13 Stories Where Kindness Was Literally Built In
In our busy lives, we tend to forget how much power we have to make things better for others. As these stories show, kindness can be found in the small choices we make every day—how we speak to others, whether we notice when someone needs help, and if we take a moment to show we care.
I was new in town. I’d been going through a very rough period. I just lost my wife. So, every lunch break, I’d walk to this park like I had somewhere to be. I just didn’t want to eat alone in my apartment.
So I’d sit on the same bench, stare at the pond, and pretend that was enough. One day, I noticed tiny carvings in the wood. “If today is heavy, you’re not the only one.” “Sit here as long as you need.”
At first, I thought it was random, but the bench was full of them—little reminders to keep going. A week later, an older woman sat next to me and said softly, “We started writing those after my son passed. We didn’t want anyone to sit here feeling invisible again.”
That day, I cried a lot. I believe it was the first day when I started to heal. © James / Bright Side
I was at Costco looking for the double tubs of hummus, but they only had 24 packs of little containers. A man with 2 preteens was also looking for it. We didn’t actually exchange any words.
I pointed out the price of another dip that he was looking at instead and couldn’t find. I took a look further down the aisle and turned and shrugged at him. We parted ways with our respective dips. I went for the 24-pack.
About 10 minutes later, I am now reunited with my partner. Suddenly, from around the corner comes the very same man holding a double hummus pack in his hand. I point at him and open my mouth to ask where he got it, but before I get any words out, he plucks the 24-pack out of my cart and replaces it with his hummus and walks away.
I was so stunned, I just followed him with my finger. Mouth agape, confused but smiling. My partner, of course, is incredibly confused, having absolutely no context for this interaction.
