(I’m part of a large Facebook group for professional translators. A colleague mentions offhand that they are worried about not being able to complete jobs for clients due to advanced illness. Shortly thereafter, I saw the following post:)

Group Member: “For those of you who’ve missed it in all the many hugs that have been going to [Colleague] this afternoon, we’re setting up a backup team that she can refer jobs to when her health lets her down and a deadline is due. The idea is that we all try to keep a little bit of spare availability in case this should happen so that [Colleague] can pass jobs to whoever’s the most suitable/available. Needless to say, the money earned for the job still goes to her!”

(Within an hour, some 50 people had volunteered their services. It was amazing to watch a community come together so quickly!)

(I am driving from my mom’s house up to my dad’s. This trip is a long one, but I’ve been doing it for years, so I often go pretty late with no worries. This trip, however, I get about halfway to my dad’s only to have the engine light come on. It is my first real difficulty like that, and it is extremely late. Very upset, I get to a gas station, call my parents and AAA, and panic.)

Tow Truck Driver: “We’re going to need to take this to a shop. Where do you want to go?”

Me: *in tears* “I, I don’t know anywhere nearby, and I don’t, I don’t know w-what to do.”

Tow Truck Driver: “Well, how far away is home for you?”

Me: “A-about a hundred miles.”

Tow Truck Driver: “Not a problem! We can do that. You’re covered for exactly that amount.”

Me: “Oh, my God, really? Are you sure? It’s okay?”

Tow Truck Driver: *very kindly* “Don’t worry. I’ll get you home safe.”

(Extremely grateful and overwhelmed, I started crying. The driver put me in his cab to wait for him to hitch my car up. As I’m waiting, I notice one of the other people in the gas station come over to the driver and start talking to him. Eventually, the driver gets into the cab, and turns to me.)

Tow Truck Driver: “You see that guy? He saw you crying and wanted to know if you were okay. I gave him the general situation, and he looked at me and said, ‘Well in that case, I’d like to pay for her tow.’ I told him you were already covered, and he said to get you home safe then.”

(I started crying again, and rolled down the window to sob gratefully. I probably looked and sounded like a hot mess, but in the middle of what felt like a disaster, the total kindness of two strangers kept me safe. My dad tipped the driver when he dropped me off, and the driver said he had kids of his own, and he wouldn’t want them stranded either.)

(I am a teenage girl. My mother and I decide to go out and catch a movie that recently came out. A massive thunderstorm starts just as we are leaving, knocking the power out of most of the area. As we’re driving we realize that we are almost out of gas and none of the gas stations we pass have power. We finally find a station that is pumping gas, but its credit card machines aren’t working and my mom only has two dollars in cash. Somehow we finally make it to the theater. It’s very crowded even though it’s only a Tuesday evening. We get in line for tickets behind a woman who is with her family. As my mom and I are discussing show times, the woman turns to us.)

Woman: “Oh, are you going to see [Movie], too?”

Mom: “Yes, it’s just the two of us at home tonight so we’d thought we’d go to the movies.”

Woman: “My daughter and I had gotten two tickets earlier, but now the whole family wants to come so we’re getting more.”

(We continue making small-talk until we reach the ticket booth, where we discover that they’re sold out. My mom and I are both disappointed that after everything we went through to get here, we can’t see the movie, and we go to walk out of the theater. Halfway to our car we decide to go back in and see if we can get tickets for a later showing, thinking we can get dinner first and then come back to see the movie at 9:30 or 10. As we again go back inside to head to the ticket booth, we see the woman who we met in line. She waves us over.)

Woman: “I was hoping I’d find you two. They were sold out of tickets so the rest of the family can’t go, but my daughter and I didn’t want to go alone.” *she hands us the two tickets she said she had bought earlier* “Here you go. God bless you.”

Mom: *astonished* “Oh– Thank you!”

(The woman and her family left before we could thank her properly, and my mom and I were so shocked we didn’t know what to do! We greatly enjoyed the movie, and told everyone about what had happened the next day. To the lady who gave us her tickets, we are so grateful for your kindness!)

(I’m 19 and on a year-long backpacking trip across Australia. I have an early flight to catch so I think to sleep at the airport rather than spend it paying for a hostel bed. I thought I could check in super early and sleep on carpet or couches but this doesn’t happen since the small airport closes early. I end up sleeping on a hard bench and wake up a lot, scared the security guards will kick me out. On my flight in the morning I exchange pleasantries with the couple I sit beside and we get talking about my travels.)

Me: “I’m really enjoying Australia.” *yawns* “But you’re going to have to forgive me; I slept at the airport last night and I don’t think I can keep my eyes open any longer.”

(I immediately pass out and sleep the whole flight. I wake up shortly before landing.)

Wife: “So…” *turns to me and hands me a $20 bill* “We don’t have much cash on us, but we want to give this to you to pay for a meal or bed for the night! We hope you have a great time here!”

(Over ten years later that sentiment still warms my heart to know there’s such generous and kind people in the world.)

(I am a graduate student, and always go to look at pieces in the summer art festival across the street from my campus. One particular booth from a married couple is my favorite, featuring carved and layered steel heated with a blowtorch so that it changed colors; they are there yearly, and I always take a long time admiring their pieces. After a few years of this, I am apparently recognized when I go back to look at their pieces again very near the end of the festival.)

Artist: “I see you’re lurking over here again.”

Me: “Yes, I just love your work. It’s outside of my budget as a graduate student, but it’s great for me that I can come and look at it here.”

Artist: “Oh, I understand about being a student. What is it you’re studying?”

(I explain a little about the somewhat technical scientific field I’m in.)

Artist: “Oh, good, you’re a scientist. So let me tell you about this new process we’ve been working on, and how we can get different effects by changing the fire application…”

(She then proceeds to explain a new style they’ve been developing, and how it differs from some of their previous work, and I ask a few questions about it.)

Artist: “Are you going to be here for a few more minutes? I’d like to get your contact information for our mailing list, in case we’re doing shows other places near you, like when you’re visiting family over the holidays or that.”

Me: “Sure!”

(I fill out the form while she walks away to handle something… and comes back a few minutes later with a small box. I see she’s transferred all my contact information onto a receipt.)

Artist: “I feel better knowing that at least some of my pieces have gone to people who really appreciate them. So I’d like you to have this one at no charge, to start your collection.”

(I’ve since graduated, and bought a few of their pieces now that I’m no longer on a student budget, but that first one is still hanging on my bedroom wall. And I’m still floored by it.)