For context I am in my early 40s.
When I was 18ish, I was running for a bus. I missed it by the most narrow of margins. (Also, the bus driver was kind of a dick for not sticking around when it was pretty obvious… regardless…)
As it just so happened, there was a taxi a couple cars behind that bus that saw me running for it and it driving away.
That taxi driver waved me in with nary a word, drove me a stop or two in front of the bus, and without charging me, dropped me off so I could catch the bus. (To be clear this was in an area where the bus route was LONG and the taxi driver obviously knew it’d be an hour or so before the next one.)
Ever since that day, for over two decades now, that random act of kindness has stuck in my mind. We literally never said a word beyond my panicked “THANKS” as I ran out at the end. No names, nothing, just wild gesticulations and gratitude.
Love to hear some more.
When I was ~10 and visiting the US as a tourist I lost my wallet somewhere on Ellis Island and realized it only when I was about to pay for a slice of pizza at some touristy cafe, I was freaked out and a random stranger that wasn’t in the queue just paid for it for me so I didn’t worry. Was only like 5 bucks or something but I still think about that today. Poverty and widespread opioid addiction and HIV was so common in the country I grew up, I was not used to people not caring to waste money just to help a stranger.