Things that make you think there is goodness in the world.

[CalamityGladys]

Have been feeling really low and overwhelmed by all the nastiness that is going on then somebody/something turns it round. Like Farage mouthing off and then the RNLI get massive donations. Like a customer withdrawing their business over rainbow decorated cupcakes and the next day there were queues outside buying up all the stock. Like Marcus Rashford and the wall of notes - sometimes you just need to read these things. Any more? It’s

This is so trivial, but almost means more to me because it is so small. I dropped my favourite sunglasses last week at the gym - not a mega-expensive pair, but not super-cheap either. I was so upset about it, but next time I went I thought I’d just check at reception, and someone had handed them in. They could have ignored them, chucked them, kept them, and there was no reward or recognition for them making that effort, but they did that small thing just to be kind.

Really made my week.

I went shopping the other week and needed a trolley, but didn't know that they had reintroduced the need for a pound coin. A lady gave me a pound.

I think there's a lot of kindness about

My adult DC dropped their wallet on the way to the supermarket where they live a few months ago. It contained no cash but crucial passes she needed for work, her drivers licence etc. She retraced her steps but it was quite small and no luck.

Two days later, it turned up! Some kind soul had found it and posted it to the address on her licence. Restored my faith in humanity. Gently suggested to DD that she might like to think about taking a handbag with her in future....

A complete stranger stopped and gave me a jump start the other day. It was rush hour, and those ten minutes meant he'd be travelling an extra hour in horrible traffic. But he stopped anyway.

Once, I dropped eighty dollars in the parking lot of a supermarket. Just four twenty dollar bills. When I got home I was really sad, but my husband called the supermarket. Someone had actually turned in the money. And the people at the store had actually kept it safe.

A long time ago but my dad once cycled 5 miles to return £5 to a shop. The cashier had given him too much change and he was worried they’d get into trouble.

I left my purse in a public loo and someone handed it in to the police station opposite!

I completed a big piece of work today (nearly two years worth of work) and got a flurry of well done emails

We were shopping in a market and looked for a Lego magazine for my little DS (5) we couldn’t find it so asked the woman who was putting magazines out. DS excitedly told her he was going to Lego Land.

She found him the magazine, wished him a happy trip and we carried on with our shop. Minutes later she came up to him and handed him a little pack of Lego. It had fallen from a magazine and had been sat on her trolley for some time. She said it must have been waiting for him as she knew he would love it well. DS’s little face lit up and I had a tear in my eye.

DH has Parkinson's so struggles with some things sometimes, although it's not always easy to tell how difficult he is finding things. People regularly offer him help or just a bit of consideration. We went to the dump last week and he was about to take two bags of garden waste up the steps and a bloke behind hopped out of his van, asked if he wanted help and took both bags and emptied them. All very relaxed, friendly and so helpful.

My exhaust pipe half detached from my car yesterday and dragged along the ground so I pulled into a filling station, got out of my car and started cluelessly pulling at it without a clear idea of what I needed to do. A lovely kind man asked me if I wanted help, sorted it out for me and went on his way. All without making me feel stupid or patronized.

Not sure if this is the kind of thing the OP meant, but -
Whenever I need to remember there is goodness in the world I think about when I was very young, maybe 8/9.

I had travelled with my family from across the world to move to a different country and we stopped off in someone's house (an acquaintance maybe) to sleep before another long leg of the journey. My teddy bear which I had taken on the journey was very well worn and was missing an eye. I woke up and found that the lady whose house it was had sewn the eye back on overnight.

That one small gesture meant the world to me as a child, and I will never forget it as an adult.

In London for my DSis wedding, the next day I took my great uncle to the train station to catch the train back to Swindon. The inspector let me through the gate so I could help him on the train with his suitcase.

Retail is difficult at the moment due to virus. When a customer says thank you for your help it is amazing.

When I was little I used to really love helium balloons and my mam would buy me one as treat if we went for a day out in the nearest big city, about once a year or so. One time she got me one and we went to a rooftop cafe and I
Let it go even through she warned me not to and it went floating off. I was so upset because I only had it a little while. When we where leaving a middle aged couple came up to us outside with the exact same balloon and gave it to me. They had seen me lose it and went and bought a new one for me. I still remember it was a parrot shaped balloon and I kept it in my room for weeks until all the helium went.

My 5 stone Labrador was dying (very unexpected fast illness) and I had to carry him across to the vets in a sleeping bag with the vet nurse. We were really struggling and a lovely man in a flash bmw and suit stopped his car and helped us carry him across the road. All three of us had tears going down our cheeks.

The community response to COVID in my village.

Loads of people volunteered to help people shielding; from getting shopping, picking up prescriptions, cutting the grass, daily phone calls to help people feel less isolated to a group that made homemade "ready meals" for the elderly/unwell (self funded).

So many people rallied together to help each other and so many new relationships were forged.

Older members of the village are still getting support from the same people and the community has become much closer as a result.

The village Facebook page that used to be the preserve of the Parish Council issuing diktats is now a proper online community hub.

People "swapping" favours and offering items for free etc. People asking for help and getting it without judgement only kindness.

It's the one positive of the pandemic, but what I think it shows is that when the chips are down, most people are actually very decent and kind.

Last year I dropped my bus pass in the village shop where I was living temporarily. I thought I'd lost it. A couple of months later, the woman serving me noticed the name on my debit card and said 'I've got your bus pass'. She hadn't been able to see my face, because I was wearing a mask, but she'd kept the pass all that time and remembered my name.

A few years ago we moved to a small market town and didn't know a soul. Coming from a big city, and feeling a lot older than most of the other school mums, it took me a while to fit in. I think looking back on it, I was trying too hard to make friends but wasn't really aware of it at the time. I had just had what had felt like a rejection from a mum I walked to school with a lot and was feeling really hurt.

The next day my husband and I went to a nearby town to get some bits for the house. All the way there in the car I told him about the situation with the mum at school and how it had really hurt me. When we arrived at the car park we walked to the ticket machine and realised that it was a pay and display and you had to pay in cash before going off to shop but we didn't have enough coins. An older couple behind us saw that we didnt have enough money and the husband reached into his pocket and pulled out a big handful of coins and said, simply, 'take whatever you want, take as much as you want. I believe in karma.'

It was a really powerful moment and it brought me out of the 'woe is me'mindset I'd been in. It wasn't just his generous offer of the money for the parking it was the fact he said he believed in karma, something I'd always believed in too. I felt an angel had been sent to us that day. Magic.
I have since made loads of really special friends.

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It’s wonderful.

Had trouble with my eyes lately, just friends taking me to appointments and stuff.
It means a lot

My little 5yr old and I were watching gymnastics today and I commented ‘wow, they are so talented’. She had been trying to copy them, beamed and said that she was talented too. I agreed and expected her to talk about her gymnastics skills but when I asked her her talent she proudly said ‘kindness’. It warmed my cockles!

A few years ago I took myself out for lunch in a little coffee shop as a treat to myself.
When I got up to pay prior to leaving, a random customer had already paid for my bill too ... I will never forget this, I felt overwhelmed by their (whoever it was) kindness !

@Dontstepinthecowpat

My 5 stone Labrador was dying (very unexpected fast illness) and I had to carry him across to the vets in a sleeping bag with the vet nurse. We were really struggling and a lovely man in a flash bmw and suit stopped his car and helped us carry him across the road. All three of us had tears going down our cheeks.

This made me cry

I was on holiday and visiting the Romney Hythe and dymchurch railway.

I took my phone out of my jean back pocket and unknown to me I left it in the toilet.

Someone gave it to a volunteer before I even realised I'd lost it. It's a iPhone 10 and had a clear case on it with a £20 note fully on show.

Would have made me so cross with myself if I'd lost it and spoilt what had been a great day.

I'm so grateful to whoever handed it in. Wish I'd got to say thankyou.

I was 8 months pregnant with a young toddler (under 2). I'm a teacher and was teaching right up until I was full term.

Had gone to Waterstones to pick up a book I was reading with my class that week. Put it under the pushchair and then went to the next shop. Noticed the book had gone..retraced my steps, no no sign of it.

In my hormonal state I burst into tears when I asked at the til if it had been handed back in to Waterstones and was told no. They had none in stock as I'd had to order it in.

Anyway the lovely lady behind the til took me and toddler to the cafe, got me a coffee and a him a biscuit (for free!) and arranged to have the book shipped over from a shop in the next town so it would be ready for me to collect the next day. Again at no extra cost to me.

Was just so kind...I think I hugged her in the end! I emailed the store manager afterwards so I hope she got some recognition!