12 People Who Were Shown Kindness, and Never Forgot It

Brief encounters with strangers can have a huge impact on our lives. That’s exactly what some people experienced when strangers’ kindness changed their day or even their lives. From simple emotional support to life-saving actions, here are moving stories that perfectly show the power of human connection.

• I ran out of petrol not long after I started riding because I didn’t realize I’d go through my reserve as fast as I did. I managed to get a few more miles down the road by laying the bike on its left side to get a few more drops into the carburetor, but eventually it wouldn’t work anymore. I was about to start pushing when a guy pulled up next to me and said, «No fuel?». I said yes and he told me to wait.
  About 10 minutes later he came back with a jerrycan of petrol and poured it in, but before I could offer him anything he said, «Happens to the best of us» and drove off. I assume he was a biker too and had the same happen to him once. He saved me the trouble of pushing the bike or getting recovered. I wish I knew who he was, so I could repay him. © kryptopeg / Reddit

• I transferred in the middle of first grade to a school that did ice cream Fridays where you’d pay like 50 or 75¢ for whatever kind, and then you’d watch an educational video in the classroom. I was unaware of this when the first Friday rolled around so I didn’t have any change and neither did the kid next to me. Normally there would be a few who didn’t get ice cream but this day we were the only two.
  So the teacher called the both of us aside and gave us each the change required to have our ice cream. I think the biggest thing was that she didn’t do it in front of the other kids so it looked like we had brought the money all along. It was incredibly kind of her, she was a wonderful teacher outside of that as well. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was out of a job at a time that I had to support my mother. Finally landed one, but I had to walk back and forth, and I didn’t have any shoes that would hold up on the walk or the work. Went on Facebook and mom asked around for some hand-me-downs we could buy from someone.
  A day later, a very kind man showed up with a brand-new pair of really nice shoes he had just gone out and bought for me. He left before I could even get any money for him. I cried. © Bubbazord / Reddit

• When I was 10 or so, I played little league. When the team won a game, everyone would go to the Dairy Barn for an ice cream cone to celebrate. I had an awful coach one year who determined that if you didn’t play in the game, you didn’t get an ice cream. I didn’t play a single game that we won (I wasn’t very good anyway) but I still went to the Dairy Barn just to hang with my friends while others usually went home.
  The lady server asked me what I wanted, and I told her that I couldn’t have one because I didn’t play in the game. She gave me a funny look, and went on to the next customer. Later, as we were sitting at the outdoor picnic tables, this same lady came out and gave me a HUGE ice cream cone. «You’re still a winner,» she said and walked away. I still choke up a little when I think about it. © DFSdog / Reddit

• Last year my son and I went to Lowe’s to buy his grandpa a weed eater and a certain attachment that goes with it. Grandpa is a little older and slower than he used to be, but he does a lot for us, so we wanted to spend a little money to help make his life a little easier.
  As we get there, there’s only one of the attachments left that we wanted. Well, there was a guy there getting it down for another customer. My son looked devastated. He knew how much his grandpa had been wanting this stuff, and we were going to surprise him with it. My son looked at me and quietly said, «That’s the last one. What are we going to do for Pa now?»
  Well, the guy overheard and saw the look on my son’s face, so he casually handed it to me and said, «I think Pa needs this more than I do. I’ll just get an IOU from the store.» It was such a small moment for this guy, but it’s one of those things that you witness that will literally help shape my son and his view of the world. © sm1ttysm1t / Reddit

• I was leaving a park with my son. I put a hard candy in my mouth, said something to him, and the candy slipped down my throat. Immediately knew I was in trouble because I couldn’t get air. I threw the car in park, left my son wondering what was going on, and started flagging down people on the street. A guy and his girl stopped, just as things started to go dark for me.
  I made the universal choking sign and the guy understood. I could tell he wasn’t sure what to do, so I guided his hands to the correct position to perform the Heimlich maneuver. After 4 or so heaves, the candy popped out. I gave him a big hug and we went our ways. It was the scariest moment of my life, not dying per se, but dying in front of my son, and this nice guy saved me. © Bobothemd / Reddit

• I had finally decided to get out of my toxic home. I went to my college’s financial aide office to see if I could qualify for a dorm. I was $50 short. I remember looking at the ground, trying not to cry. I had finally gotten the courage to up and leave, but I still couldn’t do it.
  The financial aide lady touched my shoulder, looked me in the eyes and said «I believe you.» It was the first time anyone had flat out said they believed I was in a bad home environment. She took out her own credit card and paid the last $50. She went with me to sign the lease and to get the key to my dorm. I stood with the key in my hand and realized I was getting out. I was going to be free. I broke down, she hugged me and told me to pay it forward eventually.
  I have no idea what her name is, but to the woman at Dixie college who took a chance on me, thank you. I pay it forward by speaking at therapy groups, by sponsoring those who are in similar living situations as I was. © castironskilletmilk / Reddit

• I was riding my bike on a long trip through Canada. With about 50 miles to go, I had a major mechanical failure. Stuck on the side of the road in a foreign country, within 5 minutes at least 10 cars had stopped to check on me.
  One guy loaded my bike in the back of his truck and drove me 30 miles to the border, where I could catch a ferry back to the US. Amazing kindness and generosity toward a stranger. He just asked that I pay it forward and to date I’ve helped 5 cyclists who were broken down in honor of that promise. © countlessbass / Reddit

• When I was a kid, we didn’t have a lot of money, so we often shopped at thrift stores. What I loved about that was that you could get 10 books for a dollar, so I would plant myself in front of the book section and make piles of which one I wanted to get, and then decided after I’d gone through them all.
  One day, an older lady saw me sitting with my piles and asked if I liked to read. I told her I did and showed her a few of the books I found that I liked. She smiled and then pulled a dollar out of her purse, handed it to me and said, «Promise me that you’ll keep reading.» I was so happy and immediately stood up and said that I would. She smiled and walked away, and I went back to my piles, able to pick out an extra 10 books to take home.
  It was just a small act of kindness for her, but for me, having a random stranger encourage my love of reading and making me promise to never stop definitely had a lot to do with my continued love of reading. This was probably over 20 years ago, but I still think of her whenever I buy a new book. © -eDgAR- / Reddit

• The time my car broke down in the middle of the night and my phone died, and I didn’t know what to do. A random stranger pulled over and told me «We all need a little help sometimes» and I’ll never forget her words as she helped me jumpstart my car. © dnebesh / Reddit

• When I was at school, I helped a girl out when she was having a meltdown in the bathroom. A few weeks later, she pretended to be my friend who had been waiting to meet me, when I was being followed home by two guys. We never saw each other outside of those two occasions, but I still think about her and hope she’s doing ok somewhere out there. © Numerous_Emus / Reddit

• Moved from a city to the country. I bought a large metal bottle rack at a yard sale without thinking of how I would get it home. As I stood outside my car measuring, knowing very well it wouldn’t fit, an older man came up to me. He asked if I needed help getting it home and offered to follow me in his truck.
  I thought I was going to get robbed, but it was only $40, and I couldn’t get it home anyways. The older man followed me home and helped me bring it into the house. We talked for 5 minutes or so and as he was about to leave I asked him, «I just have to ask, what made you do this today?» The man extended his hand to shake mine and said, «Just doing my good deed for the day».
  I was floored. I’m never moving back to the city, and I see this sort of kindness all the time where I am. © Some_Guy0005 / Reddit

It isn’t always other people who pull us out of a difficult time. Sometimes we do it ourselves. On social media, people shared their stories about refusing to quit when times were tough and how, despite their struggles, they persevered. We gathered their stories in this article, and now they inspire others with their resilience.