We can always use more niceness in the world, especially at a time like this. That’s why someone created a Reddit thread asking people to come forward with the nicest thing that someone has ever done for them.
Some of these answers are truly heartwarming. Here are the best ones, in our opinion!
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Paying Their Rent
“Someone paid for the first three months of my rent at my first house. My dad had died a month before that and the funeral director wanted to help me out.”
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Asking to Sit With Them at Lunch
“Moved in middle of 7th grade. New city, new junior high school. Lunch comes up and I sit on the first bench I get to. Everyone else in a different part of the yard. Dave B. walks over, ‘You’re new, right? Come sit with us!’ He and I never really became friends, but I still remember that invitation decades later.”
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Dressing As Santa
“When I was about five, my mom was single and in nursing school. She had very little money, and we lived in this tiny one bedroom apartment. This elderly Greek man who lived in our apartment complex dressed up as Santa on Christmas Eve and brought me presents. I can still remember him saying, ‘Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!’ in that wonderful Greek accent. That was one of the sweetest memories of my childhood.”
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Talking Til They Fell Asleep
“When my grandmother died, my friend would FaceTime me when I couldn’t sleep and tell me bed time stories. Our safe-word was ‘pineapple.’ If she said that and I didn’t answer, she knew I was sleeping and she could hang up. It might have been a little thing for her but it made a huge difference for me.”
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A Birthday Surprise
“I’m not one to make a fuss over my birthday. I didn’t want to make a big deal and I don’t like putting people out. We were walking back to mine and I said lets just go to the movies. I wasn’t aware that my best friend had organized for 15 of my other friends to hide in my bedroom and jump out at me when we got home.”
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Taking Them on Trips
“When I was a kid, I met one of my grandmother’s best friends. At first, I was super scared to approach him because he had a wheelchair. But after I got to know him, we instantly bonded. He was exactly 50 years older than me (same birthday) and also loved Harry Potter. During that summer, he would take me to see the movies (nemo, spiderman, spykids) and treat me to ice-cream at BK afterwards (I’d always get lemon and blue-bubblegum). Growing up, we were pretty poor, so those trips meant a lot to me. Looking back, we had a pretty special friendship. He was my best friend, my mentor and my role model for most of my life. He had a huge impact on my life and I never think I was able to thank him enough for it.”
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Just Sitting With Them
“I was hit by a car and a stranger sat with me until the EMTs arrived. I never got his name. He left before the police got there. I looked for his face in crowds, but never saw him again. He kept me calm. I didn’t feel alone.”
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Writing a Nice Letter of Recommendation
“I asked a colleague to be a referee for me for a new job. She wrote me a letter of recommendation that, eleven years later, remains one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me. All of the little efforts that I’d been putting in and getting no real attention for, she noticed, and mentioned in a way that made me feel so seen. I don’t think anyone has made me feel so good about myself, ever.”
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Paying for Gas
“I just started driving maybe had my license for a week. Went to go fill up gas for the first time. Realized I never learned how to fill up a car. A guy saw me struggling for about 10 minutes and he walked over pulled out his credit and showed me what to do. Ended up paying for my gas and teaching me a lesson. Never got his name or anything.”
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A Simple Hug and Positivity
“In high school, my English teacher hugged me (she hated hugs) and told me she believed in me and a malicious side of me disappeared that day. I still recall it vividly but it’s oddly wonderful how a little belief and positive word can impact someone. I think she inspired my passion for reading honestly.”
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Paying for a Hotel Stay
“We were on our honeymoon and didn’t have a lot of money but we managed to afford to stay at our favorite inn in our favorite coastal town. Someone found out we were newlyweds and anonymously paid for our stay. I plan on paying it forward at that same place one day.”
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Cooking Compliments
“My husband always compliments my cooking. No matter how much I mess up, he’s always willing to try it.”
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A Thoughtful Gift
“My daughter painted me a picture for my birthday. Me and the pups (both present and that crossed the rainbow bridge) enjoying nature. Just a simple thoughtful gift. And more meaningful because she is at that rebellious stage where I am no longer her favorite person.”
What’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?