16 Heartfelt Stories That Feel Like a Gentle Embrace

When you argue with your mother-in-law and then get into it with your colleagues at work, it’s easy to lose faith in things like kindness and positivity. However, kindness is all around us, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. Sometimes, a stranger can do something so unexpectedly thoughtful that it instantly lifts your spirits and makes the world seem a little brighter.

• Yesterday, my 5-year-old daughter came home from daycare and broke her piggy bank. She said she saw their cleaning lady, an old lady, crying in the kitchen. And then she heard the teachers talking about the fact that the owners had raised her rent, and the old lady had nothing to pay for it. The daughter didn’t understand the amounts in question but hoped that her piggy bank would help this lady.
  The husband gave the child her money back, immediately ordered a new piggy bank, and said he would sort it all out himself. So he went to the daycare. He found that old lady and found out that she raised her 7-year-old grandson alone, and they rented a flat so that the child could study in the city, not in the village. So, my husband suggested that this lady should live in one of our apartments.
  After all, we didn’t rent it out anyway, the apartment was old, and my husband inherited it from his grandmother. He didn’t want tenants to live there. But he was happy to let this old lady in. She was very happy, because now she didn’t have to pay the rent, and it would be easier for her and her grandson to live. I am very proud of my kind daughter and my wonderful man. © Mamdarinka / VK
• My 5-year-old son had an appointment for a lung X-ray. We go, he’s nervous, I’m trying to cheer him up, and calm him down, but he’s still anxious. I anticipate a tantrum and tears.
  A medical worker looks out of the office and addresses the child in a friendly voice, “Hello, little man! Let me take a photo of you, take your mum with you and come in. But my machine is special, it can only take photos of superheroes. Take off your clothes above the waist and come on in.
  So, now we’ll put on your armor to make it look cool. That’s pretty cool. Now show me some karate. Put your hands up, clench your fists, and cross your arms over your head. Nice!
  Looks like you’re ready to strike. Mum’s gonna come out for a second, and I’m gonna take your photo. Okay, done! It’s a cool superhero photo! I’ll give it to your doctor to look at.”
  We left there happy, with no tears and no screaming. Thank you, nice doctor! © kuklaplum / Pikabu

• I’m in a traffic jam, hungry, trying to get home for 3 hours. In the next lane, the man behind the wheel is sitting, obviously bored. Suddenly, he turns to me and asks, “Hey, do you want a banana?” I was surprised, but I nodded.
  He took a banana from the passenger seat and threw it to me through the window. And added good-naturedly, “Enjoy your meal! And if you want another one, don’t hesitate to ask, I’ve got more!” There are kind people in the world. © SITUATION / VK
• I am a full-time student who works nights as a waitress. I have no parents, and no friends either. 3 months ago I moved from another city and haven’t had time to make friends yet.
  And yesterday, my tooth broke. The pain was terrible, unbearable. But I couldn’t afford a visit to a dentist. And so I’m working a shift, and every sudden movement or loud sound explodes with pain.
  And then the other waiters on the shift come up to me and hand me an envelope with all our tips for the shift. They say, “Here you go, baby! Go get your tooth fixed in the morning!” I even cried from this kindness. No one has ever been so kind and caring to me. © Ward 6 / VK
• I came out of the subway to a terrible downpour. I decided to go and get wet, but some guy called me from behind and offered to walk me to the station with his umbrella. It was even more pleasant when I found out that he needed to walk in a different direction. Thank you for making my day! © Ward 6 / VK

• I disliked my boss for a long time and thought he was arrogant. But everything changed when I had an appendicitis attack at work. I was lying on the sofa crying in pain, and the ambulance was not coming.
  So the boss brought me to the hospital in his car, made them accept me, even though I had no documents with me, and then drove to my home and brought my frightened mother. I am very grateful to him and, at the same time, I feel embarrassed that I thought badly of him. © Ward 6 / VK
• I was nine years old, waiting for the school bus in Wisconsin winter. I had a thin coat, and no hat or gloves. A woman driving past saw me and stopped, giving me a blanket from the back of her car. It was a long skinny one, so she wrapped it around my head and shoulders like a big scarf. I remember thanking her but being confused. I told her I didn’t know how I would give it back when I was done borrowing it. She hugged me and said not to worry. I still have that blanket. © saintdelft / Reddit
• I work as an ENT doctor in a public clinic. And we also have an ENT center for children. I went there to see my colleague, and there was a mum with a disabled child sitting in the line and not even trying to get ahead. I offered her to come with me, saying it would be faster that way.
  You know, her words got deep into my soul, “No, I will wait, because my child is the same as others, his nose is not different from the nose of the girl on the right. Your job takes a lot of nerve as it is, so why do I have to bother nurses and doctors to examine us faster than the others?” Can we have more people like this? © anekdotov.net

• I was in the maternity hospital with pregnancy complications. The hospital was small, the room of those who were due to give birth was on the same floor as those who had already given birth. It was late in the evening, and some baby had been crying in the neighboring room for half a day.
  I couldn’t relax and was nervous because of it. My roommates were like, “You already have children, can’t you ignore a baby crying?” But I felt sorry for this baby. I overcame my shyness and went to ask if they needed any help.
  I came into that ward, and it turned out that help was very much needed — there was a young girl alone in the ward, frightened, not knowing what to do, and unable even to drink some tea. I poured her tea, talked to her, and calmed her down. And when the mum calmed down, the baby calmed down too. The baby never cried like that again. © Mamdarinka / VK
• I was about 6 or 7, and I had a dollar. I saw these bags of cotton candy for $.99, and I took it to a register, confident in buying something all on my own... and it cost $1.08 or something with tax. The man standing behind me gave me a dime and told me to remember it when someone else needed a little help. I can’t remember his face, but I’ll never forget being taught kindness to strangers firsthand. © PhobosIs*** / Reddit
• We were cycling with a friend and her kids. And my friend’s son’s chain came off. And somehow it got so stuck that we couldn’t pull it out and get it back. A man hanging out on the balcony came out a couple of minutes later with gloves and some kind of tool and fixed it. © Avocado Hedgehog / ADME

• I’m a taxi driver, I came to pick up a passenger and waited for about 8 minutes, but nobody came out. The app says that the order is to be paid in cash, so there will be no compensation for my waiting time. There is a note not to call the passenger, I texted them a few times, no answer. My mood was bad, and I lost 15 minutes.
  But then suddenly I received a message from the passenger saying that he accidentally ordered another taxi, then he changed the payment method to a bank card and canceled the order. So the order was paid for, my mood was immediately lifted, and I drove the whole day with a smile on my face. © BananaPineapple / Pikabu
• I come out of our apartment building, and a guy comes out with me. He carries a big white cat, without a carrier, the cat is on a harness. So, I’m walking along them, and suddenly the cat, apparently not appreciating the charm of the noisy street, gets its claws in the guy’s head and bites him, also on the head.
  The guy groans and says quietly, “Have I ever hurt you? Then why do you hurt me?” The cat immediately calmed down. © SITUATION / VK
• When I was 11 or 12, I walked on the streets with my mom, and we saw a homeless woman. I had maybe 10 dollars in my little fake purse, and I walked up to give them to her. She started crying and hugged me. I might have initiated the kindness, but the way she hugged me and thanked me made me feel good. © Unknown author / Reddit

• My daughter was about 6 months old. I was working. I had to go to the office a couple of times a week to pick up and drop off papers. And it was a whole adventure — to take the daughter, laptop, documents, and stroller, and bring this all down from the fifth floor. And back again. And if the baby was not in the mood, this all was accompanied by her loud crying.
  So I went out and left the car open. I came home. I had to feed my daughter, wash her, take her to bed, and write out some documents on the go. An hour later, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and my neighbor stood there, “You didn’t lock your car!”
  Turns out, some woman kept watch over my car to make sure no one could get inside. And her husband came for lunch and ran to me when he realized whose car it was. The world is not without good people. © Olga Golovchenko / ADME
• I got into a crowded bus and took hold of the vertical handrail. The bus jerked, I grabbed the handrail tighter and broke it. I was afraid that the driver wouldn’t be happy so pretended that the handrail remained in place and held it firmly with my hand with a nonchalant look. The man who was standing next to me helped me and also held the handrail tightly. And I thought, what an understanding and compassionate man.
  But at the bus stop, he took the handrail in his hand and carried it out of the bus. It turned out that it was a ledge for curtains, which this man took to the bus, and he just held it firmly so that I didn’t fall. I almost cried. © Podslushano / Ideer

Here’s another collection of heartwarming stories that show how a small act of kindness can make a huge difference. These tales remind us that miracles aren’t just for fairytales—they can happen in everyday life too.