Fyodor Dostoevsky once said, “If you want to help, you can do a lot of good even with your hands tied,” and we agree with every word. You don’t have to be a major philanthropist or volunteer day and night — sometimes, in order to help, it’s enough to lend a shoulder to someone to lean on, even if it’s a total stranger, at a moment when they need it most, expecting nothing in return.
We at Bright Side hope that our collection of stories will restore your faith in people and inspire you to do good things.
I was driving home on the last bus. And I suddenly felt a desperate urge to go to the bathroom, so I asked the driver to stop and hurried into the nearest bushes. Then I went out and saw the bus. The driver was waiting for me, and the passengers were also silent. He said, “Come in, it’s already nighttime, and it’s still a long way to go.” And at my stop, he said, “I have 2 girls of my own at home.” © Vіktorіya Buchko / Facebook
I’m not going to talk about myself. I teach classes. So all day, I’m on my feet, breaks between groups are short, and sometimes I don’t even have time to drink tea because there are always questions and requests for help. So my students very often treat me to some fruit or a scone from the nearest cafe... So nice! And they feel pleased too. © Alexandra Lapenkova / Facebook
In the distant past, before mobile phones, I somehow got from Germany to Brussels at night. There were no navigators yet, and the map didn’t tell me which streets were one-way and which were two-way. I was 20 years old (and looked as if I was 15 in the best case). The plan was to get to the main station by car and wait there until 6 a.m. Long story short: At first, the police took me, almost crying, off the tram tracks (I was in my car!). Instead of penalizing me, they led me to the station and left. I parked my car and went to wait at the station. But the station was closed for the night. And some marginal individuals were wandering around it. The door to the police station opened and the guys a little older than me jumped out from there, screaming and asking why I was even there in the middle of the night. When they realized that I was a naive German, they took me to their station, poured me some coffee, and kept me there until morning. The next morning it turned out that there were countless parking lots around the station, and I couldn’t recognize mine in the daylight. And again, they drove me for an hour in a police car around the station looking for my car. In general, despite the fact that I was very nervous then, the memories remain pleasant. © Elena Gilman / Facebook
Transport workers were on strike in our city. So cars drove up to the stops and took people where they needed to go for free. I was late for the train and I had a lot of things with me. The guy took me to the station and refused to take the money. How could I not be glad that such people live here? © Tanya Ruppel / Facebook
It was summer. 3 boys were in the store — 2 of them seemed to be third-graders and there was a kindergartener with them. They stood near the refrigerator with ice cream and counted pennies. There wasn’t enough money for 3 packs of ice cream, and they had already chosen the cheapest one. I gave them money for what they wanted right away. It was very nice that they didn’t leave the little guy without ice cream — they counted the money to get exactly 3 servings. © Tanya Artyukhovskaya / Facebook
I was pregnant and at about 2 a.m., I really wanted to eat macaroni with ketchup and mayonnaise.
We found some pasta but there were no sauces left. My husband went out to buy them, but all the shops were closed. As a result, he managed to find them somewhere in a cafe and brought them in plastic cups. Cafe workers poured some sauces for him and put themselves in his place. It was the same situation with ice cream and cherries — my husband was constantly looking for something at night for me. © Ekaterina Ulu / Facebook
Several years ago, my husband and I traveled to Hungary and we got lost. We got on public transport somewhere, left at one stop, and people advised us that something was wrong. As a result, we found ourselves at a bus stop in an open field about 9 miles away from Budapest, and we didn’t understand where to go next. Suddenly, a car stopped, and a young mother with a child in perfect English asked if we were lost and where to take us. Our joy knew no limits. The woman drove us to the city, although she didn’t need to go there and didn’t take a dime. Since then, I’ve been giving rides to any old ladies who are going to their country houses, even if there’s not much room in the car. I repay the debt. © Smolyanka / AdMe
I walked through the city and twisted my leg badly. The pain was so strong that my eyes grew dark. I thought I was going to faint right away. I managed to get to the advertising banner, which was standing nearby, and sat down on its base. I realized that I definitely wouldn’t make it to the bus. I called a taxi. There, of course, they asked me for the address, but I could only name the street. The operator started asking, “Well, look around, don’t you see the numbers on the houses?” I told her through tears, “I can’t get up, there’s a store nearby (I gave her its name).” The operator said in a softer voice, “Wait.” After a while, a taxi drove up, and a driver (a woman) came out of it and helped me get into the car. As soon as we sat down, she gave me a bottle of water. “The operator said you were feeling very bad. Maybe I can just drive you to the first-aid station instead of home,” said the driver. She drove me home, still trying to carry me to my apartment. © Ekaterina / AdMe
A neighbor once asked me to lend him a truck and I said, “I’d better not, the tires are bad.” The next day, he called me and said that he was just about to change the wheels and could give me the old ones. You just need to drop it off to the tire-changing station. I came and completely new tires were installed on my car. So I asked, “Where did the old ones go?” They told me, “They were never here.” It turned out this was a ploy to lure me there. My neighbor paid for a new set of tires for me. © jorcam / Reddit
Once, I had to travel through morning rush hour by train. There were so many angry people that I just couldn’t get into the carriage! I was pretty scared, to be honest. And then the driver came out, and I, without thinking twice, asked him to take me into the cabin with him. And he took me. We drove to Moscow and he surreptitiously released me with the other passengers. Thank you, kind person! © “Overheard” / Ideer
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The simple, small everyday moves are the best... For example last week it was raining heavily and I was caught in the supermarket. I was waiting the rain to stop but nothing. So a man who previously had went to his car with his wife under an umbrella, comes back to take me under his umbrella to the nearest bus stop. It was so nice of him. I still think about it and smile :)
I did that once for someone. It's a simple but yet an great act of kindness :))
That's so nice :)
I did the exact same thing yesterday for a lady outside Tesco. Not married though, so not me :p
Hahha not you for sure, I don't even know what a tesco is aahaha
lol ok then. It's a British super market btw ;)
Now I know :p
Story number 3 ... :)
