Stranger Notices Woman Walking Aimlessly Around a Store – After Hearing Her Story, He Puts a Plan Into Action
A random act of kindness comes at exactly the right time.
We never know what others are going through, which is why it’s always important to lead with compassion and kindness. Sometimes our actions can make or break a stranger’s day, so putting our own best foot forward and keeping that in mind can go a long way.
A TikTok user named Neenib Youkana is aware of the power of such kindness. But even he was blown away when one of his latest attempts at spreading love lined up in the most beautiful way possible.
Spending Her Birthday Alone
In a video posted to Youkana’s account, he walked around a department store asking random people whether they had celebrated their birthday this year. Most quickly answered yes, but then he came across a woman named Debra.
Debra was roaming the aisles of the store looking aimless. When the influencer approached and asked whether she had celebrated her birthday, she looked off to the side. “I was kind of like by myself,” she admitted. When Youkana asked her why, her response took him off guard.
“Because my son died last year and my mom died, and I’m here kind of by myself,” she said.
At that point, Youkana put his plan into action.
A Belated Birthday Surprise
As Debra revealed that her birthday had passed just a couple of days ago, Youkana handed her a red birthday hat to wear. Then he and a friend blew noisemakers and sang “Happy Birthday” while holding a small cake covered in rainbow sprinkles.
Debra smiled and sang along and then Youkana handed her a gift-wrapped box with some cash inside. “If my son could fit in here I would love that,” she said, revealing he had died in a car crash and was unrecognizable upon his death. “I couldn’t see him.”
She explained how she doesn’t have any more children, and then she shared a bit about her late son. How he was a singer and dancer, and how now he’s probably “up there entertaining people.”
At the end of the video, Debra hugged Youkana and thanked him for uplifting her day with his kindness.
“There’s no stronger love than a mother for her son,” he captioned the post.
Spreading Your Own Kindness
While some questioned Youkana’s motives (he did gift Debra a present for his social media account after all), the important thing is that he still made a difference in someone else’s day. He didn’t know what kind of person he was going to give a gift to that day, only that he wanted to uplift someone who didn’t get a chance to celebrate their birthday.
It’s such a good reminder that we never know what anyone else is going through and that everybody has their own struggles. It makes us appreciate the things and people we do have in our lives and the time we had in the past with people we’ve lost.
It’s also great motivation to be kind in our own ways in everyday life. That could mean something simple like smiling more, making eye contact, and genuinely asking about someone’s day. Or it could be a more thought-out kindness like giving change to a homeless person, volunteering your time in a community, or running errands for a sick or elderly neighbor.
After all, small acts of kindness don’t just empower and uplift us, they also help our corner of the world shine a little bit brighter.
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