Kindness isn’t just for fairy tales. Sometimes, ordinary people become like fairy godmothers, bringing a little magic into strangers’ lives through their words or actions. These 16 stories of kind gestures were shared by people online.

The Story:

In my first year of college, I had trouble talking to women. It was hard for me to adjust from a small high school to a big college, and I was shyer than usual. At a party, I saw a girl I liked and, even though I was shy, I tried to talk to her.

It didn’t go well. I remember saying hi, and she replied something like, “Try somewhere else, 3’s shouldn’t talk to 10’s.” She said it loudly, and some guys nearby laughed and said I got rejected. I went to another room to get away and felt like someone was following me.

When I turned around, I saw the most beautiful woman I’d seen in college. She told me that the girl I talked to and her friends were playing a game where they rejected guys who tried to talk to them. She said I should forget about it and stay with her for the rest of the night, and she would be my “girlfriend.” She was a senior about to graduate, and I was just finishing my first semester.

That one kind act gave me back my confidence and helped me overcome my shyness. I saw her a few more times on campus, and she would run up to me and give me big hugs. It felt amazing, and she even sent me messages during college to check on me.