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.
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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.
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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
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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_
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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
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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
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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
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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_
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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!
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.