Kindness brings warmth and appreciation, but reality doesn’t happen as that expectation. Sometimes, the stories exist the unexpected challenges of trying to do the right thing. However, kindness always appears because it makes the world a little better.

Story 1: 

A guy snatched the purse of a very pregnant woman and took off running. Without thinking, I sprinted after him for 2 blocks and caught up. I returned the purse to the woman.

But instead of thanking me, she started screaming and shouting at me and said, ”Are you stupid or are you blind? He also pulled off my diamond necklace! Why didn’t you bring that too?”

I was already out of breath, but her reaction left me completely stunned. I just stared at her, speechless. Without another word, she slung her purse over her shoulder, turned away, and walked off without looking back.

For a long time, I regretted helping her. But now, I take comfort in knowing that at least I stopped a thief that day. Maybe, just maybe, he thought twice before stealing again.

Story 2: 

When I was in college, we had to do a software development assignment. This was for an electronics engineering degree, and most people weren’t that interested in writing software. I loved doing that stuff, though, and was good at it.

So, I ended up doing the assignments for six different students in class. I changed them all slightly so it didn’t look like they were just copies.

I ended up with the worst mark on my own assignment. The other six students who handed in my assignment all got better marks than me. The professor said that he marked me down because it was obvious that I’d copied someone else’s assignment. © saugoof / Reddit

Story 3: 

Story 4: 

This middle-aged lady asked me for directions while I waited for the bus, and as I pulled out Google Maps, the bus we both needed to get on drove by, stopped for a sec, and then sped off without us. It was a weekend, so the next bus wasn’t for an hour and a half… I ended up walking twenty minutes to the subway in the cold. © ponponponzu / Reddit

Story 5: 

I decided to edit someone’s profile page in a wiki because it was filled with grammar errors, and I wanted to help out. Some time later, the edit got reverted, and the page got locked. © MonochromeLimbo / Reddit

Story 6: 

Story 7: 

I typically don’t do the whole Black Friday thing because of the crowds. But one year, I was feeling particularly bad for all the retail workers who had to work it.

So, my brother and I had this idea that we would make little goodie bags with candy in them, go out to an area of town we knew would have a huge turnout (a shopping center with a Walmart, Target, and several clothing chains), and hand the bags out to the employees working.

Turns out, it’s very much against store policies for them to take things like that from customers. © badw0lfbae / Reddit

Story 8: 

When I was in high school, I passed a house with a little puppy out front. After a few minutes, I felt something run into the back of my legs, and it was the puppy. So, I picked it up and brought it back to the house. I said, “Excuse me, your dog was following me down the road. Here he is,” and handed him back to her.

She looked at me and said, “Do you make a habit of walking onto people’s property without permission?”—because I had walked up her driveway to give her the dog back. © Pied_piper_of_Canada / Reddit

Story 9: 

Story 10: 

A lady with a cane and I were crossing a busy intersection during a rainstorm. I offered to cover her with part of my umbrella so she wouldn’t get soaked. Instead, she grabbed the umbrella and walked away with it—cane in one hand and umbrella in the other. © Unknown author / Reddit

Story 11: 

There is a homeless woman who stays in my neighborhood often. I saw her sitting on a bench on a freezing cold day sometime after Christmas. (As a teacher, this is a time I often get 20 Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards.) I never go to Dunkin’, and I had a $25 gift card.

I pulled over my car in the snow and walked over to her, wanting to give her the gift card because it was freezing, and Dunkin’ was up the block. I figured as a customer, she could get a hot drink and stay warm inside for a while.

I briefly introduced myself and asked for her name. Then I handed her the card with a smile and said, “I have an extra one of these. Dunkin’ is up the road—you should go warm up; it’s a cold day.” She looked at me… took the card… threw it on the floor… and stomped it in the snow… © Unknown author / Reddit

Story 12: 

Story 13: 

I dated a woman who had a 19-year-old daughter. The daughter was living with a guy who was awful to her. I confronted him to protect her. Well, he broke up with her over it.

Then the mother broke up with me. She said I had no right to interfere. I don’t think I was wrong, and no one is going to change my mind. © SH378 / Reddit