Selfless People Share The Most Generous Random Acts of Kindness They Ever Performed

Surviving the current state of the world can be a daily battle. Every time you turn around there are more stories that seem to sour the soul on humanity. 

 Giphy

However, there are things we can all do, small things, everyday that will lift the spirits, in particular one's own. 

Such as small acts of random selfless kindness. 

Redditor GarnetsAndPearls asked the world at large to share their acts of kindness and the stories are awesome. Grab a tissue. 

Giphy

Often it can be the smallest thing that makes the most significant change!

A friend was feeling suicidal and I sent a basket of candy to him and a nice card saying how he's a good person. Never signed it, never told anyone and to this day he doesn't know who sent it. Makes me smile when he tells the story.  bracing_brooke626

One of my co-workers works about 70 hours a week between a full time job and at least 2 part time—just trying to keep a roof over her and her sons head and make sure he has everything he needs for school and sports. In addition to all thats shes still the sweetest and makes time to help out others with problems and always comes to work with a great attitude.

I know she NEVER does anything for herself, she even cuts her own damn hair (badly...). So everyone from worked chipped in to give her a big spa day: massages, mani/pedi, facial and a real hair cut and color. Now... we had to be sneaky about it because shes not one that accepts gifts or shed want to pay us back or something foolish like that. So we made an official letter and mailed it to her, basically a YOUVE WON!!! With all the gifts cards to this particular spa.

First thing she did? Called our work and tried to share the gift cards with everyone. (See?! The sweetest!)I quickly told her the gift cards probably werent transferable since shes won them...thankfully she fell for that and went and had a great spa day for herself.

That was 2 years ago, and after Christmas were going to start saving up to do it all again for her birthday!  AeronLord

Giphy

Don't forget the animals too! 

My bf and I saw an homeless man that must be our age (25/26yo) in the parking lot of a grocery store. He had two dogs with him. Few days later he was still here in the cold, sleeping. So we went home, grabed a warm parka my bf never wears, two sleeping bags that you can unzip (for him and his dogs), one of our dogs bag of food, grocery and a few euros. We left it in a bag between him and the wall behind him so no one could steal it. His dogs licked us but he was still sleeping.

Yesterday I drove by and he was wearing the parka and his dogs were under one of the covers. :)    Pimparoo_

Giphy

I moved a friend's car for them the other day, and when I did, I saw that their tire pressure was low in the back tires, and they were low on gas. I filled the low things and parked the car. They knew I moved the car, but I didn't mention the gas & air.    chad_

Then you have random acts that can be movie plots.

Found a handmade blanket from the late 80's at a thrift store last year- it had a dedication stitched into it. Found the baby it was made for (all grown up now) and mailed it back to her.  TS409

If you 'pay it forward,' others will follow suit. 

Went on vacation years ago with my (then) boyfriends family who happen to be rather rich. After the week, the fridge and kitchen was full of our leftovers - lunch meat, bread, cheese, cake, beer, juice, crackers, chips... probably enough to feed a few people for a few days. His family was going to just throw it all away. I said, "no, we aren't throwing this away." I bagged it all up and made one last trip down to the beach park where the homeless hung out. I walked for a bit and found a guy sleeping in the grass, that guy felt like he was the 'right' guy for some reason. I calmly walked over to him and said, "Sir? I'm sorry to wake you, but are you hungry?" Confused, he hesitantly said, "Yeah, usually." I handed him the bags and walked away. I watched him take a careful look inside, and then immediately, he got up and ran over to a group of other homeless friends and they all joyfully started reaching into the bags.     yrotsa

Giphy

I have a 16 year old pregnant student who is far too poor to afford pregnancy clothes. I managed to get some pants and a few shirts to her without anyone else finding out so she had appropriate clothes to wear to school.    arcant12

Set an example for the next generation.

Idk if this counts, since the person I did the random act for clearly knew that I was the one doing it, but this is my favorite story that I dont tell.

I was at a TJMaxx/Marshalls type store and the line was TREMENDOUS. They mustve had five cashiers, and as Im standing waiting for one to open up, a younger woman with flushed cheeks and puffy eyes went to one of the unused registers. The girl next to her asked if she was okay and she said yes and proceeded to call me over to her counter.

I basically asked something like, Bad day? And she began telling me about how this customer completely ripped into her for something that wasnt her fault and made her feel less than human. She was tearing up again as she spoke and I lended her a sympathetic ear. When she was done, I quickly asked if she liked chocolate and, confused, she said yes. I ran down to the displays Id been previouslt waiting at and grabbed a bag of fancy assorted chocolates and bought it, and it was only after I told her to keep it out of the bag that you could see it dawning on her that I, a perfect stranger, was buying her something to cheer her up. She tried to decline it but I refused, and ultimately she hugged me across the counter and thanked me for being the exact opposite of her previous customer.

My favorite part about this was that I had my 6 year old with me, and as we left the store she kept asking, Is that your friend?/Do you know her?/etc and I was able to use this as a springboard to help reinforce that its important to be nice to people whenever you can.    w0nd3rk

Giphy

Secret Santa!!!

Really good friend of mine was struggling a few years back financially. 4 kids, wife out of work, 1 income.

My gf and I were doing pretty well and knew Christmas was gonna be slim for their kids. We took my kids out shopping to show them the giving part of Christmas.

After getting all of the kids had enough we made sure that mom and dad also got a few things just for them. He still is amazed that "the church" bought him Shadow of Mordor.

Left it all on his porch and my kids waited down the road watching as I rang the doorbell and ran away.    

Really good friend of mine was struggling a few years back financially. 4 kids, wife out of work, 1 income.  zadokmahir

Giphy

My wife and I were driving through downtown Colorado Springs before Easter, and a homeless man was asking for money to get his daughter an Easter basket. We went to the store and bought about $100 worth of coloring books, throw blankets, of course a basket with a few treats, and a pack of toothbrushes. Went back and didn't see the guy, but found his bed and his daughters under the bridge where he was begging. Left it all under an old blanket on the bed. Didn't get to see the reaction as no one was around, but I hope it made someone's day.    Hellrazor1990

Don't let anything go to waste!

When I worked at Starbucks and the food was supposed to go bad that night, Id put it all in a bag after we closed and take it with me to hand out to the homeless people around where I worked. They seemed to appreciate it, and I always had enough to leave them with the bag of food to disperse amongst themselves and their friends. Simplebarista_

Giphy

There are no mistakes in giving.

I did this at a pizza place I worked at. Anything that was left in the warmer at the end of the night was supposed to be thrown out but I would take it out back to the homeless people around. Towards the end of my time there, the general manager found out what I had been doing and tore a strip off me...according to him, if you feed them, they'll always be around harassing you (him) when you're trying to get into the building and that would be unacceptable. Scary. Horrible.

I only worked there for a couple of months after that, but I made sure I frequently 'messed up' orders and set them carefully aside to distribute instead of throwing them in the garbage like he ordered me to. I'm pretty sure the local homeless community was devastated when I finally quit...that guy was a monster though.   ontheroadwithmypeeps

Just between us. 

Giphy

I paid for my neighbour's niece's hairdressing equipment. The course was free, the equipment isn't and her family are poopheads.

I told her I had applied for a grant in her name and had it posted to her. It was 90 and I couldn't really easily afford it, but I could JUST afford it. Anyway, she passed two years of that course, as a semihomeless 16 year old with no family support. She needed it and she deserved it.

I never told anyone that before, I think. I might have typed i on forums, I don't know. 

It runs in the family!

Not me but my parents. There was this girl in my fifth grade class who always came to school and got made fun of because she was very unfortunate looking. I feel bad typing that out. Fifth graders are especially mean. One day I mentioned to my mom how some girls had made fun of her and wrote a really long and detailed letter telling her how ugly she was and put it in her locker.

My mom gave me 100$ to slip in her locker.

Now looking back to that, as someone who is about to have their first child, that's an example I really want to set for my child.

My brother is the same way. One time he ( seriously the least confrontational, sweet human being) saw some kid getting beat up by a group of kids and he ran into the fight to block them from hitting him. He came home with bite marks out of him and hair missing, blood all over him, etc. And got sent to alternative school for the rest of the year. The teachers witnessed him merely blocking the kid but school policy is everyone involved in the fight gets punished. He was in 5th grade I think.

BobGaveMeWings Worked as a waiter. Had a nice table of 4 tourists with a bill of several hundred dollars. They paid in cash with crisp, new $100 bills and they left me a tip of exactly 20% + an additional $100 bill. Seeing how the new bills easily stuck together and knowing they were tourists who may have just taken money out for their trip or exchanged currency, I knew it had to be a mistake.

Ran out to the street, found em, asked how much they meant to tip me, and gave them $100 back.

Could I have used that extra money? Hell yes. I was in my twenties, living away from home, had a tiny studio, beater car, and slanging fish & singing happy birthday multiple times a shift. But I just couldn't live with myself knowing I chose that option and knew it would only enable me to make excuses for other immoral decisions down the line. Never regretted it and have had an amazing life since.

Giphy

PandorasHairyBox I payed for a WWII Veterans meal at a bar, I had noticed his hat. After he found out, before I could slip out, we chatted a bit and I told him my first name and that I worked up the street. A week later I was called into HR and nervous as hell. I Find out that he tracked down where I worked and dropped off a very nice letter to my company. I contacted him again to see if he wanted to meet and get to know each other a little more because he went above and beyond by improving my employee file even though I did it just to pay my respects. We agreed and it turned into a few pizzas and beers, talking about everything from war to women. Turns out his son is a very well known celebrity. Its a small world.

Back2Bach I shoveled snow around the neighborhood mailbox to make it easier for people to mail their Christmas cards and for our mail carrier to get to the box during collection times.

If you're physically capable, DO!

Giphy

RealAbstractSquidII  I was at the dollar store during the summertime getting some odds and ends. There was a dad who desperately wanted to buy this little plastic dinosaur for his kid. He was like 2 cents short and came for diapers. He ran to his car to search for the 2 cents. I paid for his diapers and the toy so when he came back it would be taken care of. As I paid for my things and left, a cashier ran outside to let him know it was paid for.

No reason to tell anyone. It would sound like bragging, and that's not cool. But if you see someone struggling and you have the means to help, please help them out.

Tis' the season y'all. But after try to keep that cheer flowing year round. The world needs it!

Giphy