Food for the body and soul

An Apple A Day Keeps The Children At Play
Inspirational, Non-Dialogue, School, Sweden, Teachers | Learning | June 10, 2022
I’m a middle school teacher in an area where about half of the students come from socio-economically challenged families.

One of my coworkers moved into his parents’ house when they became too elderly to care for it. He had no interest in the massive amounts of apples that he could enjoy every fall from his mom’s orchard. So, every morning, he picked two bags full of apples and put the bags next to the door in the teachers’ lounge. The students were welcome to get free apples as long as the core ended up in a trash can. If a single apple core was thrown in the wrong place, there would be no more apples. Not a single core ever ended up outside a trash can since no one wanted to be the reason for ending the apple bonanza.

As the final two classes of the day began, most teachers brought with them a supply of apples and handed them out to the students to munch on in class.

Some days, we still had plenty of apples left at the end of the day, and my coworker then convinced some student we knew came from a struggling home to bring home the leftover apples. Almost every time, the students dropped by the next day and told us in great detail how their moms had used the apples for all sorts of goodies.

When the students in more well-to-do families told their parents of our apple bonanza, several parents brought in bags of apples from their own gardens. That was incredibly sweet, but we struggled a little with getting through up to eight huge bags of apples per day.

We noticed that during the weeks when the students got these free apple snacks, in the afternoon, they were a lot more alert and active in these last classes of the day. It was almost like they were somehow energized.

A Godly Glitch
Awesome, Bizarre, Inspirational, Photo Lab, Rest In Peace, Retail | Right | June 6, 2022
I worked in the photo department of a pharmacy store chain a few years ago. Our card machine randomly spat out three pamphlets for a funeral service that had been ordered about ten days prior. It was weird because our orders only stayed in the system for three days. Neither my manager nor I could not figure out how it had printed these pamphlets, but we finally shrugged and I threw them on top of our waste pile.

About an hour later, a woman came up to my counter.

Woman: *Quietly* “How long are orders stored? My brother’s funeral was last week, and I wasn’t able to get one of the pamphlets.”

I just stared at her for a second, then walked over, grabbed the mysterious pamphlets, and placed them in front of her. They were for her brother’s funeral.

Me: “Our machine randomly printed these three copies out for no reason.”

The woman started crying.

Woman: “How much do I owe you?”

I just laughed.

Me: “We don’t charge for acts of God.”

It was the only explanation I could come up with.

Positive Feedback Is Just As Valuable As Negative
Children, Inspirational, Kind Strangers, Museum, Parents/Guardians | Friendly | June 6, 2022
I was once in a children’s museum with my niece. There was some kind of climbing structure she was old enough for, but her little legs were so short that she had trouble navigating. A sweet boy a couple of years older helped her through and disappeared before I could thank him.

I saw him again later with his family in a different part of the museum and went over to his mom.

Me: “Your son was so…”

She got this look on her face like her son was frequently a troublemaker and she was used to getting complaints. When I continued to explain how sweet and helpful he had been, she was so relieved and then grateful that I had come over to thank them.

It doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day.

Str-Aww-berries
Awesome, Employees, Inspirational, Michigan, Restaurant, USA | Right | June 4, 2022
As a kid, whenever I went to a sit-down restaurant that offered lemonade, I always asked if they had any strawberry lemonade. I loved strawberry lemonade but never got it at home.

I’m at a restaurant with my family and the waitress is taking our drink orders.

Waitress: “How about you?”

Me: “Do you have strawberry lemonade?”

Waitress: “I’m sorry, we don’t.”

Me: “That’s okay. I’ll have a Sprite, please.”

When she comes back with our drink order, she saves mine for last.

Waitress: “Guess what? I found some strawberry flavoring in the kitchen!”

She plunked down a strawberry lemonade in front of me. It tasted amazing. It’s been over a decade since then, but I still smile at her doing something she absolutely didn’t have to just to make a kid smile.

It Takes A Village… And A Couple Of Thoughtful Employees
At The Checkout, Awesome, Employees, Inspirational, Kind Strangers, Reddit, Retail, Sons & Daughters | Right | CREDIT: Bookaholicforever | June 4, 2022
I had to go into the shops this morning to get a few things. I thought my (almost) eleven-month-old would be all right, and she was for about 90% of the time. But it took me longer to find what I needed and she was due a nap and a feed. I was rushing to the checkout… and it happened.

She entered into a full-blown meltdown. She was grabbing at me to pick her up. I was panicking, trying to calm her down and scan my things. People were looking and I was getting more stressed. My assistance dog was nudging me, alerting me to an anxiety attack coming.

Enter two staff members. One came over and started talking to my kiddo and singing her a song. But she wasn’t having a bar of it.

Employee #1 : “Can I pick her up?”

Me: “Yes!”

She picked my kid up and started walking around and saying hello to people. The other staff member started helping me scan my stuff as quickly as possible. When that was done, the one holding my kid offered to help me get out to my car and stuff.

They were amazing.

What We Would Give To See That Cosplay!
Convention, Geeks Rule, Inspirational, Kind Strangers, Strangers | Friendly | June 3, 2022
A few years back, I purchased a shoulder dragon plush from a convention vendor and almost immediately lost it. I retraced my steps and still couldn’t find it.

I finally went back to the vendor to explain what happened with little to no hope that they would be able to do anything.

Vendor: “Can you describe it?”

When I did, they whipped it out from behind their counter.

Vendor: “Someone dressed up as a Deadpool Eternal Sailor Moon cross-play turned it in to us in hopes that the owner would come back!”

Of course, I thanked the vendors profusely. I looked everywhere for the Eternal Sailor Moon Deadpool but never found them to give my thanks.

Maybe More Kids Would Enjoy Math With More Teachers Like This
Inspirational, Maryland, Math & Science, Non-Dialogue, School, Teachers, USA | Learning | June 3, 2022
As a little kid, I was such a geek that I actually enjoyed math, and since my parents were often doing math with my older sister, I picked up some things by listening in on them. One of those things I learned ahead of my class was the impressive feat of adding a whole three numbers at once!

But when it came time for the class to learn the same thing, they didn’t add the numbers right — at least that’s what young me thought. Our teacher taught us to add all numbers in the ones column, then the tens, etc. By contrast, I’d always added the numbers by adding the first two and then writing the third number under the sum of the first two and adding those. The way I had learned seemed less error-prone. I mean, adding three whole numbers in your head at once — who could possibly manage such a feat?! So, I chose to ignore the way our teacher was teaching it and keep doing things the way my father had taught me.

Then, one day, the teacher had multiple problems written on the board and she called four or five students up to solve their problems at the same time in front of the class. I was on the far end, away from the teacher, but I was worried that she would catch me doing things the “wrong” way, so I did things my way, put the answer, and then hastily erased my work so she wouldn’t see how I did things.

She wasn’t having any of that. When she got to me she agreed that the answer was right but insisted that I needed to show my work. So now, I got extra attention as she made me redo my work in front of the class with her watching me as I did my math “wrong”.

I was honestly expecting a scolding for not doing things the way she had taught us. Instead, she acted surprised and asked me to explain my “complex” logic for how I was doing the work to the class. She told me that was a good way of doing things and actually said she was fine with kids doing math however they wanted if they got the right results.

Come our next math test, we were asked to add numbers the way she had taught us, but the very next question asked us to add the same numbers “[My Name]’s way.” She continued to encourage kids to learn both ways, and I was proud to have a whole way of doing math named after me!

It’s only later as an adult that I can fully appreciate how refreshing it was to have a teacher willing to encourage kids to solve problems their own way rather than insisting we all stick to the officially taught way of doing things. Thanks for being flexible, Ms. [Teacher].

Unfiltered Story #262748
Home, Michigan, USA | Unfiltered | July 13, 2022
(I have friends who are scattered across several states and we rely on technology to keep us connected. One day we’re chatting online about someone one of my friends admires.)

Friend #1: “. . . And while we were remodeling she pulled the cabinet off the kitchen wall like freaking Wonder Woman.”

Friend #2: “Because she’s AWESOME.”

Friend #3: “Nooo, why must you destroy the kitchen?”

Friend #1: “In order to heal, we must destroy.”

Friend #2: “. . .”

Friend #3: “So to heal my heart I have to gouge it out?”

Friend #1: “Um—no. This is not medical advice.”

A Storm Of Kindness, Part 2
Auto Shop, Awesome, Car, Germany, Inspirational, Kind Strangers, Weather | Right | May 23, 2022
We were going through one of the strongest rainstorms I’d ever seen in my area. My girlfriend and I were on the road when it hit. The rain became so dense that the cars in front of me turned on their fog lights because visibility was down to less than twenty metres.

In a small town, we had to turn around because a powerline had torn off and was laying on the road. When we reached the next traffic light, my engine started to sputter and stopped. I tried to start it a few times, but to no avail.

Because other cars were still driving along that road and would have to turn around, too, I figured we were blocking off traffic if we stayed there, so I decided to push the car around the corner, where other cars were parked on the side of a road at the beginning of a hill that was steadily getting steeper.

We stepped out of the car and into water that reached over my ankles — probably why the car stopped. After we pushed the car around the corner to the beginning of the hill, we were completely soaked, but we were in a safe spot, and due to the incline, there was no water standing on the road. We got back into the car and discussed what to do.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the window. A guy was standing in the pouring rain.

Guy: “Hey, are you having problems? Do you need some kind of help?”

Me: “Well, our car died on that road down there, probably because of all the water. We were just planning to wait until the rain lessens and try to start again. Perhaps something will have dried off by then. If it doesn’t work, we’re gonna call the ADAC.” *German AAA* “But it’s no use getting them out in this rain.”

Guy: “You see, I’ve got a little auto repair shop about fifty metres uphill. I can push you up there and we can see what we can do for you.”

Me: “That would be great! I can help you push, and my girlfriend can take the wheel.”

Guy: “No, you two stay in there. I’ve got a coworker here. We will manage that.”

And so, the two guys pushed us uphill on a steep incline, in the midst of pouring rain and quite a bit of wind, toward their workshop. Once inside, we got out of the car, and the guy got a few towels for himself, his coworker, and us to dry off.

Guy: “I know your car model. The place where the engine gets its air is very low. With that much water on the road, it likely sucked in some water. If you’re lucky, only your plugs got wet and can’t produce sparks anymore. In that case, we can dry it off and everything is fine. But if the water got inside the engine, we’re looking at an automatic engine failure.”

He started checking the oil, while his coworker disassembled some parts around the plugs and started drying everything with a small blow-dryer.

We were offered coffee in the meantime. After about half an hour, the guy came back to us.

Guy: “Good news. I’ve checked the oil and can’t find any trace of water in it, so it looks like you got lucky there. Your plugs are all dried off, and my coworker just finished reassembling everything. You two are good to go. I hope your day gets better.”

He tried to lead us to the car to get out. I got confused.

Me: “Wait. Didn’t you forget something?”

Guy: “Like what?”

Me: “Well, this is a repair shop, isn’t it? You do fix cars for money, don’t you? So how about me paying you?”

Guy: “Oh, paying. I hadn’t thought about that. Well, you see, we actually just sell new tires nowadays. We hardly fix cars anymore.”

Me: “Nevertheless, you just fixed mine. So how much do I owe you?”

Guy: “Well, um… how about you give me 10€?”

Me: “What? Only 10€? Wait, do you have some kind of coffee fund?”

Many German workplaces do. Tips are not common outside of restaurants, sometimes even forbidden, so as a workaround, tips are often given to the “Kaffekasse” to pay for the workers’ coffee or other things they normally would chip in for.

Guy: “Well, yes, i’s right over there.”

I put another 20€ in it. I know, they deserved more — a lot more — but I was broke at that time and that was all I had on me that day.

The car was running smoothly again and lasted another two years before it finally had an engine failure. I’m still wondering if it had gotten a little water inside the engine that day, after all.

A Little Kindness In Hard Times Goes A Long Way
Employees, England, Grocery Store, Inspirational, Kind Strangers, Pets & Animals, Rest In Peace, UK | Working | May 22, 2022
CONTENT WARNING: Pet Death



My husband and I had just dropped our rabbit off at the vet’s; she was not doing well and the outlook was not hopeful. We needed some groceries, so we were in the discount supermarket next door when we got a phone call to tell us that our rabbit had had a seizure and ask if we wanted them to attempt resuscitation.

As we were next door, we said we’d be right over, but we had a basket of shopping. My husband refuses to be one of those people who just leave stuff in the wrong place, so he handed it to a cashier.

Husband: “I’m sorry. Our pet is dying, so we need to go, but we’ll be back for our shopping.”

Our rabbit sadly passed away, and after saying our goodbyes, we went back to the supermarket to get our shopping. As soon as the cashier saw us — I was still sobbing — she left her till and the large queue. She’d put our basket in the chiller out the back to stop anything going bad. She gave me a hug and got a colleague to open a till so we could just get our things and go.

The supermarket in question has a reputation for curt service and scanning items too quickly, but that cashier made a terrible night slightly more bearable. It really stood out as an example of people caring, which doesn’t happen too often these days.

That’s What Second Chances Are All About
Inspirational, Non-Dialogue, Ohio, Retail, USA | Legal | May 21, 2022
One of my childhood friends is now a parole officer. She’s one of the most proactive parole officers I’ve ever seen. She has a web of contacts in charge of hiring at various companies, and she will go out of her way to get the people whom she’s responsible for hired.

She first gets them through some sort of vocational testing to determine what sort of position to recommend them for. She will often give them rides to and from the interview, and she helps them get interview-appropriate clothing from local charities. She really goes above and beyond.

I happen to be in charge of hiring for a local branch of a large retail chain. Of the twelve criminals she’s brought to me over the years, I’ve hired eight of them, and all of those eight were among the best workers I’ve hired. Most of them eventually moved on to better jobs.

But, recently, one of them has been promoted to manage a newly opened branch. He invited my friend the parole officer to his promotion/going away party and thanked her profusely. He gifted her a PS5 that he had set aside to buy for her.

After he left for the new position in Tennessee, she quietly returned the PS5. She’s not into video games. Instead of returning it to stock, I donated it to a children’s charity. I think both of them would have approved.

Give That Sweet Puppy Anything They Want!
Adorable Children, Inspirational, Pets & Animals, Reddit, Restaurant | Right | CREDIT: I_am_also_a_Walrus | May 21, 2022
I’m serving in a restaurant and I approach a table to take an order. A little kid at the table speaks up.

Kid: “I have a question. The Bailey’s cheesecake — is that for dogs? Because our dog’s name is Bailey.”

They pointed to the puppy sleeping in Dad’s lap. Awwww!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, But Easier When People Care
Awesome, Coworkers, Fights/Breakups, Illinois, Inspirational, Office, USA | Working | May 20, 2022
I’m at work. Our office is right across the street from a national chain drugstore. We often run over there for snacks. Usually, one person goes with a list and everyone else reimburses them when they come back.

A couple of days ago, the guy I was in love with dumped me on my birthday, so I am in a horrible mood. I told a couple of female coworkers who asked why I was so quiet. One of my male coworkers was walking by at that moment. He mostly keeps to himself at work, as our department is majority female.

About two hours later, I see him going from desk to desk. He stops at mine.

Coworker: “Hey, I’m doing the snack run today. Want anything?”

Me: “Um… something with caffeine in it. A soda or coffee would work.”

Coworker: “Gotcha.”

He leaves and returns about twenty minutes later with everyone’s food and drinks. He hands me a bottled flavored coffee from an internationally known chain.

Me: “Thanks! This is great. How much do I owe you?”

Coworker: “Oh, don’t worry about it.”

Me: “No, no. These are usually about $4, right?”

I pull out my wallet.

Coworker: “Put that away. It’s on me. Breakups suck.”

It was a small gesture, but it helped my mood a lot that day.

Using His Powers Of Intimidation For Good Instead Of Evil
Inspirational, Kind Strangers, New Hampshire, USA | Friendly | May 20, 2022
One year, while visiting a famous motorcycle rally in New Hampshire, my wife (in a disability scooter) was trying to cross a road protected by a crossing guard. Every time it was the pedestrians’ turn, my wife would be surrounded by people crossing the road, preventing her from crossing. You become invisible on a scooter for some reason.

This happened for a few cycles.

Then, Biker Dude appeared. He was the personification of a 1% club member — big, bearded, inked with leather and chains, and triple-patched. He was the real deal. He leaned down to my wife, yelling over the noise of all the motorcycles.

Biker Dude: “DO YOU NEED HELP, MA’AM?”

Wife: *Slightly scared* “Uh-huh.”

The next time it was the pedestrians’ turn to cross the road, Biker Dude stood up and bellowed:

Biker Dude: “ALL YOU F***ERS NEED TO LET THIS LADY CROSS!”

Leaning down, he softly said, “Please follow me, ma’am,” and off he went like an icebreaker dressed in leather and chains in the Arctic clearing a path for my wife, on her scooter, following closely behind.

On the other side, the man leaned down again and softly asked:

Biker Dude: “Do you need anything else, ma’am?”

Wife: *In awe* “Uh-uh.”

Biker Dude: “You have a nice day.”

And off Biker Dude disappeared into the crowd.

NEVER judge a book by its cover.

Waitstaff Have Feelings, You Know
Awesome, Bad Behavior, Inspirational, Instant Karma, Reddit, Restaurant | Right | CREDIT: MOMTHEMEATLOAFF | May 18, 2022
When I worked at a nearby restaurant, it would attract quite the crowd. The food was amazing and we had a band that played almost every night. It was also right next to a really nice country club and would attract a lot of their residents.

One night, we were absolutely slammed. I had a total of probably twelve tables at once and it was just a mess. Everyone was pretty understanding and could see we were understaffed, except for this party of four I had. They were rich, rude, and just downright degrading.

I was doing the best I could, considering how busy we were, and the one woman was just not having it. She absolutely flipped out on me.

Woman: “You suck at your job! You’re not cut out to be a server. You should be fired, and you should be ashamed of how horrible your performance is! You’re the worst server ever!”

She just kept going on and on. I don’t usually let people get to me, especially this entitled jerk, but it happened; I broke down and started crying from the stress of how busy it was and her degrading me.

I took five, went to the bathroom, composed myself, and went back out to finish waiting on them.

Their attitude had completely changed; everyone at the table apologized to me profusely, even the woman who screamed at me. Apparently, another table nearby (who I wasn’t even waiting on) heard what the lady was saying and went up to the table and ripped them a new one, told them it was disgusting the way she was speaking to me, and basically called the table out on being horrible people.

And after all that, as I was talking to them, the guy from the other table came up to me (in front of the rude table) and said, “No one should ever be treated like that.” He gave me a hug and handed me 100$. I tried to refuse to take it, but the guy insisted on it and wouldn’t take it back.

It almost brought me to tears again. It was a very emotional shift.

Why Libraries Should Outlive Us All
Awesome, Books & Reading, Current Events, Inspirational, Library, Oklahoma, USA | Right | May 10, 2022
I have been a librarian for over thirty years. We are a relatively big library in our town, and one of the more conveniently located libraries — right across from a middle school, by a major store, and near a dog park. But when the health crisis hit, we went from being in person to being only pick up in the car. Our state considered us essential. People for the most part were understanding about it, though we did have some interesting people. The absolute best patron, though, was one who remembered our names.

She would drive up, and when we came out, she would always have a smile and try and make conversation. This girl would constantly check out ten to twenty books every week and return them promptly every Monday. The odd thing was that the books were all over the place; some days it would be mysteries and sometimes it would be classics or nonfiction.

When we finally opened back up, she was there that Monday afternoon with a big plate of cookies and donuts from the local bakery with a card letting us know how much she appreciated us, especially since she knew that we had a lot of work to get out all her books. I finally asked her if she was reading all those books, because honestly, we were always curious.

Customer: *Laughing* “I read some of them, but I didn’t want the library to go under during this, so I figured if I could get as many books as I could checked out, they would see that this was a necessary thing.”

I admit my eyes were a little teary. And now, nearly six months after we have fully opened, she still checks out that many every week.

Straight Into The Deep End
Awesome, Bank, Employees, Inspirational, Kind Strangers, New Hires, USA | Working | May 10, 2022
I started a new job as a banker about a month ago. Both my manager and the other banker, who is training me, end up out on unexpected medical leave for unrelated reasons within ten days of each other. I then get slammed with a bunch of stuff that I’ve not yet been trained on.

Thankfully, the bank I work for has a support line that branch staff can call for help. I call it multiple times. I get the same representative every time. After the fifth call, which requires a long explanation…

Representative: “…but it depends on your branch, really. I’d ask your manager to see how she wants it processed. You’ve called quite a bit today. Is your manager out?”

Me: “Yep.”

Representative: “Ah. Maybe you can hold the paperwork until she gets back.”

Me: “She’s on medical, so we’re not really sure when that will be.”

Representative: “Do you have a second banker to ask?”

Me: “She’s on medical, too.”

Representative: “So, there are no other bankers at all?”

Me: “Correct. Just me and our tellers.”

Representative: “Hmm. How long have you been a banker?”

Me: “About a month.”

Representative: “Oh, honey. Talk about getting thrown in the deep end. Please call us any time!”

Me: “That’s sweet, but I’ve already bothered y’all enough today!”

Representative: “Now, I mean it. You call us as much as you need to! What branch are you at?”

After that, every time I called, every representative greeted me with a cheerful, “Hello, [My Name] from [Branch]!” They even walked me through several tricky processes, step by step! They were lifesavers during the two weeks when I was working by myself. I don’t work there anymore, but I’ll never forget how kind those representatives were. If you’re reading this, thanks, ladies!

Compliment Confidence And Watch It Grow
Awesome, College & University, Inspirational, Students, Teachers, USA | Learning | May 7, 2022
I went through some serious mental health struggles all throughout my high school years. This was further exacerbated in college because I decided to go out of state and basically lost my entire support system.

In my freshman year, I was all but forced to withdraw from my gen-ed chemistry class because, between my mental health and my natural disinterest in the subject, I didn’t have any motivation to turn in any homework or lab reports. My professor for that class was also the ONLY one to notice my struggles and to try and reach out to me, but I wasn’t really receptive to getting help at that point.

A year later, I started digging myself out of my hole, so I decided to retake the class with the same professor. On this particular day, we had an exam. I finished a bit early, handed my test to my professor, and left the room like usual for her exams. Unbeknownst to me, she actually followed me out into the hall.

Professor: “[My Name]?”

Me: “Uh, yes?”

Professor: “I just wanted to say great job on your confidence this semester. You’ve come a long way.”

Me: *Genuinely shocked* “Oh, thank you. I’m… I’m really trying.”

Even though it was just a small comment, it really hit me hard after everything. I cried the whole way back to my dorm.

Sometimes The Least You Can Do Is The Best Thing You Can Do
Australia, Bus, Health & Body, Inspirational, Kind Strangers, New South Wales, Public Transport, Strangers, Sydney | Friendly | May 6, 2022
When I was fifteen, I caught the same bus every Saturday to get to my flute lesson. I usually left early so I had some time to spare. One such Saturday morning, I left even earlier than usual. It was fairly cold and there was a light rain, so I was wearing an long, red coat and had a decent-looking umbrella. I’ve been told before that this outfit made me look around eighteen, so maybe that’s why the things that happened the way they did.

I made it to my bus stop and sat down to wait. The only other person there was a girl in her twenties. She was crying and clutching a single piece of paper. I also noticed that she wasn’t wearing anything warm, despite the weather. I felt really bad for her.

Me: “Are you all right?”

She looked at me, swallowed, and said:

Girl: “I just got some bad news.

Me: *Concerned* “Do you want to talk about it?”

That seemed to be the tipping point, and she broke down in front of me. She explained through tears that she’d gone to her doctor to check a lump on her neck and that she’d just gotten the results back. It was a tumour. She didn’t know if it was malignant, but her doctor wanted her back immediately for more testing.

I sat with her for about ten minutes. She told me that her friend was picking her up to take her to the appointment, but she didn’t know how long they would be. I didn’t really know what to do, but I just wanted to make sure she was all right. Then, my bus came. The girl waved me away, trying to smile, saying that she would be fine. Feeling guilty, I got on. I was the only person on board. The bus driver looked equally worried.

I didn’t even make it a single stop before I felt bad about leaving her in the rain by herself. I asked the driver to stop early. Since I was the only person there, he let me off, telling me to make sure the girl was all right. I ran the whole way back. Luckily, the girl was still sitting there waiting. She looked shocked that I’d come back but a little glad, too.

Me: “I really don’t think you should be alone right now.”

I sat with her for another ten minutes, talking with her and trying to distract her until her friend came. When her friend’s car finally appeared, she started thanking me profusely. Her friend pulled up and leaned over from the driver’s seat, asking what was going on.

Girl’s Friend: “Thank you so much for staying with her. [Girl] called me and I came as fast as I could, but the traffic was terrible. Do you want a lift since you missed your bus?”

Me: “No, it’s all right. I was early anyway. I just hope everything turns out all right.”

Girl: *Through tears* “Thank you. It really means a lot that you did that. I’m sorry to have just dumped it all on you. Thank you so much.”

Me: “It’s fine. That’s just something you shouldn’t have to sit alone with. I only did what I thought was best.”

Girl’s Friend: “Are you sure you don’t want a lift?”

I shook my head, wished [Girl] good luck, and waved them off. They thanked me again multiple times and then slowly drove away. Even though I ended up being a few minutes late for my lesson, I’ll never forget the way [Girl] thanked me for simply sitting with her and listening. [Girl], if you’re out there, I really do hope you’re okay and that everything turned out all right in the end.

Good Samaritans Spreading Good Cheer
Inspirational, Kind Strangers, Money, Retail | Right | May 3, 2022
I worked at a large retail chain, and I got to meet one of the many good Samaritans who help pay off layaway.

Good Samaritan: “I want to pay off things for kids, like bikes and such. No video games — I want to pay for things that keep kids playing.”

Then, after we went through all those tabs, they still had money left.

Me: “What’s next?”

Good Samaritan: “You decide.”

I picked tickets for customers who I knew were elderly or on a tight budget and let the person decide. That was seriously one of the best times ever. They wanted to just quietly come in, pay off useful tickets, and help others.

When I got to make the list of calls that tabs were paid off, some of the people wanted to know who did it so they could thank the person. However, the good Samaritan made me promise not to call any of them until I was done and they left the store. And to this day, I’ll never tell anyone who it was. But the joy for some of those people was amazing that I even cried with a couple when they came to get their items.