In this world, many of us are taught from a young age to distrust strangers. But this isn’t always the case, in fact, I would say that the kindness of strangers is much more prevalent than you think. This is why it is so imperative to share those heart-warming stories. The ones where ordinary people help each other out, without expecting anything in return. In 2017, one man paid for an elderly woman’s groceries when she could not. A kind gesture he did unconditionally. So, here it is, another “not all heroes wear capes” story
Sometimes it may seem like the whole world is in a state of chaos. One where most people are living with an “everyone for themselves” kind of attitude. However, one man has a different approach to life. He was waiting in line at the grocery store for an elderly woman to pay the cashier. However, when her bank card was declined, she did not go home empty-handed.
Ryan O’Donnell set a good example for his two children who happened to join him on the grocery run. The elderly woman who was in front of them in the queue was determined to pay for her groceries. however, her bank card was not on her side. She became noticeably anxious, and clearly embarrassed that she did not have enough money to pay for the items in her shopping cart.
In an interview with Channel 9 News, Ryan said: “I was just there in the grocery aisle or checkout with my kids and I saw the old lady having some trouble with the card. She swiped it quite a number of times and then they took her around to the front cigarette counter and got her to keep trying.”
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He stepped in to help
Ryan was next in line, but that did not mean he was going to pretend like he did not witness her struggles. “By that stage, my groceries had gone through,” he said. “I went around and spoke to the young lady and said ‘how much is it’ and they said $44 or something…her card kept being declined due to insufficient funds so I said ‘Look, here’s $50 just take it out of that.”
Most people would simply turn a blind eye, and pretend like they had not noticed her suffering. But, Kevin is not like most people. Instead, he stepped in to help. After inquiring with the cashier, he found out the woman’s groceries came up to $44. Without a second thought, he took out a $50 bill from his wallet and gave it to the woman. If it wasn’t for Ryan’s kind gesture, she would have gone home to empty cupboards.
The elderly woman was amazed at his kindness. At the same time, she was worried about being able to pay him back. to which Ryan replied: “Oh look, don’t worry about it — it’s only $44, you’ll be right and enjoy your day”.
A kind gesture can seriously go a long way. Ryan’s compassion and generosity has caught the attention of the world. Many people have commented on his giving nature, and how he has inspired others to follow in his wake.
One person tweeted on the post: “The world, while seemingly drowning in paranoia and hate, just keeps giving. Thanks for sharing.” While another wrote: “Absolute Champion. Should be more people like him in this world. If we all knew how to give, think of how amazing life would be?“