Grateful People Describe the Nicest Things Strangers Have Ever Done For Them
In a world that can often seem so vast, cold, and unforgiving, it is sometimes hard to resist the feeling that no one really cares.
That is why it can be such a moving experience when someone, purely out of the goodness of their heart, chooses to do something genuinely nice for another person—for the sole purpose of wanting to make that person a little happier.
A sincerely kind gesture is always a powerful thing to experience, but it gets taken to a whole new level when it is performed by a total stranger with absolutely nothing to gain from it but a feeling of satisfaction for how they managed to help another.
Here are 42 heartwarming stories about some of the nicest things strangers have ever done for other people.
1. Arms Control
When I was ten years old, I had to have my arm rebroken at the hospital because it didn't heal properly.
A lady walking by heard me scream when they broke it, and waited outside the room for an hour to give me five dollars and tell me it was going to be okay. It definitely helped ease the pain a bit.
2. Checking In
One afternoon, I was carrying my sobbing infant in the grocery store while waiting in line to check out. I was super overwhelmed, as it was my first trip out after my son was born. As this was unfolding, a kind older man came over to me and said: “
One day, you’re going to look back on this with happy memories, and maybe even miss these moments.” He then insisted that I cut in front of him in line, and even paid for all of my groceries. Boy, did that make a huge impact on me!
What a wonderful man!
3. Do You Know Who I Am?
After several long delays at the airport, my flight home was abruptly canceled while I was standing in line at the gate waiting to board it. The next day was my son's first birthday, so I needed to get home in time.
I went up to the United desk and the staff refused to help me in any way. Not only could I not get onto another flight that day, but there was nothing available for me the next day either.
This was all despite the fact that I was internetting the hell out of my phone and showing them all sorts of flights listed online as available, including both direct and connecting options that would get me where I needed to be.
For some reason, they were still refusing to accommodate me, and I just didn't have the money to go and buy something else. It got to the point where I was starting to visibly lose my cool over all of this.
A guy in line stepped out after hearing me. He told them he had some crazy status at the airline, and asked to speak directly to the manager.
Next thing I knew, he was transferring his own ticket on a direct flight to me so I could get home to see my baby boy. I don't even know what happened.
I tried to thank him in every way I knew how and he refused to take anything from me—he just told me that he knew what it was like from when he was younger, and that he wished there could have been someone to have done the same for him.
I hugged the guy, probably against his will, and then ran to make my (AKA his) plane. I found myself in an amazing first class seat home for the first time in my life. This dude was seriously an angel and I will never forget him.
4. This One Has Got to Take the Cake
My birthday one year was really sucking, so I decided to go out and buy myself a cake at the grocery store.
On a whim, I decided that I also wanted to get it decorated, because it was my birthday and I just wanted something a little nice to make me feel better.
When the guy at the counter asked me who it was for, in order to know what name to put on it, I told him that it was for me.
He was very incredulous to the idea that I would have to buy my own birthday cake. I just kind of shrugged it off and went on to finish the rest of my shopping for groceries. He said my cake would need to be paid for at pick up.
When I came back to pay for and pick up my cake, a different person was at the register—and to my surprise, she said my cake had already been paid for.
It was also decorated a bit more than I thought it should have been. I have not seen that guy working there since and, in my head, I now think of him as the cake fairy. It was a really good cake, too.
Unfortunately, I still cried while eating it because the entire rest of the day sucked—but it was definitely a good cake and an awesome thing to experience.
