My mother and I have shared an apartment for several years now, and we like it like that. For the last several years, I’ve become completely disabled. We decided to get rid of my mother’s car because it had the higher payment and she’d just drive mine. It just needed a battery and tires.

It had to be towed to the shop. Being chatty as she is, my mother was talking to these guys (including some other drivers and customers) about my situation, how I’d just had brain surgery that messed up my arm, hand, and leg, and my other issues.

Without telling her, one driver paid for the battery for our car, and when my mother got home she told me this.

Mother: “The guy at the shop said we didn’t need tires, but I’ve determined that he did, in fact, put brand-new tires on the car without charging me!”

It was crazy. Things like that don’t happen to me. I’m the person who gets screwed over by the world. I help people and always pay a price for it, so for people to do that for us was absolutely amazing to me. I was so grateful I cried.

Our area experienced an unusually early major snowstorm one year. The amount of snow and ice on the wires knocked out the power at the convenience store where I worked. There was no electricity or heat in the store, so we were unable to ring up sales or dispense gas.

Crazily, employees were still required to work their shifts even though the place was freezing.

I was very much surprised when our regular customers (and some people that live nearby) took care of us. They brought us coffee and cocoa, blankets, sweatshirts, food, and other things. The power outage lasted several days, and these people kindly took care of us the whole time.

A few years ago, my hubby and I were at the airport waiting for our flight. It was delayed/cancelled due to mechanical problems. The airline counter staff were being screamed at by almost everyone, and we could tell that they were pretty upset. Our turn at the counter arrived

Airline Staff: “We’re incredibly sorry, but the soonest we can get you on a flight is tomorrow.”

While we were not happy to have our vacation delayed and have to pay for a non-day at our resort, we tell her:

Us: “That’s fine; we know you’re trying your best here. We apologize for our fellow passengers; we heard some of them being complete jerks.”

Airline Staff: *Genuinely surprised and relieved* “…thank you.”

We started laughing and joking with her and her coworkers, and they all really seemed to appreciate it.

We stood in a separate group of people that were being sorted for airport hotel accommodations for overnight delayed passengers. We saw the airline staff we’d just spoken to looking at us, talking among themselves, and then looking at something on their computer. One of them came over to us.

Airline Staff: *Quietly* “If you could come with me, please. We just need to iron out some further details.”

We go back over to their desk.

Airline Staff: “We have just been made aware of two available last-minute cancellation seats for a flight in two hours. We can get you booked on to those?”

Obviously, we took those, and when we got our replacement tickets, we could see that they were upper class! She then proceeded to walk us over to the other counter and even personally ensured that our bags were checked with the new airline!

Karma can also be of the good (awesome) kind if you treat people with respect and kindness!

This takes place in 2002 when I am a college student working part-time at a small video rental store. We have multiple customers who return their video tapes late and get late fees added to their accounts.

On Valentine’s Day, a gentleman comes in only ten minutes before closing.

Customer #1: “I want to rent a movie, but I have late fees that my ex-wife made on my account and I can’t afford to pay them. Is there anything you can do?”

Before I can answer him, the other customer in the store says:

Customer #2: “No problem, let me cover that for you. Us ex-husbands have to stick up for each other.”

The fees are paid by the other customer, and both men get the movies they want and leave.

About a week later, the other customer comes in again.

Customer #2: “Can we go through the outstanding accounts and pay as many late fees off as possible with this?”

He then handed me $500! It took $376 of that $500, but every single late fee was paid off, and all customer accounts were returned to good standing. Seeing the delight on customers’ faces as they came in over the next couple of months expecting to pay late fees on top of their current rental and learning their fees were paid was delightful.

I work in an upholstery factory located on a very busy main road. Shop floor staff start at 7 AM and work until 4:30 PM, four days a week, with a half-day on Fridays finishing at 11 AM. On those first four days, we have two fifteen-minute breaks and a half-hour for dinner. As you can imagine, after getting up that early and working basically nonstop for three hours, breakfast is something of a necessity.

Unfortunately, the nearest town is a ten-minute drive away, and at the time of this story, I am an apprentice, with no car or driver’s license.

As a result, the petrol station across the road, which has a little branch of a certain well-known bakery inside, was a hotspot for us factory workers come the first break.

I got that breakfast routine down to an art: two minutes walk across the road, five minutes to queue, order, and pay, three minutes back so as not to spill my fresh coffee, and five minutes to sit and eat my well-deserved bacon roll.

On this particular day, something went slightly wrong before break, making me slightly late out, and when it comes time to pay, I realise that my debit card is not in my wallet, but in my phone case, which is back in the factory across the road, and I have no cash since I don’t like to carry it.

I deliberate and panic, then, with a heavy and hungry heart, apologise to the staff for the inconvenience, and turn to abandon my food. Then I hear this from a greying man in the queue behind me:

Customer: “How much is it?”

Staff: “[Nominal amount].”

I turn as I realise what’s about to happen, and do my best to be polite, since there’s little to no chance of me seeing this kind stranger ever again to return the favour.

Me: “Oh, it’s fine, honestly—”

Too late. He’s counted his change and covered my order before I can finish my sentence, and I’m left to stutter out a meek “thank you” as he waves a hand to dismiss me and make his own order.

I savoured every bite of that bacon roll, when I got back, and ever since then, I try to pay such kindness forward wherever I can.

It’s been over a year now and I haven’t seen that man again, but if this story ever reaches you, sir, know that your simple kindness has made a lasting impact on me, and made me a kinder person as a result.

Related:
With Great Bacon, Comes Great Responsibility, Part 24
With Great Bacon, Comes Great Responsibility, Part 23
With Great Bacon, Comes Great Responsibility, Part 22 
With Great Bacon, Comes Great Responsibility, Part 21
With Great Bacon, Comes Great Responsibility, Part 20