It honestly warms my heart to hear him call me practically in tears and tell me about how much he loves the cards he keeps getting. I always act surprised and celebrate with him to not blow my cover. © Zestism / Reddit

• I was in college and had approximately $6 in my bank account for the next 2 or 3 days. Walking home from an evening class, I found $20 on the sidewalk. Nobody was around. I couldn’t believe my luck. I could get ground beef, eggs, milk, whatever, I knew I’d be set for two days.
  A week later, I lost my phone. I couldn’t afford to replace it. Then a man contacted my mom. He found it.
  I hurried to the meeting place, but didn’t expect to see a homeless man there. He had found my phone in some grass. He called “Mom” and spoke to her about returning it. I thanked him and gave him $20 for his help — it wasn’t my $20 to begin with, anyway. © giugno / Reddit

• This very sweet woman came into my shelter to adopt a cat. She was recovering from a stroke, on a fixed income, and was clearly frustrated with herself for not being able to communicate clearly. I spent a long time with her, listening to what she wanted, and managed to find her a cat she really clicked with.
  She was so excited to have a furry friend to help her through her difficult time. And then realized she couldn’t afford the $25 adoption fee. So I left the room, quietly paid the adoption fee, and came back to go over the cat’s medical record with her.
  When she found out I paid the fee, she burst into tears, gave me a hug and said that no one has been nice to her since she had the stroke. Everyone just got impatient and huffy with her because she couldn’t talk. I was pleasantly surprised when she stopped back a few months later just to say hi, give me another hug and let me know the cat was doing great. © ChanklasMom / 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 worked for a small community college and encountered a student crying because he was struggling to make rent, bills and take care of his wife and child. He worked an hourly job, and so did his wife. He wouldn’t really say what was wrong to me, but one of his teachers said he was late on his electric bill and was getting his power shut off in a day or two.
  I put $300 in a card (I made like $10/hour), wrote in cursive since I typically wrote in print, left it anonymous and gave it to him. He balled for the next 30 minutes, begging me to tell him who asked me to give him that card so he could thank them. I declined. He was so thankful he wouldn’t have to drop out of school for that month or next. © the_jessence / 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

• About 20 years ago, an elderly woman slipped on the ice down the road from my house. She clearly broke a hip. I went out to her and cradled her head and shoulders in my lap as I knelt, waiting for emergency services to come. Her own daughter stood about 20 feet away, pacing and shouting how she always ruined everything.
  There was a chunk of ice under my foot, which I didn’t notice at first. I couldn’t move because the woman cried in pain if I even shifted, and the ambulance workers admonished me to stay in place until she was strapped onto a gurney thing.
  My foot hurt very much, and I got permanent nerve damage on the top. I still can’t feel very much in a big area. But I felt like I needed to do it for her so she at least felt cared for and had a human touch. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was 21, working for $7/hr at a convenience store, living with my mother. One of my regulars was a young woman who lost her husband in a work accident, leaving her two kids to raise. One morning, she came in for $2.37 in gas.
  I surprised her with a $100 gift card to the grocery store. She broke down in tears, telling me I had no idea how much that meant to her. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I saw a family pulled over on the side of the road holding a cardboard sign that said “Newly homeless, please help.” Dad was on the curb with the sign in tears and shambles — he was just out of ideas. Mom was behind the car with the kids, trying to distract them with toys or something.
  I had gotten my tax return that day. A few thousand dollars.
  My wife and I were looking forward to it, but as a dad — I just felt that guy’s helplessness. So I went into the bank and withdrew it in cash. I handed it to my oldest kid, who was maybe eight at the time, and had them run it over to one of the kids. Their directions were essentially to give it to one of the kids to give to the parents and get back to the car before they could see us.
  I don’t remember how long ago it was, or what I wanted that money for. I certainly don’t miss that money today. But I’ll never forget that dad just collapsing to the curb when he opened the envelope as we drove by, or the big ugly tears his wife was crying. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was going to spend my last $5 when I found 2 $100 bills on the floor at the grocery store. It was my first time ever picking up money in my life. I started thinking of all the things I could now suddenly afford to buy. I imagined how surprised and happy my partner would be to see me walking in with bags of groceries.
  Anyway, my conscience got the better of me, as I could only imagine what the person who lost it was probably going through. I decided to go around the store to see if I could spot someone who might have lost it. And sure enough, I did. The guy was looking around all over and searching his pockets over and over.
  I asked him if he was looking for something, and he said that he lost $200 and wasn’t even sure where he dropped it. I handed it to him and told him I found it on the floor. The relief on his face made me feel guilty that I was even considering keeping it for myself. He was so grateful, I thought he was going to cry. I won’t lie and say it was an easy decision, but I am glad I gave it back to the rightful owner. © MouseConscious4218 / Reddit

Life has a way of testing us with one curveball after another, but keeping a positive mindset and pushing through can make all the difference. In this article, people have shared the most infuriating or unexpectedly funny situations they’ve encountered.