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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.
Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.
The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.
Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:
"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"
Serious Danger
"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."
"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."
oofboof2020
Waiting for Food
"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."
"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."
nowhereboy1964
Captain Hobo to the Rescue
"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"
"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."
FartAttack911
Survival
tsunami GIF
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"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."
faithfulpoo
These Tsunami stories are just tragic.
On the Sand
Scared The Launch GIF by CTV
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"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."
oyloff
Be Clever
"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."
OstneyPiz
Bad Jokes
"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."
Alegan239
YOU
Who Are You Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
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"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"
PrettyLola2004
Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.
No one should talk to others in the dark though.
Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
Hug GIF by The BarkPost
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
sleepy kitten GIF
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...