A woman paying for a coffee with a smile on her face. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Tara Moore; Reddit | u/whoops53
People might remember some kind acts for a lifetime. An individual shared one such act that they experienced as a pre-teen and it prompted other people to share their stories, too. The person, u/Ukcheatingwife, shared that they were quite poor as a kid and often had their electricity and gas turned off. Cupboards were often empty and they had no TV. They didn't have money for lunch at school and a friend who shared her lunch with them hadn't come in either. However, soon enough, the person experienced unexpected kindness from a stranger.
A man giving a bag of food to a girl. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | CasarsaGuru
"I was walking down the streets because I’d done my homework in the library, so I could see what I was doing. I’d found 20p on the floor and went to the chip shop and bought a cone of batter bits," the person recounted. An older man came out of the shop and knocked the cone out of their hands. They waited silently until the man was out of sight and then got down on their knees to get whatever they could. "While I was doing that, a man came out of the chip shop. He had been waiting for his food to be ready before I got there and said, 'Here you go, duck,' handing me a big warm bag of something." The person was about to refuse, but the man said that he needed to watch his weight and went away. "I shouted 'thank you' and walked around the corner to a bench and opened it up. There was a massive portion of fish and chips, two pots of peas, two sausages and a nice cold can of Coke." The person was glad for all the food and ate as much as they could and saved the rest for school the next day. In turn, they asked people to share "the kindest thing a stranger has ever done" for them. The responses were overwhelming.
1. Kind women at the shop
"When my mum died, I went to House of Fraser to buy a dress. When I explained to an assistant that I was looking for a smart black dress, she said, ‘Oh, job interview?’ And I said no, my mum's funeral. She went and got a personal shopper and they popped me in a changing room and brought me tea and loads of options. I wasn’t coping very well and I always think about those two ladies who showed me some mercy. I didn’t know what to wear because my mum would have helped me before and they got everything sorted. On the day of the funeral, I looked very smart and I am so grateful for that." -u/Gatecomprehensive987
A distressed woman buying clothes at a store. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Oliver Rossi
2. A helpful bus driver
"When I was 14, we moved houses and I got a bus home for the first time. I was unfamiliar with the area and ended up staying on way past my stop. The driver only realised I was still on there (the only person left) when he got to the end of the route, a few miles away from where I needed to be. The bus must have been terminating, so he drove me home to my street, which was definitely NOT part of the route in his big bus. Top guy. Over 20 years later, I haven’t forgotten him." -u/DeirdreBarstool
3. Getting off the tube for an iPad
"First thing that comes to mind is a guy got off the tube and handed me the iPad I had left in my seat. Wasn’t even his stop." -u/loquaciousofbored
4. Stranger turned friend for life
"Talked me off the outside railing of a bridge, friend for life, happened 7 years ago, regularly meet up for drinks and golf." -u/anon
A teacher smiling with a little girl. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Courtney Hale
5. A thoughtful teacher
"I remember a girl in my class at primary school, aged 5, she was so hungry she would pick apple cores out of the bin and eat them. One of the teachers noticed and from then on would open school early to let her have a shower and make her breakfast. She would make sure she got 3 meals a day and washed her clothes. Even though I was 4 or 5 at the time, I knew the girl’s situation wasn’t right and I have never forgotten that teacher." -u/vixenique
6. Help from an American tourist
"I was probably 13 years old and had a broken ankle, in a plaster cast. I was in Spain with my mum and walking with crutches in the heat and stopped at the top of two huge sets of outdoor stairs. I took a minute to rest and build up to getting down them when an American tourist, big guy with a freaking stetson hat asked if I needed help. We gratefully accepted and he scooped me up and carried me down all of them. I was slightly shocked and slightly embarrassed, but never forgot his gregariousness and generosity!" -u/Stillmissblockbuster
"A lady paid for my parking when the card machine wasn't working and I didn't have enough coins. I was running late and stressing about it and she was so lovely." -u/winch25
8. A tub of Pringles
"Had a really delayed flight and nothing was open at this point. It was 4 am and I was miserable. This man came up to me and gave me a full, unopened tub of Pringles and a newspaper and told me to have a nice flight. The warm fuzzy feeling of his generosity and kindness made my absolute day." -u/Solid_Thanks9615
9. A silver mini football
"And I remember when my son was small, he had a really shiny silver mini football. There was a family with a little boy who just looked awestruck at the ball and my son gave it to him. The expression on that little boy's face was priceless. My son has always been good like that; he would give someone who needed it a coat or jumper. He just doesn’t share food!" -u/exunique
