My grandma was eighty-nine at the time of this story, and she had been an independent woman for over twenty-five years since my granddad passed. Slowly, she began to get older, and naturally, her abilities started to decline. She became hard of hearing (deaf in the end), she was unable to drive herself, she started to have issues with walking (she was an avid hiker before), and other small stuff started to go due to arthritis in her hands.

At some point, she got glaucoma and had to use special eye drops. My dad and my aunts (with good intentions) started to fuss about her capabilities to care for herself. Yes, she needed help with things, but they took almost everything out of her hands, including things she was perfectly capable of doing herself.

My grandma confided in me that even though she was old, she loved being able to still do things for herself if she was capable, and she was sad that people were treating her like she was incapable all of a sudden.

She needed to get surgery for her glaucoma, and leading up to it, my aunts were making plans for who would take care of her after surgery, and whose house she would stay at because she couldn’t stay at her own house by herself.

The main issue was the eyedrops she had to take after the surgery; due to the arthritis, it was difficult for her. Sometime before the surgery, we had gotten her a pair of special glasses to help apply eyedrops, and she claimed that they worked very well and she didn’t need any help. My aunts asked her to show us how she uses them, but she refused to show us — out of pride, I think — so that just convinced my aunts that she couldn’t be alone.

One evening, I went up to her.

Me: “Grandma, can you show me how your eyedrops glasses work? I’m having issues getting my own eyedrops in properly, and I wonder if they can help me.”

That was total BS; I don’t even use eyedrops. She just LIT up and showed me right away because she wanted to help me so badly!

Well, the glasses sort of worked for her but not well enough that she could be left to do it herself after surgery. However, she had told me how much she wanted to just go home when it was done and how she really wanted to stay independent. So, I lied to my aunts and told them that the glasses worked really well and she really didn’t need any help, and I made a deal with them that I would go to her place to look after her for the first few days after surgery. (They both live quite far away, so it was easier for me.)

At the same time, I told my grandma that for work I had to go to a different office location for a few days for a project, so I would sleep at her house because it was closer. That way, I could look after her, and she still felt like she was self-sufficient. The added bonus was that she felt so happy that she could help me by hosting me at her house for a couple of days! (I did arrive a few days early and left a few days after so the dates of my “work visit” didn’t exactly match with her surgery.)

The look on her face when I asked her to help me with the glasses and when I asked to sleep over was priceless! And the idea that I gave her some of her independence (however small) really makes me happy.

I do think she realised at some point at least that I was playing a trick on her, but she was just grateful that I wasn’t treating her like a porcelain doll like the rest of my family. And during my stay there, I just let her do her own thing and arrange her own stuff. I only stepped in twice when she really couldn’t handle it.

I own a small antique shop that sells a variety of stuff. One day, an elderly man comes in and starts looking at a model boat up on the shelf. I go to see if he needs assistance, and he starts crying. He tells me that he’s a World War 2 veteran and the boat is just like one he was on in the Navy.

He stays in my shop for about twenty minutes, telling me about friends he lost in the war, how there are so few people left who understand what their experience was like, and how lonely that is.

I give him the boat for free and he starts crying again. He tells me his name is Otto, and he just wants someone to remember his name and what he has done.

I’ll never forget him.

An older couple comes into the store, looking a little lost and wary. Something tells me I should go say hello.

Me: “Hi! Can I help you with anything today?”

Older Lady: “Hi, yes, we’re looking for something that lets you see the other person on a call.”

Me: “Oh, video-calling! Yes, we have lots of devices that can help with that. Did you want it on a bigger screen, like on a tablet? Or a smaller screen, like on a phone?”

Older Gentleman: “We… don’t really know. We only just have the old phone, so…”

He looks at a loss. As this is a sparsely populated part of the US, with lots of rural towns, it’s not uncommon to see older folk being forced into learning newer technology to keep in touch with relatives who have moved far away. I decide that today the day that I will help them figure all this stuff out.

Me: “Maybe if you told me what you’re trying to do, I can help suggest the best thing for you?”

Older Lady: “We’d like to call our children on the coast. They said we could see them if we got some kind of smaller TV or something?”

Me: “Sounds to me like they have what we call a ‘tablet’. If that’s all you’re going to use it for, we have some very affordable options that can do that. I’ll show you!”

I bring them over to the relevant section of the store and show them a basic model that also happens to be on sale. It’s just a little over $100.

Me: “If all you’ll be using it for is video calling, this should be more than enough. I feel I have to ask, though: do you have Internet at home?”

Older Gentleman: *Looking worried again* “No. Do we have to?”

Me: “Not necessarily! You said you had an old phone. Is that a landline or a cell phone?”

Older Gentleman: “It’s in my pocket!”

He gets out an older model of a smartphone, but it’s a smartphone nonetheless!

Me: “Okay, that’s a cell phone. Do you pay a phone bill for this?”

Older Gentleman: “Of course!”

Me: “Who do you pay?”

Older Gentleman: “[Well-known Phone Company].”

Me: “Okay. You might be able to link this tablet to the data plan that you’re using for your phone.”

They both look at me confused.

Me: “Uh… the video call will come through a phone signal, but it can go to this tablet via your phone.”

They nod in clearer understanding.

Me: “May I look at your phone for a moment?”

The gentleman eagerly hands it over, and I can see that it’s totally devoid of apps… but… there is an app for the aforementioned phone company. I get his permission to select the app, and I can see that he’s on a very basic data plan but is getting data all the same.

Now, there are still a lot of unknowns here. I won’t be able to explain to this couple how to tether devices or even know how strong their signal is back home.

Me: “Do you mind if I ask, where do you both live?”

Older Lady: “Just past [Large Ranch] on the way to [Town].”

Me: “Oh, near [Gas Station]?”

Older Lady: “Yes! Just turn right after that!”

Jackpot. That’s on my way home.

Me: “Okay, I’m going to suggest something unorthodox here.”

They seemed sweet and a bit lost, and I can be naïve and too trusting, but what the h***? I sold them the tablet with the understanding that they could return it for a refund if it didn’t do what they needed it to do.

I also agreed to drop by after my shift (I finish at 3:00 pm) and set up their tablet for them.

After my shift, I dropped by and drank some sweet tea out on their porch. I set up the tablet, and it took literal minutes to discover their old phone and tether it as a hotspot. I explained everything I was doing as I did it in a way that they could understand.

I tested the data speed of the tablet when close to the phone, and it was juuuuust about enough to get a video call, provided they keep both devices close, which I also explained.

They then called one of their children who lived on the East Coast to explain what was happening while I enjoyed a slice of the wife’s lemon drizzle cake. I talked to them and introduced myself, and I learned that they were happy to use Zoom or Google to talk to their family. I got the contact information and set up the older couple with the service, and less than an hour after my arrival, we were miraculously having a video call with their adult kids thousands of miles away!

The beaming smiles on their faces as grandchildren were shoved up to the camera and a series of “Hi, Grandma! Hi, Grandpa!” came through the tablet speakers made it worth all the effort.

I left my number and told them to call me whenever they have any issues, and they do. I look forward to when they actually do have issues… That lemon drizzle cake was incredible.

This story is part of the Best-Feel-Good-Stories Of-2023 roundup!

Read the next story!

Read the roundup!

My grandpa was a successful man, and in his mid-sixties, he decided he wanted to take a step back, so he started selling off his various businesses and spent the next few years traveling.

As he approached seventy, he got bored. He also had a few new grandchildren, so he needed a bigger house. He sold the old home that he had bought after he got back from Vietnam and bought this massive house on this large piece of land. This property also came with a massive steel barn.

I’m not sure if he had ever told anyone about his plans, but right after he got the property, he dumped a ton of money into tools and equipment and converted his barn into a mechanic’s dream. Some things I remember:

• He had a professional lift, capable of lifting full-size trucks.
• He had those professional oil catchers you see at quick lubes.
• He had a dedicated air compressor system that was designed to power all his power tools.
• He had a tire machine to mount new tires.
• He had so much equipment.
• His tool corner was a massive corner of this massive barn.

His plan? To fix cars, especially for people in need. He lived in a rural community; if you didn’t have a car that was a big problem. So, he let everyone at his local church know that he was willing to work on their cars if they provided the parts.

He only took a few jobs a week; he was doing this to enjoy himself and help those that needed it.  He changed oil, changed the transmission fluid, and did all kinds of various repairs. My grandpa was a talented mechanic. However, he kept the amount of work limited. He was also selective; if you were in need he’d want to fix your cars. If you had the means to pay, he’d decline and ask you to go elsewhere.

One day, the owner of the local car dealership came by and told my grandpa he needed to stop fixing other people’s cars because he wasn’t properly licensed, didn’t have the proper insurance, and was hurting his business. Grandpa explained that this was just his hobby; he only did a few cars a week. The owner told him he needed to cut it out, or he was going sue Grandpa out of business.

Grandpa laughed over this. What business was this guy going to sue him out of? The owner walked out.

A little while later, my grandpa got served; he was being sued by the owner of the car dealership. Grandpa thought he’d take a trip down to the dealership to try and reason with the man, hoping they could come to an understanding.

Grandpa spoke to the owner and basically explained:

• He only worked on cars for people who were down on their luck. The fact was that the people whose cars he fixed probably couldn’t afford to pay a professional dealership to fix their vehicles.
• He only did a few cars a week.
• He was not all that interested in getting into a fight over his hobby, but he wasn’t going back down.

Well, they ended up in court. By this point, my grandpa had hired a lawyer, who was able to get the city to approve a commercial garage on his property. It helped that he lived on the outskirts of town and had six acres of property.

The court told my grandpa that his auto repair shop was operating illegally, and if he wanted to continue, he needed to get a business license and the proper insurance. If he did that, he would be good to go.

Now, what do you think a man who has nothing but time and money in this situation is going to do? He’s going to get his business license and insurance, of course. He did, and that surprised no one… but he went further.

• He got a dedicated phone line run into his shop.
• He hired a full-time mechanic.
• He put up a professional sign.
• He set up a little waiting area with a water cooler.

What shocked everyone even more?

• He ran a local TV ad saying he was a pay-what-you-can mechanic shop, reservations only.
• He put ads in the local paper saying the same thing.

Yes, folks, that’s right. My grandpa was now not only a licensed, legal auto repair business, but he had a certified mechanic on his payroll… and he was running ads. As for his prices? They were quite simple. You either:

• Brought the parts yourself and paid the mechanic whatever you wanted — the mechanic got a separate wage from Grandpa, so if you couldn’t pay anything, that was fine — or;
• Had Grandpa source the parts, he’d charge you the cost of the parts, and you’d pay the mechanic whatever you wanted.

Grandpa started taking jobs, and boy, did that shop get busy. It was impossible to beat Grandpa’s prices. Grandpa was essentially paying to fix your car for you. He would spend his days with the mechanic that he had hired working on cars. He loved it.

The owner of the local car dealership was furious, and he sued my grandpa again. They went to court, and the judge basically said that my grandpa owned a licensed, insured auto repair business, and what he charged his customers for his services was completely up to him — even if that meant doing the work for free.

About a year or so later, Grandpa got a call from a lawyer who said he was representing a potential buyer of the local car dealership; however, the buyer wanted to speak to Grandpa. My grandpa agreed, and he sat down with the new potential buyer who expressed his concerns about buying the dealership. Service is a major profit center for a dealership, and he was considering buying the local dealership. However, he didn’t want to buy the dealership if my grandpa was going to keep operating the way he did because a for-profit business couldn’t compete against someone selling their services for free.

Grandpa agreed that there was no way someone looking to make a profitable business could ever compete against him. So, they came to an agreement.

• The potential buyer would buy the dealership.
• Grandpa would only work on a few cars a week, maybe five or six.
• He would only work on cars for people who were down on their luck and probably too poor to be able to pay a professional dealership to fix their car.
• Any parts he needed, he would buy from the dealership.
• Any work he declined, he’d refer to the dealership.
• The buyer would let Grandpa be and stay out of his way.
• The buyer would hire Grandpa’s mechanic.

They shook hands, the local dealership was bought out, and for the next nine years, my grandpa continued to fix cars for people who were down on their luck, and if he had to buy parts, he’d buy from the dealership. As for the mechanic Grandpa had hired? He ended up becoming the service manager and did quite well for himself.

As for my grandpa, when he was eighty, he had a heart attack in his shop. Luckily, one of his grandkids was there, they got him to the hospital, and he made a full recovery. But the doctor told him his body couldn’t handle working in that garage anymore. He ended up shutting down after that.

For the next three years, he looked out his kitchen window at his shop and remembered all the fun he’d had in his garage. He passed away at eighty-three surrounded by friends and family.

I am talking with a manager and see an elderly lady approach us. Just as I think she’s about to ask us a question, she starts talking to a young girl who is also browsing the aisle.

Customer: “You! Tell me where the vitamins are!”

Young Girl: “I… don’t know.”

Customer: “What do you mean you don’t know?! Why don’t you know?!”

Young Girl: “I’m thirteen.”

Customer: “So?!”

Young Girl: “I don’t work here!”

My manager decides to step in.

Manager: “Ma’am, she’s thirteen. She obviously doesn’t work here.”

Customer: “Back in my day, this country put thirteen-year-olds to work!”

Manager: “Ma’am, back in your day, this was still a colony, not a country. Please stop bothering children.”