“Aww Baby, Don’t Worry, I Got You”: 30 Stories Of Random Acts Of Kindness

As a new mom, I had my special needs son at Disneyland when he was about 4. He had a complete meltdown. As he screamed and flailed, I got all kinds of dirty looks and muttered comments about how I should be controlling him, he was spoiled, he shouldn't be there if he couldn't behave, etc. It was extremely stressful for both him and me. He couldn't control his dysregulation, I had him in a safety hold and was unable to do anything more than keep him physically safe.

Then a mom came up and said "do you need a juice box or some goldfish crackers? I have extra." She even stuck the straw in the juice box for him. He was immediately able to calm down and regulate. I could have cried. All of those people walking past us giving us looks and comments, and one person recognized that he just needed some sugar and carbs to get through a rough patch. Now that my kids are older and I'm more experienced, I always look for ways I can help other parents in distress. It takes a village, but I wouldn't have thought I'd find that village from a random stranger at Disneyland.

I bought a dining room table off Facebook marketplace after my ex took ours during the separation. It was a tough season. Went to pick it up and there was no way I was fitting both the table and chairs into my vehicle. I also failed to bring bungee cords. The FB stranger, knowing very little of my situation, immediately loaded up her van with the chairs, helped me secure the table into my car, followed me home (all the way across town, tailing me to make sure the table didn't fall out on the highway,) and helped me move the new furniture into my dining room.

It was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me. I sent her a hand written thank you note and gas money, but there is no way to adequately express the gratitude I have for that person and her kindness.

My daughter came upon a teenage girl sitting on the edge of a bridge over the highway. My daughter pulled into a parking lot and walked over to the girl. She talked with the girl for about an hour and was able to convince her to get off the bridge. They got coffee and spoke for a while longer before the girl was picked up by friends.

This was about 10 years ago. I vaguely remember trying hard to hold back tears on the subway one night coming home from work. Someone walked past me and made a quick movement to leave something on the seat next to me -- it was a tiny origami crane folded from a paper transfer ticket. That little act instantly changed the trajectory of my evening. I still have the crane in my jewelry box!

I worked as a search and rescue coordinator for a while (US Coast Guard). We'd had a rough case that went late into the night - a kid fell off a boat and we didn't find him. I'd just come out of the calls with his family to tell them that we were suspending the search and then I had to drive home.

It was raining and it was probably around 2 in the morning. About 10 minutes from home, I got a flat tire. The nearest place with any kind of parking lot was this private school - I rolled into the parking lot and started to change my tire. After a few minutes, the security guard came over and started to say "hey man, you can't be here, this is private property." I told him that I'd just come off the worst day of my f*****g life and that if he didn't mind, I'd change my tire and be on my way.

He backed off and then came over with an umbrella. He held the umbrella over me for the remainder of the time that it took me to change my tire. We didn't speak. After I got everything taken care of, I looked in his direction to say thanks, but I was on the verge of tears and struggled to get any words out. As he held the umbrella over me, he said it was okay and that he hoped things would get better. I'm even tearing up a little bit trying to type this all out. I didn't say anything - I hopped in the car and got home.

That meant so much. There's a little more to the story, but the point is that he didn't have to do or say any of that. He could have just gone back to his booth and watched me change my tire, but he didn't. He cared and it made such a significant impact. I'll never forget it.

We had an older couple that was quite well off (as in could have bought the dinner house I worked in) come in usually every Friday. If it happened on prom night they would watch all the highschool couples come in and choose a couple and buy their dinner. It was never the popular kids. It was the couple that was dropped off by Mom. Probably on a first date, a little awkward. They always left with a bit more confidence, grace.

I was in my early 20's flying from the US to the UK to see my boyfriend at the time. On the way over, I was sexually assaulted by the man sitting next to me. I had at first believed him to be a kind of grandfatherly type, but that quickly faded as we got into the air. The flight attendants wouldn't help me. That 8 hour flight was a living nightmare.

I had a layover in Amsterdam. When we landed, he turned to me and said "during your layover, we are getting a hotel." I was crying and pretended I didn't hear him.

When I entered the terminal, I tried to lose him but saw him racing to catch up to me. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man who looked maybe late-20s ran up to me and put his arm around my shoulders. I was in such a shock that I can't recall his name....but he said "Hi. My name is ___. I'm from Texas and I am here to visit my girlfriend. I'd like to walk you to your gate if that's alright."

At Schipol there is security at each gate, so I was safe from there. He dropped me at my gate and went on his way. To feel like someone was looking out for me after 8 hrs of that hell was an indescribable feeling and I am forever grateful for him and people like him.

I went to Cook Out once in college. I was in a really bad spot because of a horrible TBI, and I had been crying in bed most of the day but finally ventured out that night for some comfort food. My voice must have sounded pretty horrible over the speaker, because as the guy at the window handed me my food, he said, "Hey, it sounds like you're having kind of a rough day, so I put some extra caramel in your milkshake and extra cheese on your burger. Hope that's cool."



That was probably twelve years ago and I still think about him because it was just such an unexpected and sweet gesture. If you read this, Cook Out superhero, I'm sorry I started crying again after you said that- that was probably super awkward- but you are a wonderful human and I hope life has rewarded you richly for it.

I had a car that was on its last legs. It was in the shop and I asked the mechanic if the car would make it out of state and back.( only 5 hours to the next state). I explained I had family death to deal with. He gave me the keys to his car. No questions asked. Thank you Jesus 🙏!! I made it there and back. I filled the tank, washed and cleaned the inside of his car, bought floor mats and a thank you card! I always recommend his shop! THANK YOU JOHN, from the bottom of my heart ❤️.

My wife bought something off of FB marketplace and found out the lady selling stuff was a single mom moving out of state and had no help. My wife went over to her house every day for a couple of weeks and helped her pack up her stuff.

When I was 16, I was at an employment provider appointment(they help you look for work if you're getting unemployment payments in Australia). I was living pretty rough back then, all I wanted was for somebody to give me a chance. Lynda came out to me after the appointment, put $20 in my hand and whispered "please, get yourself something to eat". It wasn't a secret that I was in a bad spot, I was clearly malnourished, covered in bruises, and wearing donated clothes. I bought as much food as I could with that money, and cried while I ate it in a parking lot. I'll never forget her.

I was working in a kiosk at a mall. I had just gone through a pretty rough break up that left me feeling worthless after I had been cheated on. I must've been pretty bad at hiding my emotional expressions because a random stranger walking by stopped and asked if I was okay. I surprisingly felt compelled to tell them I wasn't. Which is out of the norm for me with a stranger. They asked if I wanted a hug and I agreed. I cried on a stranger's shoulder and didn't even explain why. They said that I will be okay and it's okay to not be okay and that they hope I feel better soon and walked away after I thanked them and apologized. A complete stranger made me feel like I wasn't alone anymore by hugging me and letting me cry on their shoulder. It really helped me.

Some time ago, I witnessed an act of kindness that left a deep impression on me... I was in a small coffe shop when an elderly lady reached the counter and, upon trying to pay, realized she had forgotten her wallet. She clearly felt uncomfortable and embarrassed, nervously apologizing. Just as the situation started to become awkward, a man who was further back in the line stepped forward, and without saying a word, paid for her coffee. He did it so naturally, as if it were something he did all the time. The lady tried to apologize, but he simply smiled and said, "Don't worry, we all forget something from time to time. Enjoy your coffee"

What impressed me the most was the simplicity with which he acted, without seeking any recognition. It made me think about how the simplest actions, those that seem small, can have a profound impact on someone else's life.

I was in a coffee shop in denver downtown. There was a homeless guy in bad shape as well in the shop sheltering from a snowstorm. A stranger came in, saw the guy and went back to her car and gave him a package that said "homeless kit" , which I think had some packaged food, blankets, some papers and other things that I couldn't see. Honestly, it was really cool to know something like that exists, and I genuinely think it helped him in the short term.

My boss and I closed up the restaurant and he stuck around with a homeless guy. Sat down with him and they ate food together.

We were the last one's out, so like 1am. Didn't say anything about it, just walked over with a bag of food, sat down and ate with him.

Something so delicate about the simple stuff that makes us human.

It was a hot summer day, and I was working minimum wage at the time. My card got declined, trying to buy a one gallon jug of water. The lady behind me goes, "Aww baby, don't worry I got you. I started to tear up.

I buy 5 or so Ikea umbrellas and keep them handy when driving around in the rain. Sometimes there's a perfect opportunity to roll down the window and ask a pedestrian if they'd like an umbrella.

Recently a student leaving his class said his umbrella was just stolen and he seemed thrilled with the timing of the umbrella offer!

A few years ago I needed to buy food for my kids and I for a few days. I had about $48 in my bank account. I was having a bad day and was in a hurry. I stopped by Walmart on my way home and started rushing through.

A man and a Walmart employee were talking in front of the last item I needed. I was impatient and they were talking for a while. Finally I removed my headphones (I was listening to music) to hear what they were saying. The man needed cabinet liners.

The employee didn’t know where they were so I interrupted and said I would take him. I rushed him to the other side of the store and pointed out the different cabinet liners. (I try to do random acts of kindness as often as possible)

I rushed back to the aisle I needed and grabbed my last item. I rush to the self checkouts and scan my items. It came to $36 and some change. I start to take out my card and the man taps me on the shoulder and insists on paying.

I will never forget what he did for me that day. Did he watch for me or was it an impulse when he saw me at the registers? I will never know the answer. It still brings tears to my eyes. He saved me that day and I can never repay him. He was my angel that day.

When I was homeless and still with my ex, we would camp out at McDonald's to use their wifi, and if we were lucky get a deal on food through the app.

It was close to Christmas time and we were there doing our usual thing, and a man got up and dropped a $100 bill on the table as he went out, not saying anything. I barely had time to say thank you as he went out the door.

My mom was pick-pocketed at a Walmart. A few hours later a woman called saying she found the wallet - the thieves threw it on the side of the road. We met the woman to get the wallet. My mom offered her money for returning it; the woman refused and just asked her to pay it forward.

A few years later I found someone’s pet cat and arranged to return him to his owners. The owner offered me money for caring for the cat until she could come get him. I did the same as the woman who found my mom’s wallet, and refused any money and asked them to pay it forward when you are able.