20+ Strangers Who Will Stay in Each Other’s Hearts Forever

There are places, things, situations, and even people that manage to surprise us both for better and for worse. And even though talking to anyone you find on the street might not be the smartest thing to do (if you do, you should always do it with caution), there are also times when a complete stranger could turn your life upside down forever, in the best way possible. Maybe you lost your wallet, and a stranger brought it back to you, or maybe he or she even saved your life.

These are just some of the examples that we found on a Reddit thread where users were asked to share their stories of a time that a stranger did something for them that they would never forget. Bright Side compiled some of the best ones in this article.

• When I was a broke 18-year-old trying to make ends meet, I had a side hustle providing IT support for households (like a Geek Squad sort of thing). In practice, I would mostly set up computers for elderly people and the tech illiterate, and teach them how to use them... Or get them out of technical binds (usually with printers) by googling on their behalf.
  
  At one point, this elderly Korean gentleman hired me to set up his new computer for him. I spent an hour setting it up and teaching him how to use it, and 2 more hours eating a wonderful lunch with the man and his wife. He wouldn’t accept my invoice (for just the first hour) —instead, he paid me 3x my hourly rate for all 3 hours, and he asked me to come back to train him the next week.
  
  Over the course of about a month, I came back 4 times, worked with him, had a lovely meal, and he would tell me about his family and his kids (he was so proud of his daughter, who was about to finish her residency and become a pediatrician). By the end of the month, he was pretty comfortable on the PC, and I thanked him profusely for how kind he had been and how ridiculously he’d overpaid me.
  
  He told me I reminded him of his son (who was estranged for some reason — I didn’t press), and that he hoped that somewhere out there somebody was being kind to his son, and sharing a home-cooked meal with him. I don’t know why, but (now) more than 10 years later I can’t think of that guy without tearing up. I hope everything turned out well for him. © bad**s_panda

• Took a train to NYC by myself for the first time. I was 18. Second time in NYC, first time ever on a train. I told the kiosk lady that I’d never been on a train before and asked if she might give me a quick rundown of what to do. Another train station employee was nearby and was so interested and amused that I was taking the train for the first time and was alone. He walked me through what to do, down to the smallest detail. No judgment, no ill will. He was just a guy with a silly disposition, delighting in a young person’s naivety, breaking up the doldrums of his week. I aspire to be that way when people ask me for help. Thanks, Frank P. You were a peach. ©Acceptable_Medicine

• When I was super overweight, I was just starting to workout somewhat regularly. Being morbidly obese at the gym is terrible — I have never felt more eyes on me before in my life. I was on a treadmill, grinding out an inclined walk/light jogging, and a super fit girl got on the machine next to me. She did a short warm-up, and before she got off the treadmill she turned to me, gave me a high 5, and told me to keep it up. It was so encouraging to have that support, when I was used to getting stared at by everyone else in the gym. Her small, kind gesture went a long way! © FishNchips72

• My son was a week old and had to go to the doctor. I had severe early-onset postpartum depression, and I hadn’t slept more than an hour at a time since his birth. I ended up locking my keys, phone, and son in the car. This incredibly wonderful older couple calmed me down, called CAA, parked beside my car, and sat with me until the tow truck came and unlocked the car. The tow driver refused payment. I will never forget those 3 people. © alwaysiam**ad

• The foreign exchange student (and his parents) who walked past my park bench on campus and dropped his passport. I chased after them to return it and his mom started screaming at me in broken English like, “Why you have his papers? Why you steal his papers?” while the kid and his father looked like they were going to die from embarrassment. © ThadisJones

• I was in the university library with a really bad cold, I was super-tired and wanted to go home, but desperately studying for my upcoming exams really late at night. I thought I was alone, but a stranger came by my desk with an unopened pack of cough drops. He then told me my health was the most important thing I would have on this earth and walked away before I could process what had just happened. I wanted to thank him for his kindness, but I never saw him again. © datataa

• When I was in elementary school I fell through ice. A man who was walking his dog saw me fall and rushed to the shore. I frantically swam back to the shore, I was only about 5 meters into the pond, so it wasn’t a long way, but it was hard to move with soaked winter clothes. When I reached the shore, the man pulled me up by my jacket. It would’ve been difficult to get up, as there was a steep incline. I didn’t thank him, because I was in shock, but I bet he knows I was grateful, and 20 years later I still wish I would have thanked him. © Omenaa

• I was waiting for my appointment with an optometrist when an old Haitian man walked in with a grocery bag. The receptionist knew him already, so he walked up to me and proceeded to test me with riddles. When I finally got the answer to one, he reached into his bag and gave me a Snickers bar, then left. To this day I’m really curious as to what would motivate a man to become a wholesome riddler. © Not_an_elk

• I was at a pool bar at a resort in Jamaica. A British lady next to me asked me the most random question, which turned into a nearly 3-hour long conversation. The question: What is a redneck? It was a lot more difficult to explain than I thought it would be. I didn’t realize that it was an unknown concept to a lot of Brits. © Fuginshet

• The gentleman in a business suit handing me his umbrella in the middle of a downpour. We were just passing each other on the sidewalk, our eyes met, and he just handed over the umbrella with a “hear ya go.” Never saw him again. © Jenmeme

• I was by myself in a restaurant bathroom with my screaming newborn baby. As his cries intensified, I started to crumble, knowing that we somehow had to walk all the way through the massive restaurant because the bathroom was tucked away in the back. A woman close to my age walked in, I apologized for the crying, and she immediately smiled and responded with “don’t even worry about it.” On her way out, she walked up to me and my baby and asked if this was my first. I responded with a yes. She was not a mom herself but immediately became empathetic to my situation. After a few minutes of conversation, I told her that I was nervous about walking my crying baby through the busy restaurant. She looked at me and said, “let’s get you out of here.” She then opened the door and walked behind me softly rooting me on all the way back to my table. She had no idea how much I needed her at that moment and I’m forever grateful. © Rdab3

• One day I was trying to park at a store and a lady was crossing in front of me in the parking lot. I was waiting patiently and she shot me a dirty look and yelled something along the lines of, “What’s your problem?” I proceeded to return the profanities among other things. I went into the store steaming and proceeded to do my shopping. When I came out, I had all but forgotten about the lady, but as I drove away, there she was. Something came over me and I pulled up to her and said something like, “I’m sorry for yelling and cursing at you, I don’t even know you. Who knows, we could have a lot in common or even be friends.” Her face transformed in front of me. It went from twisted up angry, to soft and friendly. She apologized immediately and in the most genuine way, told me to have a good day. This is the day that I really learned that positivity and love are really powerful and that they are the type of energy I want in my life. I know I sound like a lil’ softie but that was a big experience for me and I’m grateful for her. © tunaandthefishgang

• I was walking down the street and a person came up to me and asked if I had any money. I gave him some. He looked at the money, told me it was sinful, and returned it to me. It was really weird. That money was my hard-earned money. © Orphan007

• A prisoner on a Greyhound bus. There were 2 of them, but I remember one specifically. Apparently, they put prisoners who are transferring from max to minimum security on Greyhound buses. They didn’t have a guard or anything, and from what she said, they had no motivation at all to run. She had already served 5 years, and only had 6 months left. If she tried to run, she would serve at least 10 more years. I was 17 and pregnant, and completely broke. I was starving and scared. My life was in shambles, and everyone in my family had abandoned me. She bought me food and was kind to me. She was old enough to be my mother and I really wished she was. She didn’t judge me... she just bought me food and drinks and offered kind words. I really wish I could find her and repay her kindness. © gringainthesun

• When I was younger, I went grocery shopping with my dad. As we were walking, an old man stopped us and handed both me and my sister a shiny one dollar coin. He told us that he wanted us to have them and to have a Merry Christmas. I never saw him again, but I think of that kind old man from time to time. © Honeybee_53

• I was driving down south with my girlfriend and we had a blowout, so I put the “donut” spare tire on the car. Then the donut blows out while we’re exiting at the very next exit. So there we are, maybe 19 years old, and at least a hundred miles from anyone we know, sitting at a gas station in the middle of nowhere. I’m thinking about what to do next and it probably looked like there was something wrong, so this older man offered to help. He drives me 20 or so minutes to a junkyard to get a cheap tire. Then he puts the tires on the rim with no more than a pry bar and some soapy water. Had a compressor on his truck, so he aired it up and I put it on. And we went on our merry way. © fla_man

What are the most surreal and impressive stories you experienced involving a stranger? Under what circumstances did the stranger touch your heart?