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
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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
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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
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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
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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....
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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....
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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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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
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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
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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.