Small acts of kindness can appear anywhere — even tucked between library shelves. One day, I found a simple note hidden in a book: “If you’re reading this, I hope your heart feels lighter today.” I began copying it and leaving it in random books. Weeks later, a young man at the counter wiped away tears, saying he’d found “something he really needed to read.” I never told him the truth — kindness doesn’t need credit.

Moments like this happen everywhere. When an elevator full of strangers got stuck, tension rose fast — a crying baby, frustrated adults, nervous silence. One lollipop changed everything. The baby quieted, laughter replaced stress, and by the time the doors opened, none of us rushed out. For a brief moment, strangers became a tiny, accidental community.

Kindness even shows up on long, heavy nights. After leaving the hospital where my father had passed, a tired taxi driver quietly shut off the meter. He’d lost his father too, he said, and the ride home was “a father’s favor.” Some help isn’t meant to be repaid, only passed on.

And sometimes compassion finds you in transit or in storms. A woman at an airport comforted me with coffee and a shared understanding of grief. A stranger in the pouring rain fixed my broken-down car and refused payment, simply asking me to “pay it forward.” These moments remind us that goodness doesn’t need applause — it just needs to keep moving from person to person.