People From Around The World Share Good Deeds They Did Without Anyone Noticing

August 1, 2019 | Eul Basa

People From Around The World Share Good Deeds They Did Without Anyone Noticing


They say a good deed is its own reward. That being the case, sometimes it's a nice feeling to do something super nice and then never tell anyone. Just let the positivity ripple out into the universe. That's what the folks below did, only now they've gone online to share their kindest actions that no one really knows about.

Let's all enjoy a little bit of compassion to remind us that the world isn't just doom and gloom!

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30. The book bandit

Back when my Great Uncle was alive I used to go and buy these books about cowboys, Indians and the like. Being an elderly man he never really got much of a chance to go out and buy these sorts of things although he loved reading and Westerns greatly.

One day I noticed that he'd began to re-read some of his old books, as he didn't have any new ones. I thought about it for a bit, and came up with a plan. Every time I'd go to the Newsagents from then on I'd buy two books. After getting a few I'd bundle them up, go to his house, drop them on the doorstep, ring the bell and run.

When I'd visit him later in the week he'd always relay his theory on who was doing it, and how he was going to catch them. I only got to do it a few times before he passed away, but I'll never forget the smile on his face as he talked about 'The Book Bandit'.

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29. The dogcatcher in the rye

I used to take all the "crappy" foster dogs no one else wanted to deal with. I spent a few weeks loving them and training them. I was really really good at it. People that adopted them think they just got lucky with a dog from a good home. Naw, I saved them for you and gave you a family member you probably would have written off before.

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28. Classy classmate

There was a student at my middle school who, for whatever reason, never had clean clothes and was thus the stinky kid of our school. He smelled like he never showered and there was an apparent lack of parental care. My mother is a teacher, so I always got to school very early. This kid rode the bus and also got to school early.

One day, after witnessing him get harassed about being the smelly kid, I asked my mom if we could do something to help. She gave me the ok to offer, and from then on, I would get his uniform he wore the day before, take it home, and wash it for him (I think he only had two outfits). At the beginning of each week, we would give him bath stuff to clean with. This went on for the entire seventh and eight-grade. I would always deliver his clothes to him early in the morning to save him any embarrassment.

I hope this little act of kindness improved his life in the long run.

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27. Anonymous benefactor

I had known that a girl in my school had been battling with anorexia and other eating disorders for years. Apart from maybe one party, I’d hardly ever talked to her, but I really liked what I’d seen/heard of her. This year she went to do a charity run for a group that helps people with eating disorders and she posted it on her Facebook page asking for sponsors…

55 days into the 60 days she had to get sponsors, and still, no one had supported her. I donated 100% of her target anonymously. To this day, she still doesn’t know it was me, and I’ve told no one.

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26. Apple of my eye

Not random, but every morning when I prepare my girlfriend and my "lunch boxes" I always give her the best apple. Usually, the biggest and reddest with the fewest blemishes, and I don't tell her.

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25. Your mom raised you right

In high school, I got a job in the summertime so I could buy nice school clothes and have fun with my friends. My mom was a single mom and worked a full-time job while raising my brother and I at this time. I used to hide money in her purse, sometimes $20, sometimes $100, depending on what I had. I never told anyone.

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24. Community service

Back when I used to smoke, I noticed that a park near my house often had  butts littered all over the kids' area. It bothered me as a smoker, and I used to go out there at night a few times a week and spend an hour or two with a trash bag picking up butts and other garbage that I found.

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23. Road compassion > road rage

This happened today on the way home from work. Suddenly, construction took four lanes of traffic down to two. Didn’t have a chance to get over before I saw it, and traffic was packed. I crawled in my lane as it dwindled down. One guy thought I was intentionally trying to pass everyone, so he leaned out and waved his middle finger at me.

I managed to get in ahead a bit ahead. Looked over to see someone else crawling up in the same manner, but they were pretty much out of lane at that point. I stopped and made a hole while waving them in. 90 degrees in bumper to bumper traffic and they had all windows down with kids in the back. Wasn’t about to make ’em sit any longer than necessary.

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22. For the good boy

My neighbor's dog fell off a cliff, and they could not afford the surgery to save his life. We put $500.00 in an envelope on their back step, with a note that said 'to help your dog.' It was not enough for the whole cost, but we heard the vet took it as a down payment. The dog lived for quite a while after.

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21. Food and shelter

Sometimes when my housemate or I are going to be walking past this homeless dude who sleeps in the park near my house, I leave him cans of beans, spaghetti and even stew (they're already cooked you can eat them cold, I have done it multiple times) while he sleeps.

Also, my friend and I found an old tarp that had a couple of holes in it, we patched it up and left it next to where he sleeps one day. He uses the tarp all the time now.

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20. A selfless workout

Living in Canada, this winter I drove around my neighborhood and looked for people who needed help shoveling their driveway. I’d just drive up, hop out with a shovel and start shoveling. Though it wasn’t completely selfless, I just figured instead of going to the gym I might as well put my workout to good use and help some people out.

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19. Pushing the envelope

A poor local family's son had his bike stolen at school. My husband and I knew they weren't home one afternoon. We put a $100 bill in an envelope with a note that said it was for his new bike and a nice lock to keep it safe and popped it in their mailbox, unsigned. We saw the nice post they made on Facebook about how grateful they were and how excited he was. It was a nice feeling made even better by the fact that it was anonymous. There was no pressure for them to thank us, no praise from others, just a happy kid and relieved parents. No kid should be without a bike, especially when someone just takes it from them.

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18. Never too old to need a sponsor

I’m in AA, and none of my “normal” friends really know. About a month ago, a gentleman called the meeting place looking for a ride to the meeting. I volunteered to pick him up and to give him a ride home. When I pulled up to the address that he gave me, I realized it was an assisted living facility. He must have been at least 90 years old.

He began to tell me that his wife had just passed and that he really needs a meeting. Now, every week I give him rides to meetings, even if it doesn’t fit into my schedule. When I went to pick him up last week, his face was completely black and blue. Someone in his care facility had assaulted him. Eventually, I convinced him to report the situation to the authorities and the employee has since been fired.

I’ve learned that when a person has something to say, to just listen. Sometimes that’s they need.

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17. A tithe for a friend

Back when I was more religious, I would save 10% of my money to give to the church. I had banked several thousand dollars with the intent of giving it to them, but I instead sent it anonymously to one of my best friends after his wife died of cancer. I feel really good about being able to do that but I never wanted him to feel awkward about it.

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16. Helping the most needy

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I was driving to take my brother to night school. There was an elderly man walking in the middle of the road. I pulled over and asked him where he was heading. The place where he was going to was not within walking distance and dangerous since no one respects pedestrians in Riyadh. I asked him what his story was, and he explained he is a Syrian refugee that used to farm cucumbers in his village and only been in Saudi for one day.

He was on his way to stay with a Syrian family who’d offered him shelter, so we told him to hop in and drove him there. He was very thankful when we reached the place. There, he grabbed my brothers’ hand and kissed it in thanks. He wanted to do the same to mine, but I pulled them. Still, when I saw him do that, my brother and I started crying nonstop from how humble this man made us feel. We realized then how much pain Syrians are really facing.

We kissed his head goodbye and wished him safe stay in Riyadh until he returns to his village.

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15. Catch this

This is what my uncle did for someone that we didn't know about until the person he did it for told us at his wake. There was a single mom who did not have a lot of money, and her son loved baseball. My uncle was at a game and so he managed to catch one of the balls that went into the stands and get it signed by one of the players. He then gave it to the mom to give to her son and she told him, "Oh he's going to love you for doing this!"

To which my uncle responded, "No, tell him you did it. He'll think you're the best mom ever."

He never told anyone that story and it wasn't until that mom was at his wake that we found out. A real selfless guy, my uncle. It's a shame he died at 50.

RIP Uncle Peter.

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14. Lost and found

For some reason, lost dogs find me. Over the past two years I've found and returned six lost dogs. Not surprisingly, I never got a reward. But what bothered me was that none of the people seemed overly thrilled that their lost dog had been returned to them. If my dog got out I would be sobbing and overjoyed if he was returned to me.

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13. Lunch lady goes the extra mile

I'm a lunch lady. I used to sneak money into some of the younger kids' accounts so they could buy the snacks we sometimes put out for sale when they're nearing expiration.

I did it because there were a few really sweet kids who never had any money in their accounts. The way it's set up, they put the item on their tray and when they enter their pin, if it shows they have a zero or negative balance, I have to take it off their tray and tell them I'm sorry they can't have it.

And I really was and still am sorry. It started with a couple of kids who lost both of their parents within the same year. Everybody was just too sad and broke from funerals to keep up on the payments. There were a few who were on free lunch and always reeked of smoke. I judged. In all honesty, there were also a couple of hateful little jerks who I imagined must be that jaded and cynical FOR A REASON by the ripe old age of 6. I figured they could stand to have one thing go their way every once in a while for a change.

It's a non-issue now because payments are now mostly made online, and the ones that aren't are closely scrutinized. I miss being able to make a kid's day so easily just by making it so they got to count themselves among the haves for a minute. I still remember what it's like to be 6 years old and be the kid who knew not to even ask because "we can't afford that right now, Baby. Mommy's sorry. Maybe next paycheck."

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12. Helping him to his feet

In college, I saw an extremely obese guy who was very socially awkward and pretty much afraid of everything, slip and fall on a patch of ice outside of our dorm hall, right onto his back, completely destroying the lunch that was in his backpack. I normally would have just chuckled at the sight, but something told me to go help the guy.

While the rest of the onlookers just gawked at him, pointed, and mumbled, I went over hooked his arm and helped him to his feet. The poor guy had tears in his eyes from embarrassment (or a destroyed lunch), so I gave him a card for a free sandwich at Chick-fil-a and told him what my dad used to tell me growing up: “Shake it off, bud, you’ll be fine.”

After that day, I started seeing him around campus (small school) opening up and making friends. We never got close, but we’d always exchange a hello in passing. When we graduated, we were able to put a quote in our program about our college experience and he wrote something along the lines of, “To the guy who helped me up and told me to ‘Shake it off…’ Thank you.”

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11. How to make a Facebook friend

Last weekend I was downtown and found a guy's driver's license on the ground. I found him on Facebook and sent him a bunch of messages not to worry and that I'd return his license. We ended up running into him on the street. The look on his face when I asked, "Are you John Doe?" was priceless. His eyes went wide and asked, "How did you know that?" I pulled the license out of my shirt pocket, he said "Dude!", gave me a big hug and thanked me. We are currently Facebook friends.

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10. The cop who feeds you

I am a police officer. Got a call about a kid at a train show at a museum in town. Found him, he was autistic and the dumb friends who took him to the show had left him there. He couldn't get hold of anyone to come get him. I drove him around with me for about an hour while we kept trying to call his parents. My bank account was negative at the time, day before payday. I had $10 for dinner. Took him to Subway and fed him cause he said he had not eaten all day. I went hungry till 6am the next morning.

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9. Thank you, groceries Ninja

I used to run a comedy show in my town. There was a door price to begin with, but after awhile I got sick of taking people's money at the door and just let them donate money if they liked the show. We ended up making more money that way, but I didn't really need the cash. I was working, so it wasn't necessary. We ended up sponsoring a child through World Vision, and people would donate towards sponsoring her. Any extra money I got I just gave away to whatever charity we could think of, or whatever charity the audience wanted it to go to.

Anyway, after a while we couldn't run the gig anymore, primarily due to politics. Some people didn't like that we were popular and attempted to shut us down, which is a really weird thing for performers to do. I had the show jump venues a few times, but after awhile it became too much. There was a lot of travel involved in doing this, and I wasn't making any money off of it.

I have every intention of starting the show again some time, but I really don't have the time. However, in the meantime the child is still being sponsored. I used to joke about how I'd just let her starve if people didn't put money in the hat, but I could never bring myself to do that. I don't get any tax benefits from sponsoring her, as she was sponsored by the show "Ninja Slam" so I can't claim any of it.

So, somewhere out there is a small Nicaraguan child that thinks that Ninjas are keeping her fed. That's worth paying for.

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8. That's tough to do

When I was either 15 or 16, I was staying at my best friend's house for the weekend and his sister came to us with a bottle and a bunch of peach juice boxes for chasers and asked if we'd like to drink with her. I'd never drank before, but we said sure.

After getting about as far into the bottle as we were capable of getting, my friend went to go crash. Myself and his sister continued to drink for a little bit, then she asked if I wanted to go for a walk. I said sure. It got a little windy out, and she was rubbing her arms so I gave her my sweater and we kept drinking a little.

Eventually, we ended up back at their house and when we came inside, she asked me I wanted to go down to her bedroom (the basement) and "help her take the sweater off".

In a moment of astounding clarity for a hammered kid who had never hooked up before, I said no.

It would have ruined my friendship with my best friend, who is still my best friend to this day. This was a very long time ago now. She was two years older than we were and a complete babe, but I turned it down because one evening of bliss would have destroyed everything I cared about in my friendship.

She still has my sweater, and she and I are on good terms to this day. Nobody other than her knows about this. I think I did a good thing that night.

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7. Beautiful music

A dear friend of mine’s father passed away, and he left her his two guitars. When she was a little girl, she used to go to some of his gigs and watch him play. Her father was a giant of a man, but a real gentleman in every sense of the word (I met him once before he passed on—when I shook his hand, my hand disappeared into one of the biggest fists I’ve ever seen).

She was an only child and loved to listen to her dad play his guitar. Soon after he passed, my friend got behind on her bills a little and was hurting for money. Knowing that I played guitar, she asked if I’d like to buy it from her. The guitar was a gold-top Gretsch, probably from the 1960s. It had been re-finished and customized some, really hurting its value in the vintage market.

I knew what it was worth, and I made her a fair offer (honestly, probably even a little bit more than it was worth) and she accepted. She said she hated parting with that guitar because it reminded her of happy times with her dad but was glad that she was selling it to me because at least she knew I’d properly take care of it.

About a year later at Christmas time, I called her and said I’d be back in town and would love to hang out with her for a bit because we live in different states and don’t see each other very often. We made plans, and I went over to her place. When she opened the door, I was standing there with a guitar case with a red bow on it.

She looked at me and said, “What’s that?” I said, “It’s my Christmas gift to you.” She knew EXACTLY what was in that case. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone break down and cry HARD like that, nearly uncontrollably. When she finally composed herself, I told her I wasn’t giving it to her as much as I was assigning her exclusive permanent guardianship of it, and I still reserved the right to play it whenever I wanted (wink, wink). She laughed, brought it inside, and we went out to lunch.

I’ve never told anyone that story before. Not sure why.

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6. The nicotene fairy

Every night I sneak into my roommates bedroom and apply a nicotine patch to his forehead, and early every morning before he wakes up, I remove it. He thinks he quit smoking all by himself.

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5. Advice worth paying for

I had just cashed my check at the bank. On the way home, I saw a homeless man with a sign that said, “Go in the direction of your dreams, live the life you imagined. I didn’t and look at how I turned out.” I pulled over and talked with him for over an hour. He was a normal guy who was just dealt the wrong hand. It was a very stressful time in my life, and he was so nice and caring…

I gave him my entire paycheck. It wasn’t a lot, and I was young, so it was only about a week’s pay from a low paying job. But what did some kid with no bills yet need the money for anyway?

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4. Observe and report

I was standing in a car park one day and saw a car trying to park next to another car. The motherlicker ended up scraping right up the side of this other car, getting out, looking at the damage and then driving off.

Well I quickly started repeating his number plate in my head while I got my phone out, then I typed it. I then walked to my car, got a pen and paper and wrote "Some idiot just scratched up the side of your car and drove off. Here's his number plate. XXX XXX." I put the note on the windscreen and waited around for a few minutes then left. I imagine the loser got caught.

There's a special place in hell for drivers like that. A place right next to Hitler and people who take their toddlers to the cinema.

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3. Paying it forward

My grandfather was a professor at the University of Florida in the agriculture department. He was also a veteran of the Navy. One day, a student who was returning to school from being away on military duty came to my grandfather’s office. The student told my grandfather he had to drop out of school to work full-time so he could take care of his wife and kids.

Well, my grandfather knew how important education was and wouldn’t allow it. My grandfather paid for this young man’s tuition, not knowing whether or not he would be paid back, without telling anyone. My grandfather passed away a few years ago, and when his obituary was posted in the Gainesville newspaper, my uncle got a call from this student.

Apparently, the student finished his undergrad and ended up becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The best part is, my grandfather never told anyone about this story and none of us had learned of it until his passing. But this is just the kind of man my grandfather was. You don’t have to believe me, as I know this is a pretty crazy story, but I know it to be true.

The student DID pay him back. There is still faith in humanity.

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2. Your guardian angel

I was coming out of a bar one night and saw an older man (70s?) staggering while trying to unlock his car in the parking lot. He was clearly out of it and I knew he wouldn't make it far driving. I walked up to him and asked if he needed help. He said "I don't think I can make it" so I offered to drive him home in his own car. I tossed my car keys to my girlfriend, and asked her to follow me.

On the way home the man said several times to me, "I lost my wife a few months ago ya know, and just don't know how to live anymore". I had no words of wisdom to help the situation but offered my condolences. He was coherent enough to provide directions, and I helped him out of the car and to the door of his house, making sure he could get in before I left.

He asked me, "You want to come in for a drink?" as a thank-you for bringing him home safely, but I declined as I had to drive my girlfriend home.

I don't even remember the man's name or where he lived, and I thought about him for several years wondering what ever happened to that sad man. At the very least, I hope that my act of kindness saved him from a car accident.

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1. Way beyond the call of duty

I used to work at Starbucks. Pretty decent job other than the fairly regular obnoxious customers who think the world of themselves. Regardless, I get paid, so it's alright.

So one day this old lady comes in. I've never seen her before, but she seems a little down in the dumps. This is not my typical "I'll be paying with my daddy's credit card" customer, so I'm a little more inclined to see what's going on. I ask her how her day is going, and she tells me she's fine. She orders a cup of coffee. I can tell she most definitely is not okay - something's definitely off. I quietly ask her if she's sure she's doing alright. She looks up at me from her purse with tears in her eyes and, voice quivering, says, "No, son, I'm not. My husband is dying and I'm trying to learn how to live without him."

I come to learn her husband did everything for her - he kept up the house, he pumped the gas. He was prince charming, and now he was dying. My heart just broke right there. I poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her. She went to reach into her wallet, but I told her it was on the house. This woman looked at me and burst into tears. The store is virtually empty at this point, so we have some more time with her. My manager gives her a hug and the woman tells me it was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for her. It wasn't any big deal. I just gave her a cup of coffee. It cost me nothing, I just didn't charge it. But the story doesn't end there.

Later that afternoon I get a call from the afternoon shift manager. She just got a phone call from a 20-something year old girl who asked about me. She said that her grandma (the woman I had served that morning) had come and told her (granddaughter) about our exchange. This girl was singing our praises big time, saying we changed this lady's entire perspective on the situation. I was absolutely floored and got a little choked up.

But we're still not done.

Three weeks later, I'm working a Sunday morning. It's right between two rushes and this giant group comes in. Big groups are always a pain to serve, but I put a smile on and get ready to take care of everyone. An older lady comes up to me and grabs my hand. She asks me if I remember who she is- it's the lady from three weeks before. I ask her about her husband and she responds,

"Well, that's what I'm here about, son. I have two things to share with you this morning. First, I want you to know that my husband passed away. His funeral was yesterday and the whole family came into town for the service. The second thing I want to share with you is this- I want you to know that I shared the story of what you did for me with that cup of coffee. You may not know this, but that cup of coffee gave me an entirely new perspective on my husband's life. I wanted to thank you for that. Son, I want to introduce you to my family. They have something they want to say to you."

She turns around and gestures to the group. One by one, they come up to me and shake my hand and thank me for what I've done. At this point everyone is teary eyed. It was the strangest thing. A cup of coffee changed everything, and, in the process, allowed me to celebrate the life of a stranger I never knew with his loved ones.

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