r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • 2d ago
Redditor, what's the most unexpectedly wholesome thing a stranger has ever done for you?
[removed] — view removed post
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u/Funnyxsunshiney 2d ago
When I was in my early 20's I ran out of gas 2 blocks from a gas station and had no money. A man came up to my car with a jug of gas and filled my car for me. I asked him for a way to pay him back and he said, " I have a daughter your age and I know how hard it is. Merry Christmas." And he walked away. I will always remember this man. So nice, so giving.
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u/diltho 2d ago
I worked at a gas station at the time. I'd gotten myself a pretty large burn on one arm (helping someone lift a grill after it'd been used, and he dropped it without warning).
A customer saw my arm, bought her stuff and came back 5 minutes later. She'd gotten me an aloe vera plant so I could break off pieces of it and rub on my burn.
I thought that was pretty wholesome :)
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u/Fluffysweetgirlx 2d ago
Theres a spot in the building I work at that nobody wants to work in. It's the coldest area in the building because there's an opening that doesn't close and doesn't have heat so you can't even eat food safely because the wind will blow it away. I was moved from where I usually am and wasn't prepared for how cold it would be there. I could barely handle money because my fingers felt frozen. A customer noticed how cold it was and without even asking if I was cold, he took off his gloves and gave them to me. I have no idea what his name was but it was the most thoughtful thing a complete stranger has ever done for me. I still have the gloves too
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u/PeachyPrinces1x 2d ago
A stranger who used to be a customer at my job took me aside once and told me she has seen my journey over the years and is so proud of me. She started crying and gave me a hug. I wish I could tell her how much that meant to me.
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u/SaraGoesQuack 2d ago
I think I've told this story on here before, a long, long time ago, but it's worth repeating.
I was probably about four years old and we were at Walmart. I was kind of playing with one of those arcade-style games they used to have in the entryway of the stores, but I wasn't really playing because I didn't have any quarters and honestly, at this point, I can't remember if I asked my Mom for some and she said no, or maybe I didn't even ask at all. Anyway, this couple happened to be leaving and they gave me a couple of quarters so I could actually play. It was such a small, innocuous thing, but I still remember it thirty years later.
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u/CharmingCascade 2d ago
i was sitting alone at the cafeteria and a teacher came up to me and gave me food that she bought for me. i didnt know who she was, she has never taught me
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u/gabagool_____ 2d ago edited 2d ago
i’m only telling this bc i’m anonymous. i don’t wanna seem like i only do these things for attention lmao but when i was 22 (f) my friends and i were leaving my apt to go downtown, and it was late. yall remember those college days lol.
anyways, i had 2 friends in the back and this young girl my age gently waved me down and told me she got kicked out and just needed a ride to the bus stop. these were student living apts and i guess she was just crashing on a couch bc she had nowhere to go. i told her sure bc i had 2 other ppl in the car. she grabbed her stuff which wasn’t much and got into the front seat.
i then realized no buses run this late so i mentioned that to her and she said she knew, but she doesn’t have a car or anywhere to stay and doesn’t wanna lose her job so she was just gonna sleep at a bus stop.
i was broke as FUCK. i worked full-time, i’ve always had to pay my own way i grew up poor as shit 🤣 but i couldn’t let her sleep at a bus stop like that. so i paid for her hotel room that night. it wasn’t much, but i was able to provide a complete stranger with a roof over their head and safety for a night. i think about her often and hope she’s ok and doing better now. she was really sweet.
i was that random kind stranger. it makes me feel good to be able to do things like that
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u/islyrd 2d ago
It wasn’t a huge thing, but huge to me. It was years back, when I was maybe late teens or early twenties. I had a gift card that I wasn’t sure if it worked. So, I went up to the register and told the cashier that I wanted to just try to buy a candy bar to check it out. Well, it didn’t work. That was fine, I was going on my way. A man who had just got in line behind me (who didn’t hear why I was there) saw what I’m sure looked like me being disappointed I couldn’t buy a candy bar. He bought it for me. I, of course, tried to decline it but he insisted.
I think about that interaction often and it reminds me that some people don’t need the whole story, they just want to do good regardless.
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u/Luna_Luxee 2d ago
A guy in France I asked for directions. Not only he walked me to the place, but he also kept me company and chatted while I visited it.
He left after 15 mins though because he had an appointment.
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u/PhoenixNirvana7768 2d ago
I always ask google.
But your experience makes me kinda envious.
But i will still not ask strangers cause i am anti social
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u/oldboathouse 2d ago
i was sitting on the side of the road in paris after getting kicked out of my airbnb early and a man gave me his unopened water from the grocery store he just bought and walked me to the subway because i was lost
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u/hollywoodwhore6969 2d ago
I was ugly crying after a blowout breakup (in vegas ofc) with my then partner of 8 years. While talking to security, a couple walked by.
The woman walked up to me and just gave me a hug. No hesitation. A big, warm, close, genuine hug.
She whispered to me - it won't always be like this
I still wonder, how did she know?
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u/rejectedone247 2d ago
I was stranded at the Denver airport, my flight was cancelled and I had to get to San Diego in the next 12 hours to depart for Desert Storm. One of the stewardess bought me an emergency ticket to get me back to San Diego
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u/dbear26 2d ago
Left me a way bigger tip than they needed to. Was bartending last summer, had just started and the bar was busy. Doesn’t help that we were understaffed and I was the only person on shift (thankfully, the rest of the restaurant was empty). I was just getting a little overwhelmed, got yelled at by my boss for messing something up. This couple only had a glass of wine each and then left, but they tipped 100% (so like $32). Totally unnecessary on their part as it was way more than they needed to leave, but it made the night a little easier
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u/MyStationIsAbandoned 2d ago
A neighbor i barely knew gave me some money as a graduation gift. his kid went to the same school as me apparently, but i never knew who he was or who his kid was. He passed away a few years after that. He knew my mom more than me though. Said he was proud of me and stuff, which I probably really needed to hear during that time from someone other than my mom whose really the only one that ever said it to me.
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u/Sufficient-Candle-64 2d ago
In my first month in a new country, someone offered to buy me a new mattress after I mentioned I had back pain from sleeping on the floor. She had it delivered to my house and gave me a box of food stuffs. I’m sure she was an angel!
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u/KissMeKaleido 2d ago
Once, when I was struggling with heavy bags at the grocery store, a stranger offered to help carry them to my car without me even asking
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u/Alternative_Egg_7546 2d ago
I went to the park to walk my dog and I ended up sitting there and crying and a guy sit beside me (with his dog) and asked me if i am okay telling that "better days are coming". i thought he will leave after giving me that line and a handkerchief but he came back with an icecream for me and our dogs haha. so cute
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u/UsefulIdiot85 2d ago
Back in 2016, a neighbor that I’d never spoken to before let me use her phone to call my brother because I had been out with him all day and accidentally left my phone in his car.
She let me use hers with no questions to call him, and proceeded to check on me every day after for a few weeks.
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u/ChipotleLaw 2d ago
Helped me put of the street and into my house, onto my couch when I was too high on mushrooms to walk.
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u/Large-Signal-157 2d ago
A guy helped me take my trash to the dumpster when he didn’t need to. I appreciated that little bit of humanity so much.
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u/Dependent_Volume_694 2d ago
Years ago, I was going through a traumatic period both professionally and personally. I was working in retail and one day everything got on top of me and I began to cry, as I was the only person on shift I couldn't leave my counter. A random lady noticed my distress, we chatted for a while, then she wished me well and left the shop, eventually I was able to go on my break. When I came back to the counter there was a package waiting for me, an associate for another brand told me that the lady had left it for me. This complete stranger had walked halfway across the city and back to buy me a gift.
As a young adult I used to publish poetry online (cringe). After I posted one particularly depressing missive, another author from the site sent me a poem that he had written in response, he wrote it in the same style and format as my original poem, but with an upbeat and encouraging message instead.
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u/Microcryptologist 2d ago edited 2d ago
I still can't believe this happened:
I was a grad student traveling alone in Europe between two countries, on a series of connecting trains. I needed to get to a conference and had a hotel booked for the night, and had two large suitcases and one rolled-up poster with me (which is a pain to travel with. also I'm a petite female. Yes my trip was poorly thought out).
My first train was badly delayed and when I finally boarded, I was super confused over how to connect with my original trains now that the timetable seemed thoroughly screwed up. I was trying to figure it out on my phone to little success.
There was a middle-aged, well-dressed gentleman sitting opposite of me, reading his paper. He paid no attention to me for most of the trip. But perhaps my anxiety showed. For some reason he looked up and scowled pointedly at my poster.
"First time in Germany?" He asked suddenly.
"yes - Are you German?"
"Yes. What do you think of here?"
"I find it very lovely, I really enjoyed it" (I meant it)
He grunted, seemingly disagreeing, and, looking mightily displeased, returned to his paper.
I was worried I accidentally insulted him somehow, but went back to trying to figure out what I should do.
As we crossed a border, he looked up again and asked me where I was going. After responding, he raised an eyebrow.
Him: "By tonight?"
Me: "Yes, I have a hotel booked at xxx" (based on his look I'm guessing the timing is as tight as I feared)
Him: "and how are you planning to do that?"
Me: "I'm not sure...I needed to board train no. xxx and then no.xxx but now I can't... so I thought I'll get down at the next stop and...uh, look for a information desk?"
He grunted again, with clear skepticism, and returned to his paper. I cringed inwardly.
My stop came. And as I got up he did too...and then to my surprise, he grabbed one of my big suitcases ... and promptly walked off. I hurried after him onto the platform (he's walking very fast, I didn't have time to even think if he was helping or stealing or leading), and he went up directly to a train nearby, spoke very rapidly to a professional-looking man (train driver? crew?) next to a door, and then gestured for me to hurry up.
The driver nodded at him, and the man hauled my suitcase in. Him: "This will get you there, you can sit over there"
Then to my utter bewilderment, without waiting for a reply, he turned, stepped off, and sprinted back. To the original train. And got on. Back into his seat. as if nothing has happened. I watched the train leave. It wasn't even his stop.
The crew member then guided a slack-jawed me to a seat.
He was right. It did get me there that night. Without even the second connecting trip.
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u/Rubycon_ 2d ago
So many things. A stranger found the $300 I dropped out of my pocket after just getting paid from my gas station job and brought it to the front of the store where a cashier gave it back to me, a guy standing in front of me stepped out of line and gave me the last question we were allowed to ask of Michio Kaku after he gave a presentation and they were shooing people out, and once a stranger on the bus threatened to beat the dude who kept harassing me up if he didn't leave me alone. A cab driver in China stayed with me the whole day on my 12 hour layover and went on a tour of the Great Wall with me and drove me back so I wouldn't miss my flight. I told him originally to drop me off but he said you'll never make it back on time if I leave. So I paid him all the money I pulled out of the ATM at the end of the day
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u/prettysouthernchick 2d ago
I was 19 and had a license for less than a year when I hit black ice. I tapped my brake but due to it being a beater, it locked up my brakes instead. On the interstate going 60 while it's still dark out and snowing, I spin 360 on the road then slide off into a ditch. Almost hit a fence. Hit my head on the steering wheel three times. I was in such shock I couldn't remember how to call my mom. Just as I was about to freak out, a man knocks on my window. He's offering to pull me out. He wasn't a tow truck but definitely some kind of a work truck. He pulled me to back to the side of the road then positioned his truck with hazards and pulled into the first lane to let me out. He was such a saint!
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u/blue_poet96 2d ago
The only memory I have that popped up when I saw this question was of me walking up to a nearby gas station once. I usually have a backpack on me whenever I walk places. I had forgotten to zip up something on it, and a random guy stopped me. Zipped it up for me. Reminded me of the days in military boot camp. It may have been a small act, but it was random, and he did not need to do that. It was a unique gesture, too. Not like the usual, expected mannerism of holding a door open. If you're out there, man, thank you. I think you're awesome and cool.
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u/rawrkittysaur 2d ago
Years ago, I went to Walgreens to get my mom some Mother's Day gifts. While I was in line to check out, this guy who had been in line in front of me came over to me and gave me a bouquet of flowers that he had just bought. He said "Here, these are for you.'" Totally made my day.
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2d ago
Im homeless so ive encountered a lot of different characters, some extremely rude, but i can remember a very few wholesome instances. Heres the first that came to my mine. One time (at one of the lowest points in my homelessness) while sitting in Mcdonalds charging my phone, i see this seemingly friendly family of four (two young children, brother and sister). The whole time im sitting there hungry as hell and kinda teary eyed observing the family, reminiscing how i was once part of a family and innocent like those two children. I had no hatred or jealousy toward the family, maybe nostalgia or bittersweetness.. Just as they were about to leave i saw them leave food on the table so i gathered up the courage to ask them if they were gonna throw it out, eat it, or if i could eat their leftovers. The dad looks at the little girl and asks if she wanted the remaining chicken nuggets and she kindly and adorably says its alright if i have them. I smiled and thanked her amd they told me to have a good day. It felt very wholesome and really lit up my day.
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u/sunshinethekittycat 2d ago
When I was a teen, my boyfriend and I wanted to go to dennys for a date. We only had $20 but we were naive and thought that would be enough. When our waiter came around I was only gonna order an appetizer and two drinks for us, but she told us to order whatever we wanted and not to worry about the price. I was confused, but went with it. After it was time to pay, I was gonna use the $20 but we were told that the family in the table behind us paid for everything. I never would have considered that happening and I wish I could have thanked them, but they had already left. I will never forget that act of kindness.
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u/Raccoon99b2 2d ago
This might be slightly off topic.
Right now there is a really pretty sunset, y'know like the type you take your phone out and take a picture for. I was looking at it from out my window, just feeling at peace and gazing at all the colors. I look out at a playground not far out in the distance, and there are a few kids playing. Suddenly, a boy, probably seven, slips away and dashes over to one of the small hills at the edge of the playground. He calmly sits down with his knees to his chin, looking at the same sunset as I was for a couple minutes, while his friends all play tag.
I used to be like that when I was younger, so it brought me hope I guess? Just seeing another human appreciate something so pretty made me smile. A highlight of the day.
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u/AdDowntown4932 2d ago
When I was 5 I was on a transatlantic boat with my dad. We were poor so we were in a room with a lot of strangers. And my dad was sick the whole way. One of the crew gave me a beautiful cameo broach. I still have and treasure it.
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u/Kindly_Animator7625 2d ago
A redditor just gifted me with concert tickets! That was an unexpectedly wholesome moment that gave me probably a life core memory!
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u/FortunateSon55 2d ago
I was working in a very busy restaurant in my early 20s and had a lot of rude customers. Once, I approached a couple at a table for their order. The guy ordered orange for his drink and I asked if he meant fanta or tropicano. His girlfriend barked at me and said he wanted orange juice, not fanta. He immediately called her out and asked why she was being so rude to me. She was embarrassed. He was a bro.
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u/EthanTheJudge 2d ago
A man went up to me after cleaning up some trash and said "We really need more people like you."
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u/objecttime 2d ago
A woman saw I only put five dollars of gas in my tank and came over and filled up my whole tank a few months ago ! She saw I was a student and was a mom just wanting to help out. What a great lady :)
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u/SPROUT_MOLE123 2d ago
well not done but said. A classmate of mine last year initially annoyed me and at first didn't like her much but that all kinda dissolved over time. One day during a class I shared with her she called me over, and said she was very drunk (I did notice that her face looked particularly flushed) since I was curious I asked her what alcohol tasted like she said that it tasted like vanilla extract but suddenly went onto a random tangent on how she thought I was the prettiest girl in school and how nice and kind I was. Safe to say that made my day and still does when I think about that moment.
Thank you Piper <3
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u/Commercial_Search249 2d ago
My father's Pagan group did offerings and prayers for me when I had my major stroke around 2 months ago. Showed genuine support and all and every time we see each of them they check in on me
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u/jeepers_beepers_ 2d ago
I am nonbinary, and at the time I was going by the name "Apollo," (I'm not anymore so I'm fine with giving this out) And one day in a high school class, we had a substitute teacher. My teacher had my chosen name written down because I had already come out to her, but this sub was an older man maybe in his late 60s or early 70s. Now just from experience, I tend to assume that most older people I encounter are going to be conservative or transphobic, so I was really panicking as he read out our names for attendance because I wasn't sure how he was going to react. He paused when he got to my name and read out, "Apollo?" And when I raised my hand to say 'Here,' he nodded and continued. After attendance was taken, he approached me, and again I started to really panic because I was scared he was going to be mean or something, but he just smiled and went, "Apollo is a very nice name, how did you come up with it? Greek Mythology?" And I calmed down and told him that it actually wasn't from Greek Mythology, but I just really really liked anything space related. He just smiled and went back to his desk and that interaction has stuck with me for the past 3 years, and taught me that I can't judge someone just based off their age.
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u/CoffeeTable105 2d ago
Last year my wife and I went to a really nice restaurant in a big city. We sat next to an older couple and we started to chat with them. At the end of the meal, we go to pay and our server says it’s been taken care of by the older couple.. it was $350 with tip.
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u/burnetpastel 2d ago
I was on the streets walking when I felt my herniated disc became swollen. So I just stood there like an idiot because every movement is excruciating. I can't even talked properly because of the pain. Some stranger noticed and she offered help. Called an ambulance and even accompanied me to the hospital. Years later, she's not a stranger anymore. I call her, my wife.
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u/nitasu987 2d ago
In May I went to Germany for a Comic Con that some actors from my favorite TV show were at (including my all time fave), all the way from the US, for my early birthday adventure.
I met someone who was really nice and we made small talk in line for the photo ops, and she took a couple videos of me with my fave. Another friend I met there (who I’d talked to online before) took a video of me with my fave at her autograph booth, giving her the gifts I brought, and I was really moved by these two people doing these things for me, completely unprompted.
Gives me a little hope for humanity :)
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u/Skrunkle-on-reddit 2d ago
Gave me water and a fidget while I was having a panic attack, then slowly backed away(in a positive way, not in an 'Im just gonna ignore this')
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u/Different_Ad_7671 2d ago
A couple months ago I was at a thrift store with my baby girl, and a lady in line when I was checking out gave me a $10 gift card ☺️ I gave her a hug too 🫶🏼
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u/Calm_Transition_8246 2d ago
I was lost in a suburban area and I requested a taxi home, the taxi never arrived at my location and my phone was dying.
It was around 10:00pm and I didn't know what to do, I saw a lady and I explained to her what happened.
First she called the taxi company to ask what the hell happened to my taxi, the company said they were not drivers available but they forgot to let me know.
Then she charged my phone and offered me a tea, after 10 minutes I was able to get an Uber.
She gave me her number to let her know when I got safe at my place.
I told her she was my angel on earth.
*** I couldn't request a Uber when my phone was dying.
Lessons learned:
Bring your charger with you, make sure your phone is fully charged before leaving your place.
It is ok to ask for help.
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u/slay_la_vie 2d ago
I had an angel help me clean my windshield after a long day working and finding it covered in sleet and snow, in the South where I didn't atm have a brush on hand. He had no idea how much it meant to me, and I was so cold I don't remember if I thanked him enough before he hurried off 🙏🙏🙏
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u/Double-Scale4505 2d ago
I was 5 at a 7-11 with my two cousins same age. We were negotiating what nickel candy to spend our 25 cents on. A guy came up to us and gave us a $1. He said nothing and left. It was the best. And we had a great day walking home with all the candy.
It taught me the importance of kindness at a young age.
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u/TexMexPatsFan12 2d ago
Gave me a hug. Last year on the week of my brother’s wedding I took off that Wednesday due to having a nasty cough that seemed to be getting worse. I went to UrgentCare and got prescribed some medication. I went to the pharmacy at HEB and as I was waiting in line I noticed this kid walking away from his mom/guardian who was in front of the line. I think he was autistic, but I’m not too certain. He had a bit of a limp and he was walking around the line telling everyone hi and asking how they were. He got to me said hi, asked me how I was going, and I said I was good and asked him how he was doing. Out of nowhere he gave me a big tight hug, the kind where you put both arms a person’s neck and your face is on the other person’s shoulder. He was about my height and I remember it caught me by surprise. I almost started crying at such a kind gesture because I was have such a difficult week. I lost my mom a few years prior and at the time we were about a month away from her anniversary on top of that my brother’s wedding had me missing her even more than usual. I needed that hug more than that kid will ever know. It wasn’t even that long of a hug (maybe five seconds). The boy’s mom/guardian came and grabbed him, apologized to me, and I heard her tell him not to be grabbing strangers. I told her not to worry about it. I still think about that kid to this day, I wish I would have gotten his name and thanked him. I never told anyone this story, but I think that boy gave me the strength I needed to get through that week.
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u/One-Turn-4037 2d ago
A while back I helped an old guy stand back up. Next day his family gave me a crisp 20. Karma runs both ways.
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u/Running2049Blades 1d ago
Well one time, I had dinner out at a bar, and was having troubles paying with card/using the machine (turns out the place was card only too). A couple noticed, and paid for my mail if I was able to pay them back. This was super nice of them to do, and just a reminder that people can be really good-hearted/generous and help out.
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u/OddSpudling 2d ago
I remember as a kid, a UPS driver was delivering a package and fixed my bike for me in the process, that man better get one big fat raise
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u/LovelyMeadow- 2d ago
He helped me change a flat tire. Recommended a place for me to go to the next day to get it checked out. When I got there the next morning he had stopped by to drop off his business card and to tell them to take good care of my vehicle. When they called me to tell me that the car was ready they also told me that he had paid for the new tire. Still can't believe it. You don't get people who do that for someone they have never met before.