There are still good people in the world; good people who want to do good things. It's hard to hold onto that hope when everytime you turn on the TV or even have a phone call with someone you thought you knew better makes your mood nothing but gloom. But angels are amongst us, and we can all be one ourselves. Just try.
Redditor u/my_man_44 wanted to hear about some of the bright spots in humanity in these gloomy times by asking.... What is the most wholesome act of kindness you have ever experienced/seen?
Covid Times
mr rogers its a beautiful day in the neighborhood GIF by Won't You Be My Neighbor
Giphy
When my sister and her husband had Covid all her friends set up a schedule on who would drop off lunch and dinner and groceries on what day. They filled up 2 weeks. It was sweet. It really was.
Especially because my brother in law landed in the hospital for 7 days and they took care of my sister from the moment they found out and even took care of us too with that schedule. We didn't have to worry about food. My bro in law didn't go back to work until almost 2 months since he was so weak. When something bad happens everyone comes together to overcome it. It's beautiful.
My Buddy
My mom moved us from Chicago to Florida the summer before I started high school. Freshman year a buddy I met in the neighborhood and I joined the Wrestling team. My mom worked day shifts and we had a meet scheduled for Saturday morning about an hour away so my buddy's mom agreed to drive us.
Saturday morning comes and my buddy is sick and decides not to go but his mom still offered to take me. We drove the hour, I got destroyed by a senior in about 45 seconds and we head back home.
On the way back my buddy's mom asked if me and my younger brother had gotten our library cards yet. I said we hadn't due to school, sports and my moms day shifts limiting our time. She said we should get them soon.
She dropped me off at home where the neighbor was keeping an eye my 7 year old brother. 15 minutes later I was getting ready to make us some sandwiches when there was a knock on my door. It was my friend's mom and she said she wanted to take us for library cards and lunch. We went to local library and she signed for our cards then took us for burgers.
Didn't seem like much but 23 years later I stood as best man for her son at his wedding, my buddy from wrestling team and told this story during my speech. She had passed on 10 years earlier. I cried. He cried. My little brother who was also there cried.
To this day I am still best friends with my buddy. His mom treated me like her own anytime I was at their house and I'll never forget the day we got library cards.
I really love Chicago....
I was on a plane in Chicago going back to Los Angeles after visiting with family. As we were about to pull back from the terminal to go take off I checked my phone for messages one more time before turning it off. My mom had sent this message while the plane was loading and I thought she was just saying good bye. The message actually read my Dad had just had a heart attack and was being rushed to the hospital.
I panicked for a moment and a stewardess saw my face and asked me what was wrong so I told her. 2 minutes later the captain came on the PA and said we were going back to the terminal for a moment so a passenger can go take care of her sick father. I was surprised and a little embarrassed. When I got up to get off the plane, people clapped and shouted out good wishes. I really love Chicago.
Francis, I will forever be grateful to you....
When I was in fourth grade I had pretty severe dyslexia. I had a first graders reading level. My best friend in my class was named Francis. She was the smartest person in our entire class. We got along so well. I remember her talking to our teacher after school and then asking me if I'd like to come to her house to read stories together a couple times a week. She never made me feel bad, never appeared to be frustrated and always acted like we were having the most fun ever. We started reading stories the teacher had given her but it was way over my head.
I would leave feeling frustrated and stupid. This went on for like 2 weeks then she told me to bring that Shel Silverstein book "Where the SideWalk Ends" over. That was it. Everything clicked. A fourth grader, taking her own time to better a friend struggling.... Francis, I will forever be grateful to you. ( icing on this cake- I ended up getting a job as an editor for a Hearst publication right outta college!)
Smiley Face
When I was 15 I went to the hospital because my appendix bursted. I got so sick I almost died. During a rare moment while I was awake the cleaning lady came by and I smiled at her. She said something to me in Spanish as I drifted back to sleep. When I got discharged she ran to find me and gave me a get well card with her name and a smiley face inside. I still have that card. I don't know who she is or even remember her face but I'll never forget her smile. That small act of kindness changed the way I thought about the world.
Can I hug you?
When I was 16, I landed myself in the ICU after a suicide attempt. I don't remember much about my time in the ICU, but I do remember the nicest thing anyone ever did for me. The paramedic that brought me to the hospital the night before came up and asked to see how I was doing. This perfect stranger that had known me for all of 45 minutes took time out of his day to see if I was doing okay.
It was the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.
A few years ago (right around the 10 year anniversary of that night) I had my 2 kids with me at my daughter's community night at her school. I went up to him and introduced him to my 2 awesome kids and told him who I was. He remembered me and we shared a very special hug.
$200
It was around November/December and I was behind a woman at the grocery store who did not have enough money to buy her groceries. She had 3 young kids with her and she was having to pick and choose what they would take off. I was living paycheck to paycheck at the time myself but felt so terrible for her since she had kids. Couple gets in line behind me and realize what's going on.
I hear them have a little convo and one of them asks to get by me real quick. Couple behind me payed for all her groceries and added $200 gift card for future groceries. She started crying, I started crying, and cashier got weepy. Definitely took that life example and have helped others when I can now too.
Bless You
animation loop GIF
Giphy
One time when i was a kid, our priest from school took our class to the church to rosary and I accidentally dropped mine and it broke so the priest gave me his that he got from the Pope, I still have it to this day.
A simple compliment....
Well once this guy posted a picture of himself smiling because he reached 200 karma. All the comments were people shaming him for only having 200. I commented that I really liked his smile. He responded and said that he had been needing that and thanked me. Thought about that for a good week.
The Favorite
san francisco giants win GIF by MLB
Giphy
Random guy at a baseball game gave me autographed baseball card of one of my favorite players. He wasn't a fan of my team so he gave me the card. I forever love Giants fans despite being a Diamondbacks fan now
Miss Laney....
After the widow died in her house across the street from where I grew up, my parents found a loving home for her beautiful black & white cat, Tompkins.
They knew how much Miss Laney loved Tompkins and wanted to make sure he was provided for. It made me think even more highly of them that they would care enough to find just the right new home for him.
The Replacement
ice cream cone eating GIF
Giphy
I was on a boardwalk and a little girl dropped her ice cream and was so upset but her parents were distracted with their other kids (handing out cones) and some old dude in another line just handed his fresh cone over and walked away smiling.
It's ok to Cry
I got a call that my grandfather was rushed to the hospital while I was at school (him and I are very close) I broke down sobbing out of fear that something would happen to him. My friends sat around me and my bestie said "you don't have to talk, you don't have to do anything right now. We're just gonna stay right here." They got me to stop crying eventually.
Thank you Mrs. Panopio!
The left side of my pants was ripped by my best friend when we were having fun in the classroom, resulting to other people seeing my underwear. My teacher advisor asked me to get the sewing box at the faculty room. So while we were doing the Math exam, she made me sit with her on the right side of her table and sewed my pants.
Thank you Mrs. Panopio! You deserve a long life of happiness! As a student, that was the best experience of my high school life.
Quack....
ducks running GIF
Giphy
We were stuck in traffic at a intersection and it was busy and there was this group of ducks (with a lot of ducklings btw) and they looked kinda confused to me and this lady pulled over her car and guided the ducks to the sidewalk. If the ducks continued they would have most definitely gotten run over. I just found that really cute and wholesome.
because you're you....
I got out of an abusive relationship several months ago. I had to completely restart my life with very little in savings. I finally found an apartment that was in my price range (barely) but couldn't afford to furnish it yet. A guy I had just started talking to came over to see the place and hang out for the weekend. He had some errands to run so I got home before him. When he finally got there, I opened the door and was greeted with him holding several boxes and 2 weeks worth of groceries for myself and my daughter.
One of the things he bought was a brand new tv (the one I had was the size of a computer monitor). No one has ever done anything like that for me before. I kept asking, "why?" He walked up to me and said, "You're a good person and you deserve good things to happen to you. I want you to look at the home you're creating and be proud of how far you've come." This man has asked me for nothing in return since the day we met. We're taking things very slow but I am grateful everyday for his patience, friendship, and kindness.
The Long Drive....
When my dad died, three of them drove 6 hours to my family's home. They pulled up, gave my mother a plant & their condolences. We got in the car, one of them lit a joint, and we drove around the countryside for who knows how long. They didn't poke or pry or ask if I was okay, they knew that what I needed was to share a joint with my friends and cruise along in the afternoon sun, shooting the crap and listening to the radio. To not be constantly reminded that my father was no longer here.
They just let me be - which after dealing with the sudden diagnosis & decline of my father's health over previous 4 months, being surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins 24/7 since we received the diagnosis, and an unending wave of "I'm sorry for your loss" - was just what I needed. Years have passed, we've all grown up into very different people and I don't keep in touch with them anymore, but I'll never forget what they did for me.
"Be safe."
In 2008 my job ended, but I had the option of continuing our health insurance for another 6 months, as I remember. I was often late making my payments and would call the lady managing our account to ask for more time and to reassure her that I would pay. She was very patient and almost off-hand, in our conversations and we would talk about our families a little. By December 2008 I owed them $10,000. Both our cars had been repossessed. My wife had had uterine cancer and a hysterectomy while I owed thousands of dollars to the insurers.
That December was our last month of coverage, and I called our account manager to figure out a way of eventually paying the $10,000. I was still unemployed. She listened to me for a moment and then said, very quietly, "Don't worry about it." I wasn't sure I heard her right, so I said, "Did you say, 'Don't worry about it'"? She said yes, and then said, "Be safe."
I will always remember her remarkable kindness. Still get tears in my eyes thinking of her kindness.
Keep Reading....
A waitress at a local restaurant and I got to talking and she lived in the same community as I do. I had volunteered at the local elementary school with struggling readers. It turns out I read with her daughter and she said that I completely changed her daughters life by taking the time to read with her. Three years later the girl loves reading. It was the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me.
It's the most important meal....
breakfast pancakes GIF
Giphy
Between my junior and senior years of college, I was basically homeless (dorms were shut down and I didn't have an apartment). I was shuffling between lounges in the grad student area. One day, when I was walking to work, I saw a homeless guy on the street. I bought him breakfast. The next day, I saw the same guy helping an old lady cross the street after he bought her breakfast. I thought it was cool how he passed on the good fortune.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
Out Of Office Summer GIF by Merge MansionGiphy"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
Giphy"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
miss cleo fraud GIFGiphy"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
fire burning GIFGiphy"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
Drag Racing Vegas GIF by Don Schumacher RacingGiphy"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
Johnny Depp Drinking GIFGiphy"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
Smell It Season 6 GIF by This Is UsGiphy"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
