20+ Stories That Are a Breath of Fresh Air for Anyone Who Is Tired of Bad News

People
2 years ago

Good things often happen when you least expect them and they come from out of nowhere, as if the world just decides to remind you that it can be a very friendly place. Maybe it’s a driver that gives you a lift for free or maybe it’s a group of people that show up to help you look for your lost dog.

We at Bright Side know that when we are totally exhausted, there’s no better cure than hearing stories that prove that kindness still lives in all of us.

  • I was in a drive-thru and was already reaching for my credit card when the cashier said to me, “The previous client paid for you. He said he wanted to do something nice for a random person.” I said, “Then I’ll pay for the next person.”
    When I was driving, I was happy that I didn’t keep my money and instead did something nice for somebody else. © umorist / Pikabu

  • There’s a pond not far from my house. And there was a baby duckling hanging out there. Totally alone. In the evening, he tried to sleep on a twig that was floating in the water, but he would fall off all the time when he fell asleep. And it wasn’t safe on the shore either (there were cats in the neighborhood). So my husband and I decided to make a safer place for him to sleep. We made a raft and placed it not far from the twig where he tried to rest. Fortunately, he realized the raft was made for him and we were so happy to see him fall asleep on it.© tatianos / Pikabu

  • My youngest daughter was born premature and with some health concerns. I had to leave my job to take care of her. It was a rough time. And then, right before Christmas, a local church class decided to help a family. They provided my daughter and I with several things that we needed: diapers (so many diapers!), a bouncer, a Boppy, some toys, and clothes. They brought in books, toys, and clothes, unexpected household goods (a broom, a mop, toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, cleaning supplies, etc.) and some warm items for me (a hat, a scarf, gloves, and a beautiful mother of pearl watch). Their generosity helped us get back on our feet again. I still get weepy thinking about it. It’s been 12 years. 12 years, and that’s the best memory I have — the best experience I have, of the kindness of strangers. © Emmariana Le Commini / Quora

  • About 4 years ago, I got on a bus and realized I had no money in my wallet. I had spent all my cash in a store the day before. I told the driver I had no money and the girl standing next to me paid for me. © Nataliya Ahmethanova / AdMe

This little kitty who got new legs thanks to people's kindness!

  • I went into an apartment building and a small child (looked to be about 7 years old) called me.
    — Mr! You dropped your potatoes!
    We picked up everything. The kid took my bag with a watermelon and helped me carry everything into the elevator.
    — Why are you helping me?
    — Because I’m a good person.
    — What’s a good person?
    — Someone who does good things. I learned this when I was in the first grade.
    — What grade are you in now?
    — Second.
    This is where our conversation ended. I arrived to my floor and the boy kept going. Sometimes, I feel like kids know more about this world than we do. © trewqyo / Pikabu

  • I was 18 and had just moved to NYC by myself and was trying to adjust to the lifestyle there (having come from a small town in the south). It was my first time using the train and I had no idea how to buy a metro card. So I’m standing there at the only working machine with a line of people behind me trying to buy a card and I was a little frantic, because I knew people were waiting. People in the line start yelling at me, which made me even more frantic. This guy steps out of the line and tells everyone to chill out. He comes up, shows me step-by-step what to do, and pays for a 12-ride card for me. He patted me on the back and told me, “Not all New Yorkers are like that, but next time someone yells at you, yell back, and they’ll leave you alone.” At that moment I didn’t feel so alone. © Wiffle_Snuff / Reddit

In Kenya, this elephant got stuck in the mud. He was noticed by a local shepherd who called a ranger team for rescue. They ended up freeing the elephant from the mud together.

  • Once, I was crossing the road with my 3-year-old son in a sleigh. I slipped, fell down, and couldn’t get up. The light turned green and cars started to just go. My tiny son was in the middle of the road when people who were standing at the bus stop ran up to me and took him from the road. A female doctor who was present said I couldn’t sit up — and that I just needed to lie down. A man I didn’t know waited for an ambulance in the freezing cold for 20 minutes. An elderly woman was going past and gave me her warm mittens, took my child, and brought him to my home. © Inna Kichigina / AdMe

  • When I was about 12 years old I went to a bookstore with my cousins. We bought a few books and then went outside and started reading them. We were all getting stared down by this old man, but after about 10 minutes of him staring us down, he got up off the bench and went inside the bookstore. He came out about 5 minutes later with 3 gift cards, he walked up to us with a smile and said, “I love seeing kids read,” and handed each of us a $20 gift card. I have never been so shocked and touched in my life. © GabeTheNerd / Reddit

This man is helping to get a swan’s baby unstuck.

  • I work at a flower boutique. Yesterday, I forgot a pot with a petunia out on the sidewalk. This pot and flower setup costs about as much as I earn in a day. I didn’t realize it until the next morning. Of course, I was sad and I was crying. At around lunchtime, a man came in and said, “Hello, I think this is yours. My wife saw it from the window yesterday.” And he gave me the pot. I couldn’t find words to thank him. It was so kind and honest. © Lorrina / Pikabu

  • I was crying in an airport terminal as I waited for a flight home, after spending the weekend with my boyfriend who was deploying for military service. A woman plopped down next to me with a giant bag. She didn’t ask questions, she just said she was sorry to see me upset and wanted to keep me company. She suddenly started taking things out of her bag, and one of them was something that still makes me laugh — a rubber duckie. She gave it to me and left. I never got her actual name, but I call her my Mary Poppins. I still have that rubber duckie. © emerzsile / Reddit

  • My grandfather would steal spices and salt crackers from his favorite restaurant. He would also steal a fork or a knife, or even some food. After he died, we went to the restaurant and told the manager about what my grandfather had done all these years. And the manager laughed and said that he knew about his “little habit.” They just let him do it because he was a regular client and a very kind person. © Rob Young / Quora

  • I was about 5 in the mid-’70s when I was sitting on one of those mechanical horses that rocks back and forth, outside of a Woolworth’s (I think), and playing while I was waiting for my mom who was in the store. Some lady walked by and put a quarter in it to make it go. I was over the moon. It was a moment of pure joy that I still remember vividly. I even remember what that glorious kind stranger looked like. © bland3000 / Reddit

  • I was running late and I had a full list of things I needed to do. I was running past a supermarket and saw a kitten shivering and looking miserable. It was so windy that I could barely stand. I thought about going into a supermarket and buying some food for her. So I went in, bought the food, and then... I forgot about all my errands, took the kitten home, and spent the whole day with her. She was so cute, she just wanted to sit on my lap. I felt so warm and I forgot about everything. My errands could wait, but not her little life... © “Podslushano” / Vk

Farmers standing in silence at an auction so that a young man can buy back his family's farmhouse.

  • I came to Munich and fell asleep on the metro. I woke up at an unknown station after midnight. I was petrified. To top it all off, it started to rain and I had no winter clothes, no friend who lived there, and no money to get myself a ride. Half an hour more and I would have fainted. Luckily I saw a cab coming and I explained the situation to the cabbie who gave me a free ride to the station and some food to eat. How can I repay such a kind and benevolent gesture, I have no idea. These acts re-instate my belief in humanity and our inherent good nature. © Vijay Singh / Quora

  • When I was laid off years ago, with my wife and 2 kids to feed, someone would send me either $100 cash or a grocery gift card in the mail. It came every 1-2 weeks with no return address. To this day I have no idea who was sending it. © DrMussintouchit / Reddit

  • Once, our dog got lost so I put ads on social media. I just posted my dog’s photo, wrote a little bit about him, and something that I didn’t expect at all happened. There were about 100 volunteers ready to help. People had driven hours just because my dog looked so sweet... It was an amazing outpouring of support... On the 8th day, we finally found him. I don’t know who cried louder or harder — me or my dog. My dog had many, many visitors for the following weeks because folks still wanted to meet the dog that touched their hearts. © dinosarahsaurus / Reddit

Lost and found Stuart. The entire town was looking for him.

  • My family and I were struggling financially, and I started a job in telemarketing. I would wear my oldest daughter’s school clothes to work, but they were a little small for me. It worked for a while, but someone finally noticed, and it was my boss. She let me know that I could not dress like that and I started crying in the break room because I was so humiliated. That next morning, there was a note on my desk that said, “Go into the break room after 3,” so I did and there were bags of nice clothes in my size and bags of groceries with my name on them. There was also $25 in an envelope, and in 1993 that was a lot of money. I was so appreciative. It was anonymous, but I think it was my boss. © Lisa Frangipani / Quora

Do you have any kind stories you would like to share with us?

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