11 Acts of Kindness So Unexpected, They Stuck With People for Life

Kindness doesn’t need a reason. And these 11 stories will make you believe that compassion can show up at the most unexpected moments.

• My mother never liked my wife. She thought she was too loud, too independent, and not the kind of woman who’d fit into our family. They were polite to each other, but the air was always cold.
  This year, my wife started chemo and lost all her hair. So I shaved my head too. I didn’t ask. I just wanted her to know she wasn’t alone.
  When my mom found out, she was furious. Said I was being dramatic, that it “wasn’t about me.” I didn’t argue. We stopped talking for a while.
  Then, last week, she showed up at our door unannounced. No call, no warning. I opened it and just stood there, unsure of what to say. She stepped inside, looked at my wife, and took off her scarf.
  She was bald. She walked over and said, “You shouldn’t be the only one doing this alone.” Then hugged my wife. I cried.

• I had a pair of HEELYS, and they were the coolest thing on earth. I was rolling around in Tiananmen Square, hit a crack, and lost one of the wheels. I looked around for about an hour, but to no avail. I was probably visibly bummed, as my Heelys were now ineffective and basically ruined.
  The next morning, I was walking through the square, and an older gentleman ran up to me and stopped me—he had found my wheel. He said that he had seen me rolling around and saw me looking for the wheel after I fell. He saw that I gave up and stuck around for another hour to keep looking after I left.
  He came there the next morning with no expectation that I’d pass through but wanted to be there just in case. I’m not sure who was happier, me that I got my wheel back, or him because he didn’t think he’d see me in literally the world’s busiest square. © Unknown author / Reddit

• The day my dad died, I was holding it together pretty well. Late that night, I went to Target to have a moment to just zone out and buy a few groceries.
  As I got to the check stand with my arm full of stuff, I dropped a container of sour cream, and it exploded everywhere. I completely lost control of myself and started to cry. The ugly cry.
  I was instantly surrounded by a group of women who just took charge of the whole situation. They helped me get everything paid for, cleaned up, and one lady even got a new sour cream.
  No words were spoken, but their compassion and take-charge attitude have stayed with me since. © misdolnurs2517 / Reddit

• My son was in a pretty serious accident. I was a wreck in the ICU waiting room.
  A little girl, maybe about 9 or 10 years old, was with her family, saying goodbye to her great-grandmother. She waltzed right up to me and said, “Sir, why are you crying?” I explained my son was very sick.
  She handed me a miniature puppy doll and told me it was lucky and that my son would get better. She was right, he did, and I still keep that little puppy on my dresser and think of that sweet child. © Stillloveyou112 / Reddit

• I was never welcomed by my MIL. I was “the city girl” who took her son, and I always felt the coldness from her. When I miscarried, we didn’t tell her. I couldn’t bear the thought of fake sympathy from someone who barely acknowledged me.
  Two days later, a package from my MIL arrived. I opened it to find a sympathy card, but when I read the last line, I froze: “We’re sorry for your loss, but we never wanted you here anyway.” It stung. Those words felt like everything I’d feared about her, and I was crushed.
  But then, under the card, I found a small note. It read, “I’m sorry. I’ve always struggled to show love, but I do care. Please know that.”
  For the first time, I felt her reach out. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

• I’d locked myself out of my flat once when I was taking out the rubbish. It would have been close to midnight. Female, early twenties, and just out of the hospital. I had no way to get in and no money, phone, or nearby friends.
  I don’t remember this boy arriving or explaining myself to him, but he sat with me until morning, the whole night long beneath my block. He had limited English, so we barely spoke, and he shared a tin of pineapple with me, he had in his bag. He was calm, empty of ill intent, quiet but watchful. Friendly, a big, open smile.
  When the sun came up, he walked on. I’ll never forget him or how kind he was to do that. Some people are so in tune with the world, they protect it. I hope he was ok too. © stopbeingamole / Reddit

• I totaled my car in this woman’s front yard. She pulled me out of my car, and I was bawling. I had a concussion and I thought my hip was broken from the impact because I couldn’t stand up (later found out that they were just bruised) I was maybe 16 or 17.
  She called 911 for me and asked what she could do to help. And I said I liked dogs. And she brought both of her dogs outside to me (two tiny little yorkie puppies) and let me hold them until the ambulance came. I’ll never forget her. © capt_hampton6* / Reddit

• I was on a long, late-night bus ride. It was express, so it made very few stops. Halfway through the trip, it made a stop at a small-town station, so people could grab a snack or use a public restroom and maybe stretch their legs.
  I went up to the counter to buy what at that point was my dinner, even though it was after 10 pm, and when the cashier rang it up, I passed a $50 bill to her, and she told me that she couldn’t make change. Defeated, I went back to my seat on the bus.
  As everyone piled on and the bus drove away, a lovely middle-aged lady walked up from her seat near the back and politely asked if I minded if she sat with me. I told her she was more than welcome. She sits and proceeds to unpack a small lunch bag.
  She then split the entirety of her meal with me. She said she had been waiting for the washroom to clear out and had overheard what happened. She said, “I’ve gone hungry in my life and it sucks. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, so you can share with me.” © Theearthhasnoedges / Reddit

• The day I found out my grandmother had a stroke and would never walk or talk again, I was away at college. I finally broke down in a bathroom. A girl came in and asked if I needed a hug. I was crying so hard that I really didn’t get a look at her face.
  I cried on her shoulder for about 10 minutes and then had to pull myself together and leave for class. I never explained myself, and she never asked. I never recognized or spoke to her again. I wonder if she sometimes saw me on campus and wondered what was up and if I was okay. © AvadaKedavras / Reddit

• I was having a really bad day when nothing seemed to go right. I was picking up fast food for dinner, got to my car, and spilled my drink before I could even get the door open. I got in the car and started screaming in frustration.
  A guy walked up to my window, I rolled it down, and he said, “3, 2, 1...” and started just screaming. We screamed for a bit, he said, “Hope you have a better day,” and left.
  It felt nice to have someone to just scream with and understand my frustration. © VoteBurtonForGod / Reddit

• I was 21, flying back from a trip. My plane made a detour and ended up in a random city. The airline put us in a shady hotel for the night.
  I was frozen when the creepy man at the front desk leaned in and whispered, “Another one is here. All alone. Don’t you know that it’s not safe to solo travel when you’re that young? I bet your family doesn’t even know you’re here.”
  He smirked and then, out of nowhere, a woman jumped out of that line and shouted, “I KNOW she is here. SHE WILL be getting on that bus with us tomorrow.” I stared at that door all night, worried that something might happen.
  The next morning, that same woman was waiting for me in that lobby. Her family had already boarded that bus, but she wasn’t leaving without me.

Continue reading stories that serve as a reminder that life has a talent for surprising us when we least expect it: 11 Unbelievable Stories Where Everything Went Terribly Wrong.