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Happy Halloween, everyone! I truly hope everyone reading this is having, or has had a wonderful Halloween.

Halloween has become kind of a hard time for me in recent years. It was one of my favorite times of the year until an attempt on my life on Oct. 30th, 2017 left me homeless with brain damage. Needless to say, Halloween has become a pretty painful anniversary in my life. It also falls one week after my birthday, so I'm not just bummed out, I'm also a year older. That sucks.

But this year has been a little bit different, and if you will allow some time in your day to explain.

About a week before my birthday I shared something that happened to me that day, and through the ensuing conversations it came out that I'm a bit of a writer and that I have a Ko-fi page where all my writing is free to read.

Well, my page exploded. I bet that for the next three days that page moved a little higher up in the algorithm. Also, my book sold multiple copies and donations poured in. I still don't even know what to say, except incredible. So, I figured I'd give y'all a little update to let you know what we made happen.

I was able to get a new tent as mine had taken a beating when we got rain and wind bands from Helene. We got spared, but my poor tent took a beating. I also got a good subzero sleeping bag for the upcoming winter. While I was looking at the tents I remembered T. and T., a young couple that is pretty new out here and are basically huddling outside an abandoned building that is a pretty sketchy place, so I got them a tent like the one I got.

Then I said, "What the hell?" and bought 3 of the next size down. Hahaha. Then I saw there in the camping section of Walmart, a closeout deal on lighting solutions for camping which consisted of a lantern style light, 2 penlight flashlights, 2 small LED flashlights, and 2 regular flashlights. I bought 5 of those. Kept 1 and made the tents a package deal. I gave the last one out yesterday.

Then I went completely selfish and got a real nice battery charger for my phone. I didn't realize how much of a difference it would make in my day to day life. Now I don't have to be tethered to an outlet every single day. Then I stocked up on the gel pens I use most and 2 notebooks of such good quality that I was excited to start writing in them. I'm such a dork.

I then tracked down a young lady I had met a couple of weeks ago to find out if she still wanted to get back home to Oklahoma. She said yes, and that she had some money saved to hopefully get a ticket soon. I told her to save it and we walked to the bus station here and we squared her away. I got a call 2 days later to let me know she has made it and her mom talked to me and after we got finished crying to each other and blowings of noses came to pass, I figured it was the right thing to do.

Then I took most of what was left over to have a little pizza party next to the cemetery. Hahaha. Hey! The neighbors don't complain much! It was a good time with lots of laughs. It felt good to do something so normal, so human.

One more thing came out of the response to my post. For the 1st time in these last 7 years, I didn't spend Halloween all alone somewhere hiding out and all wrapped up in my own pain. I know that that dark cloud is just delayed and that it will be on me soon enough, because the holidays is a brutal time for me and many other homeless people. But for now, I am feeling pretty good about things, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Post was about if we still give to the homeless. They DMd me and second message was about how they're struggling. Third about being really down and out, I blocked them at that point. Pretty disappointing.

To not end on a negative note. My card declinrd a month ago at a gas station where I was getting two slices of pizza and a drink. The cashier let me have it. I will definitely pay it forward.

So if there's a homeless person outside are on the side of the road whatever the case may be do you still help them even tho you know where the money is going to go ???

I went to a garage sale and purchased about four clothing items. I kept thinking about this dress that I really wanted and should’ve grabbed. I found her post on fb and messaged her asking if she still had the dress four hours later and she said she did. I went back to her house and she told me she would cut me a really good deal if I got a bundle. I filled up TWO plastic tubs of clothes and went to pay her. She told me that I could have them for free. On the way home it touched my heart so much I was tearing up. (And I absolutely hate crying) It had been a while since I had (tried) to buy something for myself. I would also like to repay her for her kindness and being something for her to her job. (Small town, my boyfriend’s uncle knows where she works) does anyone have any ideas on what to gift a complete stranger? I have no clue.

So we took our 11 month old daughter to the State Fair on Monday. As we drove up that day (about two hour ride) we figured that Littles would sleep in the car. Well, she did but then got very grumpy about being in a car seat. So we figured “Okay, we’ll go to the hotel first, let her get a good nap and then go to the fair.” Yep, nope. Kid wanted nothing to do with naps, food, or anything else. Crying and fussing and generally being upset. After a while of that, we figured “Heck it, if she’s going to be crying and upset might as well go to the fair. Maybe the sights, sounds and flashing lights will help.” We parked in one of the satellite lots and caught the shuttle bus to the fairgrounds. Littles was okay on that ride. Looking around, kind of taking things in. We get to the fair and she gets grumpy and fussy. As the night goes on she gets worse and worse. At about the two hour mark, we decide enough is enough. We decide to pack it in and call it a day. By this time poor little girl is bordering on inconsolable. Screaming, squirming, and just having a complete come-apart. My wife and I look at each other in stressed desperation and realize we now are facing a (mercifully short) five to seven minute bus ride back to the car. Child is absolutely losing her mind. This was the first time that my wife and I have ever been “those parents” and we were tired and stressed before we ever got on the bus. Once on the bus, our stress was pushed to the near-stroke level.

Cue the kindness - The bus was packed. Those folks who were immediately surrounding us not only didn’t give us grief or stink eye for Littles crying, they were so incredibly understanding and encouraging. At one of the most stressful times in recent memory, total strangers made us feel not like parental failures, but as parents of a kid who was just having a real rough night. It was such a small thing for them to do, but it meant the world to us. Thankfully baby girl finally hit her limit and didn’t quite go to sleep on my wife, but quieted down and the last three minutes or so were in silence. I even heard someone behind us shush their seat mate who was talking and say something to the effect of “She just settled down, don’t you dare wake that baby.”

If anyone out here on Reddit was on that bus and was one of the amazingly kind people, thank you from the bottom of this Dad’s heart. You made a terrible experience a little easier to cope with.

(In case you were curious or worried, we got back to the hotel, put Littles in her pack and play and she crashed hard. She was her chipper self the next morning.)

Hi all! I recently had the amazing opportunity to open a free food stand in Colombia, where I paid for every single person’s meal. It was such a powerful reminder of how small acts of kindness can create a ripple effect in a community. The reactions I received were priceless—people were surprised, grateful, and genuinely touched. It wasn’t just about the food; it was about creating a moment of connection and generosity, reminding us all how much a little kindness can mean.

The day started as a simple idea: set up a small stand, offer free meals, and see what happens. But what unfolded was much more meaningful. Some people hesitated at first, thinking there must be a catch, while others were immediately excited and started telling their friends. I saw people who didn’t know each other sitting down and sharing meals, laughing, and talking. It was incredible how quickly the atmosphere changed—it became less about the food and more about people enjoying a moment of kindness together.

For those interested in doing something similar, I can’t recommend it enough. It doesn’t take much to make a big impact on people’s lives. I filmed the entire day to capture the reactions and emotions, and I’d love for you to check it out and maybe even get inspired to do your own random act of kindness. Whether it’s big or small, every bit helps to make the world a little brighter. If you'd like to watch the video it's here.

I’d also love to hear your stories—what’s the kindest thing you’ve done or experienced? Let’s share some positivity!"

Had a knock at my front door and it's a City of Toledo worker, took me a little by surprise.

Apparently the City had a kids Halloween event this weekend and had extra bales of hay so he asked his boss if he could give them to me. Turns out he lives in the neighborhood and brings his kids to feed my ducks and chickens and I was the first person he thought of.

He had already dropped them off behind my house.

Yes, I gave him eggs.

This happened a couple years ago or so now, but I still think about it every now and then.

So one night, I roll up to grab a mustard grilled double double with chopped chili’s after my Chem lab, and I finally get up to be next in line at the payment window of the drive thru (took a good half hour; typical for In-N-Out here).

I reach for my wallet and have a panic attack; it’s not on me!

I felt like just leaving the drive thru out of oncoming embarrassment having to tell the worker I can’t pay, but I can’t leave the line at this point, so I have no other option but to face it head-on.

I roll up to the window anxious af like “I’m so sorry, but you’re going to have to cancel my order; somehow I left my wallet at home this morning 😅”

The guy didn’t skip a beat or question me about it or anything, he just instantly said something along the lines of “really? It’s made already, would hate to throw it out” and handed it to me.

I was honestly taken a bit aback by this; I was in no way trying to get free food, and I can imagine if his supervisor/manager found out about it, he’d get in trouble, yet he still gave me the food. I said thank you and told him I’d be back.

As soon as I got home and finished eating, I grabbed my wallet and headed back in. Told the cashier what had happened and she just looked at me super surprised and said “😳you came back? ‘George, he came back!’”. The guy came over to the register and thanked me while laughing a bit. Left him a bit of a nice tip (moreso forcefully shoved the bill into his hand). Was a kind of funny situation in the end.

Hi, I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I know I want to do something but I’m not sure what. I have a few ideas- leaving laminated postcards with encouraging sayings on them in communal places or lolly sticks with the same or doing a little trail round campus but I can’t nail down an idea.

I want it to be absolutely anonymous which shouldn’t be an issue cos it’s a big uni.

Any ideas? I’d like to brainstorm a bunch and settle on something that makes a difference to a persons day. I can draw quite well and I have craft resources.

Please send suggestions?

Okay, so big news today from Dean. I'm a hockey player. I play 4-5 times a week. The rink where I play is downtown. Today I had a splendid surprise.

I have a friend. This friend is the director of a mission for homeless folks, they serve lunch and dinner every day, and they have limited space for people to live there. The people who live there have to be drug and alcohol free, daily tests. They also have to be in process of improving themselves, like getting jobs, education, all of that sort of thing. I get to my rink tonight and my friend, the director of the mission, and Dean are standing there waiting for me. Dean has now entered their program. He's getting counselling, he's not using, he's going to his job every dang day, and he's looking to just make his life better. He's doing his utmost to improve his life. With the help of the mission where he's living he also contacted his children. Cautiously. He is not forcing anything, he is not expecting anything, but he'd like to try to have a relationship with his children and grandchildren. The mission where he's living helps with family relationships like this. They are actually going to meet, he and his children, in a moderated meeting at the mission. He has a lot of work to do to regain any trust, but he's willing to have this moderated meeting with just his children to start the process.

The goal of this mission in which he's staying is to make sure he's stable, he's working, and he's able to support himself. That's what he's going to present to his kids, and that's how he's going to be presented to his kids by the mission, because they really believe in him and his efforts.

Today Dean sat on our player bench while I played hockey, and I listened to him scream and cheer every time our team did anything right. This began as me wanting to help Dean. This is now me having a friend named Dean. I'm so excited for what the future holds. He's asked me to be part of the meeting with his kids. I look forward to meeting his children, I hope to be able to give them some hope for where their father's life is going. How it might be possible for their children to have a relationship with their grandfather. I've been given his children's names and numbers, and I've reached out to them, telling them about what's upcoming. They heard from the mission, but they were ready to dismiss it. I actually met with them last night very late, they agreed to meet with their dad just to hear him out. It's pretty clear they have hope, but their hope has been dashed many times. I'm not capable of mediating this, so I'm so glad the mission is going to do so.

This could be a beautiful family reunion. I don't know what to think.

I was homeless years ago, and I lived in a homeless shelter. If you live there, you have to wake up early every morning. One day, I wanted to see a relative. It was a chilly day. I was walking down the sidewalk, and I saw an old guy. He bought me a cup of coffee, and he told me about a church where I can get a coat. I'll never forget what he did.

Last week I had a brief encounter with a young lady who had just become homeless due to domestic abuse (the number one reason for women to become homeless is by far domestic violence, often being further abused once homeless).

I gave her almost all my available food, talked to her to calm her fear (maybe terror is a more fitting word) and got her a resource that was able to swoop in and get her out of there.

I got back to my tent and this sub popped up and I thought, "Maybe someone here would like to read about what just happened." So, I put it all down there the way it was and posted my little deal here and pretty much forgot all about it.

The thing is, I do stuff like that all the time. My life is in a holding pattern right now while I wait for a disability decision. So, I sit in what's left of my tent and write. I make a few bucks off my Ko-fi page and there are a few good people who kind of look out for me. So I'm hanging tough.

I decided a few years ago that I wasn't going to try and be a nicer person, but rather that I was going to practice radical kindness. It wasn't good enough for me to pull a help and run, instead I had to make sure that person was safe (as could possibly be), had access to food and water, got hooked up with any resources that fit their situation, etc...

I could start writing about some my "projects" and put a post a day up for a year and still not tell all the stories. I'm not trying to virtue signal or boast, rather just giving a little insight into the person I am. (You know? It's not like being kind to folks came naturally for me. Hahaha. Shit is hard work!!)

If all I have at the time that someone can use is a joke, then I'm ready to tell it! Just what ever I can do to help lighten the load for a fellow human being. I do the things I do without a single passing thought about something good coming back to me. I never think or act like anyone owes me anything for things I've done. If it's a random act of kindness then it is my firm policy to turn down any repayment, even turning down money when I didn't have a nickel to my name. Along these lines, I won't lend money, I will give it to someone in need, but I won't lend it. I want people to know that I put friendship and love above pieces of paper no matter what powers they may hold.

With that in mind.

I was totally unprepared for how the beautiful souls cruising this sub decided to make sure karma hit me.

You guys swamped over to my Ko-fi page, read some more of my works, left me inspiring words, bought my book and just dropped donations. I have been blown away. I don't even know where to begin. So, let me just let y'all know what y'all did for me.

Today, I did something that I haven't done in so long I can't remember when. I bought a pair of pants that I picked out, found just my size, and had never been worn by anyone else (that I know of, at least). Right after putting them on I felt compelled to take a little walk around. Stylin. A friend of mine saw me and asked me if I had lost weight.

I then yelled at him that I just wanted to go for a walk without some dude hitting on me. I am worth much more than a nice pair of pants. Hahaha.

I also bought my camp mate and myself some sausage, egg and cheese biscuits from the Mom and Pops place besides the woods where we camp. There is something that makes breakfast so much tastier when someone else cooks it for you. I don't know, but we both had to pull over from walking down the sidewalk after eating to let our hot hearty meal settle. I wished that I would have had a couple cigars to cap it off, it was so fulfilling. Almost decadent to my current life style.

Tomorrow, I plan to get on a bus to Wally's World of Reasons to Become a Hermit and find a new tent. The one I'm in now was abused by Helene's rain and wind bands. It's a lot like most of our states of mental well being, just holding itself together enough to look like it's normal and not about to cuss out the boss, strip down naked in a McDonalds parking lot, smear strawberry jam all over, and chase a opossum through the woods while singing "I'm Easy Like Sunday Morn" and laughing uncontrollably at the people all mad honking their horns.

Um, was I a little too specific?

This will be the 1st time I will be choosing the tent I like, the one I want to get. I'll stand there and consider the prices, compare floor and ceiling height, window placement, quality, etc... This one will truly be mine. Not just the luck of the draw. I am about as excited as I've been in a long, long, long while.

My deepest and most sincere Thank Yous!!! to everyone who read my works, gave me words of encouragement, or just plain let me know that I was seen.

You folks took one random act of kindness, multiplied that by a thousand, and then returned it!!!!

I come across as a very reserved, judgmental person sometimes just because I’m very sensitive and shy. But I’m actually a huge softy. I wanted to be able to anonymously share one of my own random acts of kindness, just to put a good word out there for other women with resting bitch face.

I worked briefly as a cake decorator. It was a poorly managed grocery store bakery so people put in a lot of last minute cake requests and it was honestly chaos all the time. People usually called with an attitude and ridiculous expectations, so answering the phone wasn’t fun. But one day, I answered, and instead of yelling on the other end of the line, there was a very quiet voice. I didn’t even know if a person was there for a moment, that is how hesitant this caller was to speak. Right before I was about to hang up, she asked me if she would be able to use food stamps to pay for a birthday cake for her two year old son. It immediately broke my heart. Like, all the rage id been bottling from that shitty job that day just turned into a pit in my stomach. I told her yes, food stamps would be ok to use for the cake. She said he wanted dinosaurs. I managed to put together a nice cake even though it was last minute, with a toy dinosaur on top. I knew I’d be leaving before she came to pick it up, so I called and left her a voicemail that someone had decided to start a pay it forward chain in the bakery that day, so her cake had been paid for. Then I paid for the cake and left. I didn’t want her have to use her food stamps for a birthday cake. But I also didnt want her to think I pitied her. The cake was gone the next day, so I know she got it. I hope he liked it!

Hi all,

Long time since I updated. I've continued to talk to Dean, we're still having lunch every Wednesday. My wife has come for the last few meetings, they have hit it off and it's always a good time. We have been trying out all the downtown restaurants, and his company, not just the food, make this a good time for all of us.

You wouldn't recognize Dean if you saw him. He has been working for the church I attend to make some money, but that's not all. He also now works at a gas station down town. He's the night attendant at the gas station. Awesome job? No. But he is there every day when he's scheduled. And he's making enough that he now has an address. Somewhere to sleep, shower, be a human being. He is no longer homeless. This job at the gas station has changed his life. He has a schedule, he has a place to lay his head, he feels better than he has for years, he has dignity. Are all his problems solved? Nope. He does, however, have a good fighting chance to make his life better than it has been for a long while. And there is one other thing he has which has been absent for quite a while in his life: pride. He's proud of what he's doing, how he's doing, and where he's staying. I'm proud of him, too.

I don't envision a time when I stop having lunch with Dean. It's a really great part of my week. And he is transformed. No longer the man hiding and begging, but a man providing for himself. I am so very proud of him, though I will never present it like that to him. To him I'm a friend that has lunch with him. I will always happily be that. We will see where that leads!

Settle in for a wild ride and a long tale! I had an appt in Central Oregon that mid October day. Fall was definitely in the air , leaves were changing and I was looking forward to the drive. Should take about 2.5 hrs one way, with gorgeous views. It started out slightly overcast when I headed over the mountains, but cleared up. The pass elevation is around 5000 feet, and there are miles without cell phone service or any communities of any sort.

It was cloudy, forecast for rain and low to mid 60’s when we had left Bend after the appt. We, my dog, a pit mix, stopped for a quick hike in the area, grabbed some food then headed back home, which takes about 2.5 hrs. It was starting to drizzle, then the rain picked up. It actually smelled amazing! We had not had rain for weeks, you could definitely tell the seasons were changing. You could see the oil on the road when your headlights hit it.

I was about 90 minutes from home, had just came thru the tunnel, when I saw the BFR in the road. What’s a BFR? Big Fucking Rock. I was driving a Volkswagen Jetta.

I had just a few seconds to make a decision, I was going 55-60mph, it’s dark, it’s raining, no other cars present.

1. First rain, have already seen the oil on the roads, so likely slick

2. If I swerve to the left to get around the BFR and slide, I would go off a 300ft cliff/ drop off and be toast

3. If I swerve to the right and slide, I would slide into a rock wall doing 55-60 head on and would also be toast

4. If I drive over, I likely won’t clear the BFR and I will be stuck here

So, I went over it, I didn’t clear it, instead it got jammed up into my oil pan and transmission and my car ended up being totaled. I was, however, able to get completely off the road in a controlled manner, and my dog didn’t even wake up!

When I got out to assess the situation, oil and transmission fluid were running down the road, I had zero cell service, I had blankets, food, water, flashlight, rain jacket, coat, first aid kit and protection besides the big giant dog.

My plan was to see if I could get someone to stop or to stay in place until the morning, because of course my hubs was out of town, so no one was expecting me home.

I was headed west. First guy who stopped was East bound, then a west bound guy stopped. We are literally 30- 40 miles from town, and this petite Asian woman with a black parasol/umbrella walks up behind us and says hello. Talk about startling the crap out of all of us! Come to find out, after she had passed me going east, her car broke down! East bound guy helped her, west bound guy headed to town and said he call me a tow. Hour later, tow truck arrived, brought me and the best doggo in the world to their shop.

I’m still 30 miles from my house, remember, my hubs is out of state. We have a group chat for our neighborhood, about 10 of us over a couple of miles, I’m in the country. It was around 10-1030 by now, I was hoping someone would be up. Imagine my surprise when the group was very active! Why? There has been a cougar about a 1/4 mile from my house, someone was called (thank God, I have goats and horses!) and they shot the cougar and were looking for him!

I piped up and asked for a ride and one of my neighbors drove 60 miles round trip to come pick up me and my bestest puppers.

So that’s the story of how, in a period of 3ish hours I had help from:

• Random East Bound Guy
• Random West Bound Guy
• Random Tow Truck Driver who went above and beyond
• Random Cougar Hunter who kept my animals safe
• My Fabulous Neighbor

I’m so very thankful for their kindness. Without them, completely different outcomes would have been had.

I recently noticed that the dude in my local garage was working extremely long shifts, often over 15hrs in a single day.

Dispite this, although a little shy he always has a smile on his face, is super friendly and happy to help. Even lent me coins for the car tyre pump a few months ago.

Because of this, I thought the least I could do was buy him a chocolate bar and did so.

Next time I visit, low and behold he gives me one in return and wouldn't let me leave without it.

Now I feel a 'nice war' has developed and I just got checked, what's my next move?

Inb4 - there's nothing flirty going on here before someone suggests it...

This just happened, about 2 hours ago.

I'm homeless because of a brain injury that makes life difficult at times. I get food stamps which helps a lot.

I know everyone who is homeless on this side of town, and a lot of people call me Pops because I try to look out for people when I can, especially if I spot someone new.

Today I was walking down a sidewalk at a local strip mall and there was a woman sitting at some metal picnic benches crying and I could tell she was homeless due to all her belongings were in a couple of bags beside her. I asked her if she was all right and she started telling me her story. (I have very kind eyes and people just seem to open up to me easily)

She had been kicked out of the house by her abusive partner and had nowhere to go or any clue what to do out here on the streets. She was hungry, still cold from last night, and scared out of her wits.

I had just finished spending the last of my stamps on SpagettioS and stuff like that, so I had 4 cans and a sandwich. I gave her the sandwich and 3 of the cans. I also made some calls to people who look out for victims of DV because her knight in shining armor had broken her phone.

She had stopped crying until I gave her my food, then she started crying again asking me why I would do something like give up all my food to a stranger. I didn't know how to answer, really.

I left her there after making sure someone was coming to get her, and I pondered that question, especially when I started getting a little hungry myself. It's because I have this strange belief that things will always come back around. In the 7 years I've been out here, it's never let me down.

So, that was my random act of kindness today. I may not have changed the the world for everyone, but I did change it for someone.

Edit: So, I just got a call from the people I called to come help that young lady. Her boyfriend is in jail and she went back to the house to take her time and gather what she needs. She also got an order of protection against him. She has it worked out where she can go to a family member who is going to take her in. She made my friend call me to tell me if she ever sees me again she's going to give the biggest hug ever. Now I'm sitting in my old tent with tears in my eyes.

I'll genuinely never forget this guy. It was a couple years ago when I'd been making what I'd hoped was friendly conversation with a drunk guy at the train station, until the guy tried to kiss me and then followed me onto the train when it arrived. I raised my voice asking him to leave me alone and stop following me, which he reacted angrily to.

Then a super buff guy came over and got in his face about it. The drunk guy said something like "I've got people," and the buff defender without even blinking said "I've got people too." And just stayed 100% in this drunk guy's face until he gave up and got off the train. I think I was too shaken to really thank the buff guy, but holy shit, I'm just so grateful he was there.

Just found this sub and wanted to share a few experiences!

Context - I was 12 , my sister was 22 and had custody and a newborn who was MAYBE a week old. We ran out of gas while pulling into a gas station - problem is the car stopped on an incline and began rolling backwards towards a really busy street. I got out and pushed as hard as I could but it wasn’t enough and it began rolling backwards again - the brakes were doing nothing due to the incline and her E-brake wasn’t working either. One by one people ran from their gas pumps to help me push the car , of course it happened really fast and if they hadn’t come I probably would’ve let the car run me over , I didn’t know how to steer a car and my sister has a patch on her heart so she couldn’t have done it anyways especially right after giving birth.

People are constantly speeding down that road , so apart from me being effectively flattened - I don’t think my niece would’ve survived a hit being so fresh to the world. She will be 10 years old on the 17th! That was also the day we found out her gas gauge was inaccurate 😬 it said we still had a few miles til empty. 3 people prevented a tragedy , I wonder if they remember because we have never forgotten them.