I wonder how many people have actually been inspired to go out and do good things by somebody else’s example. I suspect that, for most of us, good, kind parents do pass along a habit of giving back to the community. Beyond that, however, it’s hard to say.
But if anybody is going to inspire us to be better people in our day-to-day lives, the folks below are certainly a good start.
“My son, who has learning challenges, developed a special relationship with his amazing Grade 4 teacher,” wrote Reddit user researchbuff.
“On the last day of school, she gifted him with a drawing from her father who she said worked as an animator. He did this especially for my son, who is a Batman fanatic. Left me speechless.”
“Had a rough day and my birthday is this week. My 13-year-old brother-in-law snuck this into my bag before I left their house,” wrote Reddit user MrsIceCreamBeard. “Every card has a painting and a classic Bob quote.”
Now that will turn any bad day around!
A very good person has been going around delicately cleaning up veterans’ headstones and posting the results online.
He says the graves he cleans are near his Vietnam vet grandfather’s grave, and he’s trying to inspire more people to do likewise.
This guy is committed to childhood literacy, and you can tell because he travels Mongolia with a camel-based library, bringing books to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them.
I love this guy for bringing these kids the gift of stories.
These paramedics found an unusual client in need, but helped out all the same.
The bird, found breathing quickly and stunned on the sidewalk on a hot day, just needed a bit of hydration.
This birdie, however, had a more serious problem when a raven attacked.
“He crashed down on the floor and was bleeding from his mouth,” wrote Reddit user Sta723. “We picked him up and held him until the shock wore off and he could fly off.”
“A while back, our family reunion event did a ‘what are you thankful for’ on chips and I found that my (step) Dad keeps mine in his work tool box,” wrote Reddit user Replicant_Josh.
For the record, the faded writing reads “I’m thankful for you being the Dad you didn’t have to be.”
“My adopted son and I have had trouble bonding since we brought him home last month,” wrote Reddit user biranouk. “Today when I got home I found this. It’s my favorite candy.”
I feel like that’s a wonderfully promising sign.
A soldier who had been stationed in Afghanistan wanted to share an item he received from a young girl in a care package that meant the world to him when he was in harm’s way.
“This is my friend Chester,” she wrote. “He keeps me safe from monsters, but I think you need him more than I do. I hope he keeps you safe from the monsters you’re fighting.” If that doesn’t get you misty-eyed, I don’t know what will.
“I just gave my tenth pint of blood! THANK YOU to the NHS for saving my mum’s life with blood transfusions when I was born, 22 years ago,” wrote Reddit user sharksaresogood. “May there be many more donations to come.”
Saving lives is the best possible way to pay it forward!
“I was visiting family back home and decided to bring my Switch, my little cousin was the very first to notice it. I let him borrow it the entire time I was there,” wrote another Reddit user. “Knowing how tough times are back home, it was with a huge and heavy heart that I gave my prized possession away.”
But holy smokes, could you say no to that kid’s smile?
This guy just made one of his dreams come true: donating two gaming stations to a local children’s hospital thanks to the generosity of gamers.
Just knowing that doing something nice for sick kids made his dream come true tells you all you need to know.
When a guy’s PlayStation got stolen, his roommates all pitched in to surprise him with a new system, with a headset.
Imagine coming home from work to see your buddies had done that for you!
“This past weekend I visited 5 friends I never met before despite knowing them for 5+ years, including Joe who is terminally ill with Ewings Sarcoma,” wrote Reddit user Millertime166.
“We all met through online gaming, nobody had met each other in person until a day before this.” And they’re all there for their buddy IRL.
“My nephew has some special needs, and I had the honor of going with him to his first Homecoming this year,” wrote Reddit user IAmASimulation.
“He doesn’t have a lot of friends, but he still wanted pictures with everyone else, and this group of kids asked him to come take pictures with them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him happier!”
You have to love whoever had a sticker printed up for the kid who parks his bike in the same spot every day.
Not only is a cool thing to do for a kid, it also just shows that someone noticed.
“There are still good people in the world. This is my neighbor who pretends to be crusty, quietly cleaning up all the pine needles in his neighborhood unasked,” wrote Reddit user ravenandpossum.
Apparently he’s the neighborhood ” pretend crank” who does things like this all the time.
This guy apparently made a rare good choice while having some fun, and it looks like it went well.
His heart was clearly in the right place, but I just hope he picked an appropriate charity.
True friendship summed up in a pic: helping someone with two broken arms take a sip of their drink.
I’d want someone to be there for me if I was the one with two broken arms too!
Seen in a university bathroom. I think Dr. Cardona has just become a campus hero.
You have to love the profs who look out for students outside of class, too.
