13 Stories Where Kindness Was Literally Built In

In our busy lives, we tend to forget how much power we have to make things better for others. As these stories show, kindness can be found in the small choices we make every day—how we speak to others, whether we notice when someone needs help, and if we take a moment to show we care.

• I was new in town. I’d been going through a very rough period. I just lost my wife. So, every lunch break, I’d walk to this park like I had somewhere to be. I just didn’t want to eat alone in my apartment.
  So I’d sit on the same bench, stare at the pond, and pretend that was enough. One day, I noticed tiny carvings in the wood. “If today is heavy, you’re not the only one.” “Sit here as long as you need.”
  At first, I thought it was random, but the bench was full of them—little reminders to keep going. A week later, an older woman sat next to me and said softly, “We started writing those after my son passed. We didn’t want anyone to sit here feeling invisible again.”
  That day, I cried a lot. I believe it was the first day when I started to heal. © James / Bright Side

• I was at Costco looking for the double tubs of hummus, but they only had 24 packs of little containers. A man with 2 preteens was also looking for it. We didn’t actually exchange any words.
  I pointed out the price of another dip that he was looking at instead and couldn’t find. I took a look further down the aisle and turned and shrugged at him. We parted ways with our respective dips. I went for the 24-pack.
  About 10 minutes later, I am now reunited with my partner. Suddenly, from around the corner comes the very same man holding a double hummus pack in his hand. I point at him and open my mouth to ask where he got it, but before I get any words out, he plucks the 24-pack out of my cart and replaces it with his hummus and walks away.
  I was so stunned, I just followed him with my finger. Mouth agape, confused but smiling. My partner, of course, is incredibly confused, having absolutely no context for this interaction. © Societarian / Reddit

• We bought our first home 8 months ago. 2 issues made me crazy: kitchen lights flickering every Tuesday at 6 AM and the garage door opening by itself at random times. Electricians found nothing.
  This weekend I went to the attic and found a bin. I froze. Inside was a handwritten letter explaining everything: lights flickered because of the solar panel sync, and the garage door issue was related to the neighbor’s frequency.
  But attached was $500 cash and a note: “We know moving is expensive. Use this for the fixes or a nice dinner.
  P.S. The oak tree in the backyard? We planted it when our daughter was born. Take care of it for us.” © Russell / Bright Side

• Lady 1: “Your scarf is gorgeous.” Lady 2, without missing a beat: “Well, your face is gorgeous.” Lady 1 gasped dramatically: “Don’t you dare out-compliment me.” Lady 2: “Too late.”
  Then they both giggled like teenagers. © Bacon-B****licious23 / Reddit

• My fiancé and I were checking out earlier today at Kroger. There was a man and his daughter in line behind us.
  Daughter: I just can’t understand why every boy I like ends up being so pathetic. What’s wrong with me, Dad?
  Father: There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, honey. Don’t you ever think like that. You’re perfect.
  Daughter: Yeah, yeah. You have to say that. You’re my dad.
  Father: If there’s one thing you should already know about me, it’s that I never lie. Especially not to my kids.
  Daughter, after a long pause: Okay. Then why? You’re a man. You should know that too, right?
  Father: Because you’re looking for a diamond in a pile of rocks, sweetie. There are good guys out there. You just gotta get out of the rock pile.
  Daughter: Maybe I don’t deserve a diamond. Maybe I’m doomed to be stuck in the rock pile for life.
  Father: Trust me. You’ll find your diamond someday.
  Daughter: And how do you know that?
  Father: Because diamonds belong with diamonds. Duh.
  They both started laughing. And it was all I could do not to tear up! I miss my daddy every single day, and this conversation completely melted my heart! I hope that girl knows how lucky she is. © DefinitelyNotMaranda / Reddit

• Years ago, I worked at a bookstore. One of my favorite coworkers passed away rather suddenly and unexpectedly. He was like the store’s Grandpa. He always had kind words, snacks, and he’d make sure you got to take your break during the crazy busy holiday season.
  His funeral was on a Saturday. After the service, I was trying my best to hold it together when someone came up to buy the last book that the store’s Grandpa had recommended. I lost it and started crying.
  The young man who was buying the book asked what was wrong, and I told him about the store’s Grandpa and his funeral. The guy expressed his condolences, and we wrapped up.
  10 minutes later, he was standing in front of me again with water and a cookie from the cafe. He ran back there after he bought his book and then stood in the busy line just to give them to me.
  It’s been like 15 years, and I still think about his kindness. © mightyhorrorshow / Reddit

• My son (20) is a night owl. I had to catch a very early morning flight to be away for 4 days and went to bed early the night before. When I grabbed my bag in the morning, I found my son had left a note with a list of items to check I had not forgotten. Charger, toothbrush, wallet, etc.
  At the bottom of this note, he wrote that he knew I would get hungry and had made me a sandwich. Left in the fridge, in a sandwich bag. And it had butter on it. (Hahaha, I always complain that his sandwiches will be dry when he makes them without it!)
  I think I was the only one on the flight who wasn’t hungry. It was a couple of weeks ago, and I can’t help but smile when I think of it. I still get the warm and fuzzies, and it makes me feel like I’ve raised him well. © Conscious-Link-6174 / Reddit

• When I rented my studio, the landlord showed me a slim cupboard in the hallway. It had a lock, so I assumed it was for pipes or tools. He just smiled and said, “You’ll see.”
  A few nights later, I heard a knock on the wall coming from there. I unlocked it, half curious, half confused... and found a note and a small bag of groceries inside. “Welcome. Take what you need. Leave what you can.”
  Then, my neighbor leaned out her door and explained, almost like it was normal: the cupboard was shared between our apartments. Built so people could pass food or medicine without the awkwardness of asking.
  My stomach dropped because I hadn’t told anyone I’d been skipping meals to stretch my paycheck. © Micheal / Bright Side

• There’s a cat in my neighborhood that started visiting my porch about six months ago. She’d just sit there for a while, watch me through the window, then leave.
  I started putting out a bowl of fresh water for her since it gets hot here in the summer. She’d drink it, sit for a bit, then go on her way. This became a daily routine.
  Over the months, she got more comfortable with me. She’d let me sit outside near her. Eventually, she started rubbing against my legs when I’d come out.
  This morning, I heard unusual sounds on my porch. I looked out, and there she was with three tiny kittens. She sat down, the kittens explored the porch, and she just looked at me. Like she was introducing them.
  I sat very still and watched. The kittens investigated everything: the water bowl, the doormat, and a plant pot. She kept them close but let them explore. After about 15 minutes, she gathered them up, and they all left together.
  I feel like I just experienced something really special. Like she trusted me enough to bring her babies to my porch. Like she was saying, “This is a safe place; these are my kittens. I wanted you to meet them.” © UpsetTemporary565 / Reddit

• The other day, I went for a local hike with my dog. It was about a 2.5-hour hike, round trip, up to a lookout peak and back down. I misjudged the timing and ended up doing the last 20 minutes in the dark.
  The whole time, I was feeling so dumb, especially because I was the last hiker out. When I left the peak, there was one other hiker up there, a young woman, who passed me up just as I started on my way down. So I knew I was alone on the trail and knew that a small mishap, like just tripping on a rock or root, could have me stranded there with no help.
  The last bit in the dark was a little sketchy, and I was a bit stressed. When I got to the parking lot, the young woman who’d passed me was waiting in her car. As soon as I got to my car, she took off. I’m pretty sure she saw that I’d be the last one out there, alone after dark, and she waited in her car to make sure I got out ok. © wharleeprof / Reddit

• After my divorce, I started going to this little cafe mostly because my apartment felt too quiet. I’d order something small and sit alone with my phone. In the back was a long wooden table I never used.
  Then one day, I noticed a sign on it: “Sit here if you’re open to company.” I sat there, and a stranger smiled at me and asked if I wanted to split a cinnamon roll. We chatted for a bit.
  Later, the owner told me he built that table after losing a friend to loneliness. “No one eats alone here unless they want to,” he said. I believe it was such a great idea. And I hope there will be more spaces like that one day. © April / Bright Side

• I ate dinner out tonight with my oldest kid, who is really going through it right now. We had to get out of the house to talk through a lot of difficult stuff, and it was kind of an emergency. To do that, I packed my youngest off to spend a few hours with my parents and tasked my dad with driving him to and from his trumpet lesson.
  When we walked in, the oldest kid clearly wanted one of the cookies from the display at the register, and I encouraged them to get one for dessert. And then I asked for a second super chocolatey cookie in a bag to go for my dad. The cashier asked if he was celebrating anything, and I said, “No, he’s just a chocoholic and a good guy who’s helping me out right now.”
  Then, the woman from the register brought over the bag with the cookie and had written “[Dad’s name]! Thanks for being a great guy! Enjoy! Your friends at [Restaurant’s name].”
  Here’s a toast to small, unexpected kindnesses, to the strangers who somehow know just when such kindnesses are needed, and to really, really good chocolate chocolate cookies. © CrowRoutine9631 / Reddit

• When I moved into my building, it looked modern and fancy, but no one talked to each other. Then management installed a huge shared mailbox wall with extra slots: “Borrow a book,” “Spare chargers,” “Baby clothes,” “Tools,” “Take one, leave one.”
  At first, I thought it was a cute gimmick. But people started hovering there. Leaving things. Taking things. I found a screwdriver I needed once. I left a stack of cookbooks I didn’t need.
  And before I knew it, neighbors were saying hi because we had actually shared something. Within a month, the building had a group chat, potlucks, and a rotation for taking an older man’s trash out. Someone had just built a reason for us to stop being strangers. © Linda / Bright Side

Need more proof that good people are everywhere? Check out another collection of heartwarming moments: 10 Stories That Prove Small Acts of Kindness Keep the World Going.