I am leaving a bad relationship. I have reached the first layover of what is a very long trip to get back home.

I enjoy talking to people, and I mention to the woman I am talking to how long my bus ride is going to be. I enjoy our conversation as it helps pass the time waiting for the next leg of my journey to begin.

Just as I am about to board the bus, the lady rushes up to me.

Lady #1: “Wait!”

She gives me a neck pillow. I am floored!

Lady #1: “Have a safe trip.”

I have tears in my eyes as I board. It does make the next leg a little more comfortable.

I had a conversation with another lady, who is in a wheelchair, just before we boarded. I have a disability and walk with a cane. She and her son make sure that I get to board at the same time they do in order for us to get seats in the disabled section.

Her stop comes up very quickly, and as she is about to disembark, she hands me a hand-crocheted lap robe. 

Lady #2: “You might need it, as the buses get so cold sometimes.”

I am in tears again. The lap robe is very helpful.

I make it to my second layover and it is to be several hours long. But as it gets closer to the scheduled departure time, it becomes plain that we aren’t going to leave on time. There is a mechanical problem with the bus that they are having trouble fixing. I have a very narrow window to make the next connection. I am upset, as I so want to get home. I ask at the ticket counter what I can do and I’m not really given a good answer.

I sit back down, wondering what in the world am I going to do. I hear my name called over the intercom. One of the front desk crew says that because we won’t be able to make the connection, the bus line is going to put me and another passenger, who is going to the same place I am, up in a hotel that night. We can catch our bus in the morning.

I check in the front desk clerk at the hotel.

Front Desk Clerk: “Here’s your room key. Your room is on the second floor.”

Me: “Can you point me to an elevator?”

Front Desk Clerk: “I’m sorry, but there isn’t one.”

Me: *Laughing* “It will definitely take me a while to get up the stairs.”

The front desk clerk worked her magic and got me an ADA room on the first floor. Again, I was just floored!

I got to sleep in a bed that night instead of riding the bus. It gave me a chance to recharge and relax, which made the rest of the trip easier.

I was just blown away at the kindness of so many people. I felt like I had received some small miracles from God to help me get back home.

Related:
This Train Will Be Terminating At Your Hearts

I’ve worked customer service my whole life. As a result, smiling at people is so ingrained into my nature that I smile at everyone out of reflex nowadays.

One day, I’m walking home after getting some necessities in town. It is a tough time for me. I only got a low-wage job too far from my real home so I have to share living in another town with a friend and I only see my husband on weekends. Money is always tight and while my job is great, my bosses suck, and life is overall just miserable and I can’t see it getting any better anytime soon.

While I’m walking down the street lined with nice one-family homes on my way to my shared flat, I see an elderly woman standing on the walkway cutting some branches from her lilac tree which is in full bloom. She looks up at me, and out of routine, I smile at her, nodding, as a greeting.

She smiles back.

I’m passing her and think nothing of it, but before I can go on, she steps in my way.

Woman: “Excuse me, miss.”

I turn back to face her.

Woman: “A smile like yours can open doors. You’ll see, a very lucky life is waiting for you!”

With those words, she handed me the branches she’d just cut from her tree, gathered those she’d cut before from the walkway, took her stuff, and headed back inside.

I smiled a little longer. Life was just so miserable at that moment that I didn’t believe her, but she had just gifted me my favorite flowers and made my day brighter.

But it turned out she was right. Not soon after, my constant job hunt earned me a great job above minimum-wage where I could work remotely, so I was able to move back home. Money isn’t so tight anymore and life is much better than I’ve ever dreamt, even if it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

If you’re in a tight spot, don’t give up on yourself. Keep smiling at people. Even if it doesn’t look like it’s ever going to get better, there’s always a chance someone will gift you at least a little happiness now and then, if you just gift them your smile.

I am coming home from work on what might be one of the worst days since the start of the health crisis. We were understaffed, ran out of stock, and had a line for the entirety of my five-hour shift. While I am walking home, a bus stops beside me and the driver pops the door.

Bus Driver: “You heading to West Edmonton Mall?”

Me: “Just a bit further.”

I’m preparing to explain how I forgot my wallet and don’t have the fare. 

Bus Driver: “Get on.”

Me: “But—”

Bus Driver: “No, nope. I just had to call 9-1-1 on someone who overdosed. I could use the company.”

So, I got on the bus and we talked. She was running late cause she had stayed with the man until the ambulance showed up, and she was understandably a little shaken up. I talked about how I had been at work all day and nothing seemed to have gone right. 

She was really kind and understanding, and she was just what I needed to feel a little better. 

I don’t actually believe in fate, but I do think she was one of those passing ships that you meet in life. Thank you, random bus lady, and I hope I was able to make your day a little better, too.

This happens about forty years ago, when my dad is a grad student and my mom is working at a fast food restaurant. There is a middle-aged woman that has been sitting at a table studying for several hours. After refilling her coffee for the umpteenth time, my mom approaches her to tell her that they are closing soon.

Woman: “I’m sorry. I’m just so confused. I have a math test tomorrow, but I don’t have a clue.”

Mom: “My husband is really good at math. He can help you. Here’s my address, and I’ll call him to let him know you’re coming.”

Woman: “Thanks so much!”

My mom finishes up closing the store in the early hours of the morning and goes straight to bed. The next morning, she gets up and talks to my dad.

Dad: “I’m tired. I was up really late helping your friend. How do you know her, anyway?”

Mom: “I don’t.”

Dad: “What?! You don’t know her?!”

The lady shows up at the fast food restaurant the next afternoon with a fruit basket.

Woman: “Thank you so much! I haven’t gotten my grade yet, but I think I passed.”

I have been chatting with a regular customer about the nasty cold I got over the weekend. The customer leaves with his materials. About a half-hour later, I get a call from our security guard.

Guard: “Where are you?”

Me: “In the warehouse.”

Guard: “Stay there; [Customer] is on his way over.”

Customer: “I felt bad that you were sick so I stopped at the store.”

He handed me a bottle of Dayquil. If all my customers were like that, I might actually enjoy my job!