We all know that the world can be improved greatly simply by small acts of kindness. Even the tiniest good deeds can make a huge difference—to the recipient, to yourself, and to the world around you.
One particular woman decided to do a small act of kindness, but she had no idea the true identity of the recipient of her good deed.What she thought was simply a small favor turned out to be one of the most memorable moments of her life.Ruth Reed, from Medford, New Jersey, seems at first glance like a totally regular person. A retired teacher, she lives a quiet life with her husband, going about their day and being happy with their lot.
But the two of them are actually super dedicated to acts of kindness, even in the smallest of ways.
One particular pledge she and her husband made to each other was to exhibit generosity as much as possible, whenever the opportunity presents itself.Reed had no idea this particular opportunity she was about to take, would see her hitting the headlines.That fateful day started much like any other. New Jersey native Ruth Reed was out for a routine shopping trip at her local Wawa convenience store.
This shopping chain is a pretty staple feature across all of the east coast, and can be spotted in most major cities in the area.Reed did not expect anything particularly out of the ordinary as she stepped into the convenience store—but little did she know it was about to be the site of an amazing event.Typically, when you enter your local convenience store, it’s pretty likely that you’ll see someone you know. After all, if you both live nearby, and both frequent the same store on a fairly regular basis, it’s not the craziest of ideas that you might run into a familiar face while doing your routine shop.
However, the face that Ruth Reed ended up seeing was not just familiar to her—but the entire globe.She had no idea that her act of kindness would send ripples throughout the world.Reed was finishing up her routine shop, waiting at the checkout counter for her turn to pay up.
However, she noticed that there seemed to be a problem at the front of the queue.
It seemed that the man currently paying for his groceries, was having some kind of problem making the payment.
It can be incredibly stressful when you are at the till and suddenly realize you can’t pay, especially when there are people waiting in line behind you.Fortunately for this customer, Reed was one of the people in this line, and was ready to help.Reed had spotted this stranger at the front of the register struggling to pay for the items he wanted.
Now, normally, when you get to the till and realize you’ve forgotten your wallet, or simply don’t have enough money, there’s only one option—to put your groceries back on the shelf and head home empty-handed.
However, do-gooder Ruth Reed was not going to let that happen to this shopper. She decided to step in and pay for his groceries herself.But she was in for a big surprise when she discovered the true identity of this grateful shopper.And it wasn’t just a fluke or a random decision of Reed’s to pay this man’s grocery bills.
It was actually a conscious decision she had made with her husband previously, to always help out people in need that they saw at the supermarket—especially soldiers and veterans.And this fateful day at the Wawa convenience store was no different. At least, that is what Reed thought at first.
She simply saw an opportunity for kindness, and as she had already pledged to take up these chances whenever they presented themselves, she jumped in to offer.
