I have been working at my store for fourteen years. I’ve seen new babies and children growing up, but sometimes I forget just how long I’ve been here.

One day, I am sitting in the breakroom and a bunch of new hires come in on break from their tour of the store. One of the teenagers comes over to me.

Teen: “Hey, [My Name]!”

I’m still wearing my nametag so I just assume that is how he knows my name. I smile at him.

Me: “Hey! Welcome to the store.”

Teen: “You probably don’t remember me, do you?”

Me: “Um… no… I’m sorry.”

Teen: *Grins* “I have been coming through your line since I was about five years old.”

And then I felt old! But I eventually did remember him. When he was five or so, he came in with his mom to buy groceries. He had this little toy horse that was on wheels that he could pull behind him. The mom was $1 short in order to get it and she told him he would have to put it back. He didn’t scream or throw a fit; he just looked heartbroken as he handed me the toy. I felt so bad that I gave her the $1 she needed in order to afford her groceries and the toy. Apparently, he never forgot. He’s still a super sweet guy.

This story is part of our Feel Good roundup for February 2021!

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I am working a closing shift, the first I’ve worked on my own since being promoted to the management team. Just after I send my last insider home, leaving only me and one delivery driver, we get slammed back to back with orders out of nowhere. I’m trying to keep my cool, but apparently, my stress is showing through my customer service mask more than I’d like it to when I open our pickup window to help a customer. After I give her the total:

Customer: “Hun, are you okay?”

Me: “Yes, ma’am, I’m fine. Just a little frazzled, I suppose.”

Customer: “Are you sure? You seem upset.”

Me: “I really am fine. It’s just my first night closing the store on my own and we got hit with orders at an unexpected time is all.”

The customer nods and counts out the money for her total. Then, she hesitates, adds a couple more dollars, and hands me the money.

Customer: “Here, hun, keep the change. I hope your night gets better.”

Me: “Really? Thank you so much! I really do appreciate it.”

Customer: “No problem. Take a deep breath, smoke a bowl of green, and you’ll be fine!”

I laughed my a** off as she pulled away. That one customer made my night so much better, and not even because of the $2 tip. I wish some of my other customers would understand how far a little kindness and a sense of humor go!

This story is part of our Feel Good roundup for February 2021!

Read the next Feel Good roundup for February 2021 story!

Read the Feel Good roundup for February 2021!

Dear readers,

It’s that time of the month again to remind us that Karma can also be a force for good and reestablish a little hope for humanity!

Rounded up below are seventeen inspirational stories from the month of January that spread a little joy around!

Thank You For Being A (Furry) Friend – I, too, prefer to walk home with a buddy.

The Stores Are Closed But Their Hearts Are Open – Stop for a cup of coffee and you might just have more than your stomach warmed.

The Gangster, The Pizza, And The Baby – Hits from the comments: “Could you guys not add so many onions to your pizzas? All those onions have made their way over here…”

(more…)

My grandma has a habit of always referring to me, her only grandchild, as “the little ‘un”. When she is talking TO me, she just calls me by my name, or something like “darling” or “sweetie” — or “rascal” if I am misbehaving — but if she is talking ABOUT me, even if I am in the same room, she always calls me “the little ‘un”. This continues into my teenage years, and when I leave for university. I don’t mind it; I actually think it’s kind of sweet. But at one point, my aunt starts to think that I am getting too old for the nickname, and she has the following conversation with Grandma, which she later recounts to me.

Grandma: “Good thing the little ‘un is coming to visit this weekend; my radio is acting up again and she fixed it last time.”

Aunt: “Yeah, but Mom, seriously. [My Name] is twenty-one, at university, and living on her own, not to mention nearly a head taller than both of us, and neither of us is small to begin with. Don’t you think it’s time you stopped calling her ‘the little ‘un’?”

Grandma: *Smugly* “Nuh-uh! Doesn’t matter if she grows two meters tall and becomes a professor. She’ll always be my little ‘un!”

And she kept referring to me as “the little ‘un” until the day she died. I miss her.

This story is part of our Feel Good roundup for February 2021!

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Read the Feel Good roundup for February 2021!

As I’m waiting at a red light in the left turn lane, I look lazily to my left to see a smartly-dressed older woman tottering as fast as she can to the street corner in her kitten heels. The light turns green, giving us a turning advance, including a bus two vehicles in front of me.

The bus passes the next bus stop and I look in my rearview mirror as the older woman finishes crossing the road and stops on the corner, deflated. I stop at the bus stop and wait for her to walk to the stop to catch the next bus.

Me: “Come on, get in. We’ll go catch the bus.”

Woman: “What? What do you mean?”

Me: “Come on. I’ll get you to a stop in front of the bus.”

The woman’s eyes light up and she pulls the door open and climbs in.

Woman: “Really?!”

Me: “Yeah, let’s go!”

Traffic is bad so we’re together for fifteen minutes while tailing the bus. She tells me that her husband has headed to the airport to pick up her sister and she wants to surprise her by being there, too. By missing the bus, she’ll miss the next SeaBus, which means she’ll be behind by half an hour and unlikely to make it.

Me: “Oh, the SeaBus? I’ll just take you straight there. Then you’ll have lots of time.”

Woman: “Oh, dear, no. I don’t want to take you out of your way.”

Me: “No, it’s no problem. I was just getting home from work, anyway.”

Woman: “Well, thank you. I hope I’m not taking you too far out of your way.”

I give her a quirky smile.

Me: “The SeaBus stop is in front of my house.”

She thanked me over and over, but it was barely even a thing for me. I was done with my work for the day and happy to drive around a bit on a chilly afternoon.

This story is part of our Feel Good roundup for February 2021!

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Read the Feel Good roundup for February 2021!