17 People With a Big Heart Who Deserve an Award From the Ministry of Kindness

Princess Diana would say, “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” Whether we call it karma or the law of the conservation of energy, it’s true that kind actions pay off sooner or later.

We at Bright Side always try to help others — that’s why we couldn’t pass by people who accidentally started a boomerang of kindness and made this world much better.

• I was on my way to work when I saw a puppy lying in the road — he was alive but his paws were injured. I felt so sorry for it, so I called a taxi, took the puppy to the vet, used the last of my money for the treatment, and later brought the animal back to my home. As I was making a bed for my new pet, a door opened and the landlord of the apartment I was renting came in. He was totally against having animals at home and I was mentally ready to start packing my belongings and leave the apartment. He looked at the dog, turned around, and left without saying a word. Later he came back with food for the dog and said that I wouldn’t have to pay for this month because the pet needs the proper care.

• A long time ago I found a phone, dialed the number saved as “mom,” and gave it back to the owner. I refused to take any reward. At that point, my husband said that it was only me who would refuse the money, while I replied that kindness comes back to you after a while. Several years later my husband forgot his phone on a bench in a park and some kind-hearted people found it and returned it, also refusing the reward. That’s when my spouse admitted he was wrong. © Katya / AdMe

• Last winter I found a good warm glove and hung it on a tree so that people wouldn’t step or walk on it. The day before yesterday I was rushing to a clinic with my baby in a stroller and my hat dropped out of my pocket. On my way back, I saw my hat on the same tree. The boomerang does work! © Olashka / Pikabu

• My granddad used to live in a remote town in the mountains. Once, he was visited by some tourists who were extremely tired and soaking wet. They asked for his permission to put up tents in his yard. My granddad invited them to stay in his home, he gave them food, and prepared a hot bath for them. In the morning, he woke them up so that they didn’t miss the bus. Then he went out to work in the yard so that the tourists wouldn’t start offering him money or compensation of some sort. When he came home, he saw a big sack with canned food, pasta, various yummies, and a note that said, “Thanks for your kindness!” That winter was very severe and the products turned out to be extremely useful for my granddad.

• 2014: I was traveling by bus. It was an overnight journey. Adjacent to my seat, there was a boy sitting and working on his laptop until late at night. It was 4 AM and the bus driver called for his stop’s name. The boy immediately woke up and rushed to get off, forgetting his laptop bag. I got up from my seat and asked the driver to stop so that I could get off and look around for that boy to give him his laptop. The driver refused. Later, I got off at my stop and went to the bus company’s office. I asked the manager to call the guy and waited for 20 minutes to make sure the boy got the laptop. When the boy approached me, he thanked me and said he was in his final year of university studies, that his final project was on the laptop, and that he was going to submit it that morning.
  2018: I was at a gate almost ready to board a plane when a man approached me and stopped me from boarding. He asked me to open my backpack and show him my laptop. So I opened my backpack only to realize both my laptop and external hard drive were missing. Then the guy explained that I had forgotten to collect it at the security check after I deposited it there and that they had traced me all along on CCTV footage to find me at the gate after 1.5 hours. I was stunned and amazed. I rushed and my flight was delayed by 20 minutes because of this. My entire Ph.D. work was on that laptop. © Aparna Vicky / Quora

• I was in high school and I didn’t have a guitar while most of the other students had one. Luckily, my sister had a cheap guitar that she would let me borrow and later gave to me for Christmas. 6 months later she was walking by some guy who was loading up his car. He was moving and he could only take what would fit into his little sports car. His guitar did not fit in. He asked my sister if she would take it... for free. Of course, she would. She took the guitar home and when she opened up the case, she found out it was a Martin Classical guitar, with soft nylon strings that never bit into fingertips and the sweetest richest dulcet sound you’ve ever heard. Today, a guitar of that quality would be worth over $4,000. © Ann Patrick / Quora

• My friend used to have a business in the ’90s in Minsk, Belarus. Some bad people wanted to cheat one foreigner and, knowing this, my friend helped him greatly at that moment. Now my friend lives and Germany and sells cars. Recently he found a car 250 miles from the city, called the owner, and went to give the car back to him. There was heavy traffic on the roads and my friend and his son didn’t arrive until late in the evening. When they entered the garage, the owner looked at my friend, and asked him about Minsk. It was that same foreigner! He eventually sold his car to my friend at a very low price, made them dinner, and asked them to stay overnight. © PivBear / Pikabu

• I was in a supermarket and there were 2 boys standing next to me. The younger one was asking me to buy him ice cream, while the older one said, “I can’t, Tom. You’ve already picked up a bar of chocolate, I don’t have enough money for both.” The boys were poorly dressed and looked very skinny. I couldn’t resist it and said, “Tom, take ice cream both for yourself and your brother, it’s my treat.” The boys were happy, the older boy said, Thank you!" without even looking up. After paying at the checkout, I left the supermarket and saw a big golden earring with an amethyst lying on the asphalt. I’ve never found anything in my life — it was the first time. © Irina Madenova / Facebook

• I was walking off the train into the station and a homeless man approached me asking not for money, but for a soda! There was a McDonald’s nearby and I felt really compelled to help him. I got him his stuff and it all came to around $9.42. I just remember feeling really high on life after seeing his smile as he walked away with his goodies, so I didn’t even care how pricey NYC food was or how broke I actually was. But theeeeen as I approach the ticket machine to buy my ticket home I saw a man running away in a hurry to catch his train. As I get closer, I see all of his change spilling out but when I turned around to give it to him he was gone. I saw the glint of the money spilling out of the machine and I was almost terrified to count it out....it was the exact amount of money that I spent on that man’s food. © dreamydinosaur / Reddit

• At 21, I was unemployed and crashing on my best friend’s couch. I found a job at a local bar that paid barely enough to cover the gas it took to get there, so soon afterward I quit the job and got my $100 final paycheck. At that moment, my friend’s boyfriend got severely sick. Since we all were poor at that time, I bought his medicine for $80. I also filled up my car with the rest of the money and bought 2 lottery tickets. 15 minutes after I spent my last bit of money on my friend, I got $500 richer. © Kyle Burton / Quora

• My husband and I were building a cottage in the countryside and sometimes we would stay overnight there. There was an old skinny dog who lived nearby and who was always hooked up to a chain. I would feed her from time to time. 6 months later the dog returned the debt. Once, at night, she managed to break the chain and rushed into our yard. She was barking like crazy, and we rushed outside and saw 2 men running away through the fence. Only later did we see the broken window and realize that we were almost robbed.

• It was late in the evening and my friend and I were waiting for a bus. Suddenly we saw some guys being rude to a kitten. They wouldn’t listen to our requests to stop abusing it and we literally had to fight the kitten from their cruel hands. That’s how I ended up with a bruise on my eye and how my friend got a pet. However, the most interesting thing happened 2 days later — we were going to the same bus stop and found a $50 bill under a street lamp. It felt as if someone had intentionally put it there and lit it well. We were poor students at that time and the money helped us greatly.

• About 10 years ago, my father found a wallet, which had a large amount of money in it and a phone bill inside. I dialed the number on the bill and the owner’s son picked up the phone. I told them my address and they came by car. She offered me a reward but we didn’t take it. After several years, my dad went shopping and bought more than he could carry. He couldn’t walk well at that age and fell down halfway home. He tried to get up but couldn’t, and he couldn’t reach out for his cane as it was lying too far away. People just kept passing by him. Suddenly some guy came up, gave him his cane, helped my dad to get up, and put him into his car. When my dad showed him where to stop, they found out that it was the son of that woman with the lost wallet. He recognized our house. © Hishniy ZaIz / AdMe

• I felt bad while I was on a bus. I got off, sat at the bus stop, and stayed there for a long time thinking that I was gonna die. I was feeling worse and worse, my head was spinning, and my home was one hour away. There was a woman sitting next to me. She saw that I was feeling bad and asked, “Why are you so pale?” I explained what was going on to her, she got me some water, gave me painkillers, caught me a taxi, paid for it, and disappeared. I didn’t have time to find out her name or phone number to thank her. I just kept mumbling, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help!” © Overheard / Ideer

• My friend and I dropped by a flower store to buy flowers for her mother. We took a long time choosing which bouquet was the best. There was a man who came in after us and he seemed to be in a hurry. He chose a big bouquet, turned to us, and said, “Hey girls, you need flowers? Choose them ASAP, I’m paying for them.” And he did. Then he asked our names, to name his future daughters after us, and ran away. © Overheard / Ideer

• I was coming back home from work late at night. As I was approaching my entrance, I heard growling. Then I saw 3 stray dogs standing nearby, growling at me. I got extremely scared. At some point, I heard a strict, “Get away from here!” and saw a homeless man. The dogs ran away and suddenly this man said, “I remember you. You gave me $5 once and brought me some food to eat. Good night!” Afterward, he disappeared behind a trash bin. He definitely confused me for a different person but tomorrow I am going to bring him some food and give him some money. To make sure that kindness returns. © Chamber #6 / Vk

• A girl came up to me at a train station when a man was harassing me for my number, wouldn’t leave me alone, and was generally being very creepy, and she asked what train I was taking and said “Oh my God Sarah, it’s been so long! It’s so good to see you! Come over and say hi to me and Jake!” I’d never met her before, but I was eternally grateful that she saved me from a potentially very dangerous situation. © emmareddit / Reddit

Has your own kindness ever returned to you? Or do you more believe in the phrase, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”?