This article was originally published on Kueez
The Odd Couple
Friends come in all shapes and sizes, just like this unlikely duo. This is such a heartwarming picture of friendship-- this elderly lady asked this man for help walking home so she wouldn't slip and fall, how could he refuse. She is just the sweetest looking lady with that pom-pom on her hat, and he's got one too. They have more in common than just pom-pom hats though, they have trust in each other.
He walked her home that day, and ever since, it's become a regular thing they do. They've become friends even though they are generations apart. Kindness and trust never get outdated.
A Human Shield Hero
Not all heroes come in costume or uniform. Anthony Borges, 15, is a hero. He held a classroom door shut with his body to protect 20 other students inside from a gunman. Miraculously he survived five gunshots and is seen here recovering in the hospital with an officer from the Sheriff's department thanking him. He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect others-- the true definition of a hero.
We hope Anthony makes a full recovery. The Sheriff's department is definitely going to want to recruit him when he's out of high school, he has just what it takes. Wouldn't you want him protecting you?
When We Choose Life
Everyone knows the saying, "One Day at a Time", it was even a TV series, twice. Some days are good, some days are not-so-good-- life's ups and downs, we all have them. Here it looks like the guy standing with his head against the railing isn't having such a great day--in fact, he was attempting to end his life, thankfully though, this officer talked him out of it because you never know what the future holds.
What did the future hold? Eight years later-- now a father of two, you can see in the second photo, giving the officer an award at the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.
Neighborhood Do Gooders
There is a local group of gentlemen that help the elderly, the disabled, and single mothers by mowing their lawns for free. That's right, they're not getting paid to do the work, they're doing it out of the kindness in their hearts. Seen here with a grandma wearing oxygen, clearly disabled, these guys are smiling and happy to help fellow neighbors. They are do-gooders in every way! "Raising Men Lawn Care Service", we salute you.
Not only are they giving back to their community by mowing lawns, but they are also leading by example for all the local kids to see a single act of kindness goes a long way.
Family By Choice
While most of us don't choose our family, some people are fortunate enough to have that choice. These two adorably smitten people are family by choice. She was a caregiver in an orphanage where this man lived as a boy when his parents died. When she was about to retire after 40 years of service, he too had aged out of the kids' home, creating an opportunity for them to be together for life.
With big smiles on their faces-- he explains that he couldn't live without her and she couldn't live without him. 15 years later, their love for one another is still going strong.
Free Hugs Anyone
Kids do and say the darndest things-- that's the beauty of children. These two adorable kids are complete strangers that saw each other in a fast-food restaurant and decided that giving one another a hug was a great idea at the time. It's a "love thy neighbor" moment if you ever saw one. It just goes to show, that kids can give us adults teachable moments too. Free hugs for everyone!
Not only is it a wonderful sight to see, but giving some kindness to a complete stranger surely couldn't hurt. So take a moment, look around, maybe someone needs a hug.
Tied up Strangers
The days of wearing ties as a dress code standard are long gone. Most men wear ties for special occasions, business meetings, or going on a job interview, as this young man is probably headed to. Waiting for the train, he was having difficulty doing his tie so this good samaritan gave him a quick tutorial on how it's done. It's like teaching a man to fish instead of giving him a fish.
Sure he could have just done it for him, and that would be that. Still, he took the time to teach him, and that's what makes this such a sweet moment.
Generosity Begets Generosity
Kids can be the best examples of pure-hearted kindness. 7-year-old Jack was saving up to buy an iPad when he learned that the local Mosque was vandalized, so he decided to donate the 20 dollars that he had saved and give it to the Mosque. His act of kindness and generosity to the Mosque was returned to him tenfold when he received a new Apple iPad as a thank you from The American Muslim Community.
It's so nice to see that everyone in this awesome story seemed shocked by all the generosity going around. The man looks stunned by the boy's generosity, and the boy is ecstatic.
Uber Driver Fills in for Family
Next time you call an Uber, you may be lucky enough to get Beni, who goes above and beyond for his passengers. The guy in the bed called Uber to go to the hospital and Beni decided to stay with him since his family lives out of state. With an IV hook up in his arm, he might be there a while, but no worries, Beni has his back for the long haul.
All smiles the two of them, warms the heart knowing a stranger cares. He's not taking other passengers, so let's hope he got a big tip to go with his big heart.
Math Meetup on the Subway
It may be surprising to find help from a stranger on a subway ride, but people are from all different walks of life, so chances are someone taking a ride can help you out. The man in red was going over math problems so he could help his son who was having trouble with math-- but he was having a bit of a rough time. The other guy offered his help, and together they worked it out.
It just goes to show that helping others doesn't always have to be a grand gesture. Even a train ride can have an impact on another person's life--in this case two lives.
Eat It While It's Hot
This is such a touching photo of a waiter helping this woman eat her breakfast so her husband can eat his meal too, while it's still hot. Talk about the amazing service the waiter is providing, he not only serves their food to the table but also assists her in eating and wiping her mouth so she will eat with dignity. Mind you, he's not her caretaker, just their waiter!
Not only is this waiter helping out the woman in the wheelchair, but her husband is also getting to eat his meal hot, which may not happen so often for him.
Still Grateful Now and Then
Hurricane Katrina left devastation in its wake. Pararescueman Sgt. Mike Maroney rescued many people during the aftermath-- including this little girl who was so happy to be saved. Ten years later, she's all grown up and still so happy to be alive. Reunited with Sgt. Maroney brings smiles to their faces just like it did the first time. Clearly, you can see the love and appreciation on this girl's face, then and now.
Talk about having a rewarding job-- he saves people's lives for a living, and they never forget. When everyone is running from danger, he's diving in to save little girls just like her.
Smiles Are Contagious
People say that children are color blind and born without bias. So here is a little proof that kids have this innocence about them that we can only hope rubs off on the adults of the world. This little girl is taking a train ride with her family and can't resist smiling at the baby on the mothers' lap sitting next to her. It's her smile that's contagious, pure, and simple.
It's moments like this that we could all use a little more of. Kindness is as simple as smiling at a stranger expecting nothing in return. Although it couldn't hurt to smile back!
Teens With Big Hearts
These four teenagers pass by this homeless man every day on their way to school, so they decide to open their hearts and wallets to do something about his situation. They took him to get a hot meal and then brought him to Walmart for some new clothes. Seriously, this is the most thoughtful group of guys, because how much money do you think high school teenagers have to be spending a homeless man.
The man is just so happy and overwhelmed by their generosity, he is smiling in every photo. These teens have such big hearts, they should be proud of themselves-- Good Humans hands down!
Homeless Man Gets Christmas Too
Christmas is a time of giving, especially for those less fortunate than the rest. How amazing is it that this man wakes up to a Christmas tree decorated and presents at his feet? If he didn't believe in Santa Claus before, he sure does now! When you don't have an address it's hard for Santa to find you, so he sent his elves to hook this guy up with all the love.
It's so precious to see Santa's elves doing their magic, and the man thanking his lucky stars up above. Someone is definitely looking out for him.
Professor Babysits During Quiz
When this baby became fussy and started to cry, the professor volunteered to feed the student's baby while mom took a quiz in his geography class. He didn't have to be so nice and understanding of the whole situation. It's not every day that students bring their babies to class, and it's certainly not the norm for professors to offer to babysit them either. Bravo professor, for being the coolest one around.
Getting on his knees just tops the cake in this photo. He's putting his students and their needs first, which makes him one awesome professor. We just hope the baby didn't spit up on him.
He's Got Her Back
This woman lost 200 lbs (now that's an accomplishment by itself) so she signed up for a 10k, the first time ever. Looking like maybe she wouldn't make it to the finish line, this Louisville Police Officer jumps in next to her, to offer reassurance that she can do it. That's all she needed to finish the race, a little extra encouragement goes a long way especially when a stranger believes in you.
You can almost read his lips saying, "you got this, don't give up" to her in the first picture. He's offering support that isn't part of his job description, just part of being human.
Online Friends Become Friends in Person
How cool is it that these two people met online playing the game "Words with Friends"? They hit it off and became friends over the course of a year. He's 22 and she's 81, but age doesn't matter when the common denominator is a mutual love of the game. He lives in Harlem, New York, and decided it was finally time to pay his playing partner a visit in person.
So he bought a plane ticket to Florida, where she lives, to meet her face to face for the first time ever. Look how adorable they are together with smiles from ear to ear.
Childhood Classmate Donates Kidney
It was more than 50 years ago that these two men went to school together at Archbishop Carroll High School. While they were barely friends then, when Kenneth Walker needed a kidney, Charlie Ball stepped up to the plate donating his. Talk about human generosity-- giving one of your organs to a family member is tough enough, let alone donating an organ to a high school classmate. It's the best gift ever!
Being a living donor is the most unselfish thing a person could possibly do. If this isn't proof that good people still exist in the world, what could possibly be?
A Fresh Start With a Second Chance
Here's another do-good movement called "100 Suits", which gives men who were recently released from prison the chance to own professional attire so they may find a successful job in the business world. The program has donated more than 100 suits and has even expanded to help women as well as any underprivileged person who needs help getting a job by providing proper business attire. It's the dress to impress concept.
This man is trying on a suit and looking quite proud. It's amazing how a suit can change a man, how he feels about himself, and how the world sees him.
The Magic of Listening
This Charlette Police officer is not enforcing the law, or arresting anyone, instead, he is talking to this teenage boy with autism who left school and was reported as suicidal. Officer Tim Purdy doesn't stand over the teenager and bark orders, no, he gets down on the ground and has a conversation with him showing his compassion and empathy for the situation. In the end, he gets the teenager the help he needs.
Police officers wear many hats in order to be successful at their jobs. It's not an easy occupation but it can be very rewarding, especially in situations like this one.
Lost Art of the Tie
Yet another subway tie photo, as it seems many people need help with tieing ties and finding help on the subway is a sure thing. Whether it be New York or San Franciso, helping people on the subway is a popular thing to do, especially when it comes to ties. This woman saw the young man struggling with the tie and offered her help. Maybe instructions should be posted inside the train.
It seems everyone needs a "How to Tie a Tie" lesson. Maybe it should be added to the life lessons class in school-- oh wait, they don't have useful life lessons classes in school.
Cookies and Hugs
This amazing lady decided to bake cookies and bring them over to the local nursing home in her town. Offering cookies and hugs were the nicest things she could do for 112-year-old Mrs. Posey who hadn't had a visitor in three years. Can you imagine not getting a visitor for three years? It's such a simple act of kindness that made that day different from all the rest for Mrs. Posey.
It cost nothing to give a hug, and it took more time to bake the cookies than to show some care and affection to a woman who is over a century old.
Kindness Has No Sides
On a hot day in Baltimore, this boy offers water bottles to police officers in riot gear. While we may not know the situation going on, it's clear that this boy recognizes that even the police are human and need a drink too. Amongst the chaos is a boy being the example for all-- that kindness has no sides and at the end of the day, we are all just trying to survive.
This picture gives hope that sometimes a child knows better than adults. He doesn't see them against us-- all he sees are hot thirsty people and officers sweating in the heat.
Respect
It's an Atlanta Braves baseball game on Memorial Day, and this fan is holding his umbrella over the young JROTC (Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) officer. The values of citizenship, service to the U.S., and personal responsibility are at the core of JROTC. The guy holding the umbrella has mad respect for this young man's job at the game, honoring the plaque for POW-MIA. It's a respectful moment all around.
It takes a lot of patience to stand in the rain for the duration of a baseball game which might be easier than holding then umbrella-- he'll need to switch arms for sure.
A Shoulder to Sleep on
This is all too common a sight on the train. Letting someone sleep on your shoulder is the simplest act of kindness cause it entails no effort on your part. The man with the glasses lets him sleep for another twelve stops on the train saying "we've all had long days" so he remains perfectly still giving the sleeping man a chance to rest. That's what people do for each other on the train.
He could've stood up quickly or kept moving around so he didn't have a chance to nod off, but instead, he recognized that the guy needed the sleep and gladly lent his shoulder.
Story Time at Lunch
If you were lucky enough as a child, someone read to you and showed you the amazing power of words that create intriguing stories. Just as you are reading this and not thinking anything of it, reading is a privilege that shouldn't be taken for granted, because there are many adults who weren't fortunate to learn to read, like the man seen here listening while the other reads to him.
This is their daily routine, one man reads to the other who can not. How sweet is this picture as the man on the left eagerly listens to the story? Reading is fundamental or at least it should be for all.
An Extra Set of Hands
It's not easy asking for help, especially when you get older and can no longer be independent. It's the simple things that are the hardest to ask for help with--like cutting your ham-- as this gentleman needed. He never really asked but simply made a statement that his hands weren't working too well and that was all that needed to be said for this awesome waitress to do it for him.
Whenever you're at the Waffle House in La Marque, Texas be sure to give a shout out to this amazing waitress who doesn't think twice about going above and beyond for the elderly.
An NFL Escort
When we think of professional athletes and celebrities, many times it's their skills as athletes or tv personalities that we admire, but in real life, they could be jerks. Well, not Aaron Jones, NFL running back for the Green Bay Packers. he's a superstar on the field and off. Seen here helping a woman in a wheelchair get to her gate since no one was available to assist her.
Now, imagine if she had asked him to go faster, they could have made it to the end zone of the terminal in no time? No matter, he's an awesome human all around!
Sine of the Times
These guys are off on a tangent at the gym. Apparently, this employee's calculus book is full of problems and the man is always helping him figure them out. Ok, enough with the math jokes, but how cool is it to see tutoring for calculus at the gym. Not only can you work out your biceps and quads, but you can also work out your brain too. He's definitely spotting him.
If only every gym had a space to work out the brain muscle too-- exercising two muscles at once, now that's a thought!
Extra Helping Hands
Those darn plastic bags are so hard to open, and then to put the vegetables in the bag without it ripping it or them falling on the floor-- you need to be an octopus cause two hands aren't enough. Well, good thing this lady had this awesome fellow nearby to offer his help without her even asking. He saw her plight and offered an extra hand or two. Way to go, dude!
Those carrots all made it in thanks to him. A small gesture for him will be remembered by her. Kindness for the elderly in the community-- definitely gets Good-Human status.
Classic Lemonade
A good ole Lemonade Stand is a classic kid business on a hot summer day-- and it's bound to do well when everyone is hot and thirsty. An entirely different scenario here as it was only 72 degrees outside and not really a need for ice-cold lemonade. No matter though, these neighborhood police officers came by for a glass or two and really made her day since the business was slow.
Now that's how you make lemonade out of lemons for a little girl with a lemonade stand. It didn't take much to turn her sour business into a sweet victory.
Feeding Time
Look how much fun this officer is having feeding a baby while her mother is helped by paramedics. He has totally distracted her by making faces and while she may be slightly off-put by never seeing him before and wondering who this guy is, she sure doesn't mind as hes' got her baba. He also looks like he has done this before and not his first time at the rodeo.
These are the best times for police officers when they have feel-good moments. Let's hope he didn't rock her too much after the bottle otherwise the spit-up will be coming, that's a sure thing.
No Fall Zone Here
Escalators are scary any way you look at it and a bit dangerous too, so it's just adorable to see this elderly man getting some assistance from a super cool guy who doesn't mind helping out an old-timer. They both have socks with sneakers and khaki shorts-- wonder if they coordinated that or if it's just by chance they have similar taste. Either way, they are the cutest couple surfing the escalator on this day.
It's not a grand gesture but still a big help. If this man fell he could really hurt himself, so with just a little support on an escalator ride, he's safe and who knows, maybe they're off to get brownies?
One Helpful Confederate
This has got to be a most unlikely situation that you wouldn't see every day, but nonetheless a heartwarming one at that. The guy changing the tire is all decked out in confederate apparel-- t-shirt, tattoo, bumper stickers, basically the works. It's safe to say he's a confederate fan probably from the south. Well, he stopped to help a family whose tire had blown out and they were by no means confederate fans.
It just goes to show you shouldn't judge a book by its cover cause you never know what's inside. This confederate guy is really a good dude with a misleading exterior. He definitely blew their mind with such a helpful act.
Help Thy Neighbor
You gotta love the old man, young man photos-- They help restore faith in humanity. The man helping this elderly guy looks genuinely concerned and he is being so cautious with him so he doesn't fall and break something. Even though he has a walker for the support you can see the young man bracing him with both hands- he obviously takes helping this old-timer seriously and that is just darling.
The street is pretty steep and if Jack fell down he could break his crown and that wouldn't be good at all. But that won't happen cause he has a great good samaritan looking after him.
Bus Stop Moment
While this wheelchair-bound man waits for the bus, this police officer happily waits with him to lend a helping hand. It's a beautiful sunny day out and stopping to chat with this elderly guy is just all part of the job for this officer. By helping him onto the bus, he is inadvertently helping all the passengers cause it's time-consuming to get disabled people on public transportation. So everyone gets to move along which is a win-win.
These kinds of actions don't cost anything but a few times of your time and surely can brighten up people's days. So why not sit and chat-- with a stranger, they may have some insight on something you hadn't thought of before
Feed the Mind for Free
Playing chess is a popular pastime in New York City as you will find many public parks with chess boards built into the cement tables all around. But if there isn't one around you can be sure to see sights like this one where makeshift chess games pop up anywhere, including Union Square. These two are deep in thought over their next moves, while the officers' partner keeps his eyes peeled on the streets.
This is such a great way to bond with the community and keeps them both mentally sharp. It may be cold out but that won't stop a chess match in the city.
Floods of Help
When disaster strikes volunteers always come rushing in to help. This is one of the best things about the fabric of American society. No one cares what political side you are on or which sports team you root for-- when tragedy strikes your fellow Americans on there on the double. This flood occurred in Houston and volunteers rushed in to help trapped residents and even their pets. Everyone is soaking wet wading through waist-high water to save their fellow Americans.
These are the kinds of things that always bring the country together because deep down inside all of us, we have intentions of good that when called upon, spring into action.
How's My Hair
Yet another subway minute. This guy in the middle just got a haircut, and wants to show his grandma his waves but can't seem to get a good picture of it. It's not easy taking a picture of the back of your own head, so he asks the guy sitting next to him if he can snap a photo for his Grams. No problem for a fellow train rider as it only takes a minute and grandma with be happy to see his new do.
How sweet is it that he wants to please his Grams? And how could someone say no to a request like that? He's doing it for Grams and that's all love right there.