Every time a year comes to an end, we tend to sit back and retrospect about how everything went. In the case of 2018, things were quite tumultuous from a political, environmental and cultural point-of-view.
However, that doesn’t mean that everything was dark and gloomy. There were a ton of weddings to brighten up your timeline, women broke new grounds and the #MeToo movement swept India clean. And to end 2018 on a thankful note, people are sharing some of the kindest things they’ve experienced this year.
Twitter can usually be a cynical, bordering on overtly negative, space. But things took a positive turn when @prisonculture asked a sweet question.
https://twitter.com/prisonculture/status/1077323384667688960
And the answers started pouring in like anything, showering the internet with wave after wave of positivity. Just a warning, considering how things get a little emotional, I’d advise you to sit with a box of tissues.
Here are some of the best responses:
I can’t afford a phone. So one friend gave me the $ for a prepaid iPhone & another has been paying for my monthly service ever since. It’s been such a lifeline for me & my kids/family. And it helps me keep in touch online too. So grateful 😊
— 🌸 K. Michelle (@TheMuslimHippie) December 24, 2018
I started a new job around the time my son was born. Sleep wasn’t really happening and I thought it was affecting my work. President calls me in to talk, I figured I was fired.
He and his SO made frozen dinners so I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking with a newborn.
— 👻🎃🦇 ℑ𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔣𝔞𝔦𝔩 🦇🎃👻 (@TactiFail) December 24, 2018
I received 4 $50 bills in a Christmas card from Santa. I’m 71 on a limited budget with very expensive events (brakes-stove-vet) that all happened this month. I was moved to tears. #AttitudeOfGratitude
— Lois Vote Blue 2020 (@Lois_Ouellette) December 24, 2018
So many contenders, tbh, but when my cat died in the spring and I was grieving, a crafty friend conspired with my spouse to make me a handmade quilt. I got it last week, a total surprise, it is stunning and warm and I go to sleep every night under my friend’s kindness.
— Captain Awkward (@CAwkward) December 24, 2018
I'm disabled & our family has been homeless 3 times in past 7 yrs. Many times this year, friends & strangers helped us pay our rent to stay housed, brought food by. Also, a non profit provided a power wheelchair to me, which was life changing. We have been very loved on in 2018.
— Kimbrah Gonzalez ♿ (@RainbowYeticorn) December 24, 2018
im trying to get out of a career that makes me unhappy and go back to grad school—a friend’s parents offered to let me live with them for free for the transition
— a notorious and vile cheat (@fullhomosexual) December 24, 2018
I started a coat drive at work for the poor. No one donated. When I mentioned it to a coworker, she went out and bought a dozen new coats to donate.
— Ziggy Played Guitar (@Classical_Dee) December 24, 2018
I was sleeping on some sheets on the floor. My uncle bought me not only a bed but whole entire bedroom set.
— Sparky Shimmer (@SparkyShimmer) December 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/CLPness/status/1077335243873533953
For the first time in his 26 years, my little brother has started calling me, just to say hi or check in. He called during the Kavanaugh hearings to see if I was ok. (I wasn’t.) Sometimes he even says, “love you” before he hangs up. It’s small, but means more to me than anything.
— Sarah Kay (@kaysarahsera) December 24, 2018
I was saving up to reattach the bumper on my car. Cheapest estimate was over $1k. I walked to work, grocery store, and laundry. After a couple of weeks seeing it like that, my neighbor offered to do it for free. He refused any sort of payment, no matter how often I offered.
— Aaron John Curtis (@TweetwFallnFish) December 25, 2018
My defibrillator was firing every few minutes. My wife got our neighbors to watch our kids. I walked outside. We could hear the ambulance, but it wasn’t there yet. I mentioned I was cold and my neighbor wrapped his arms around me.
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) December 24, 2018
I was bitching to a Walgreens clerk about how my shoelace had come untied even though I’d double knotted it, and she kneeled down & double knotted it for me.
— AnneWith 🌊 (@indigoace) December 24, 2018
my friend invited me to her place for Christmas because my parent's home isn't a safe place for me right now. The generosity of her offer was really overwhelming
— Jocie S (@Jocie63) December 24, 2018
So so so many kindnesses
A friend offered me their time, money, home and love unconditionally while things were difficult two months ago.
Someone else in my life continues to constantly pull me up when I fail to be a better person and sticks their neck out to show me a mirror. https://t.co/V3IymS3MhF
— Extremely Polite and Understated (@TheRestlessQuil) December 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/crissles/status/1077327851110756353
November. My bf's motorcycle had a minor accident; the lady leaving parallel parking in DTLA knocked it over. After waiting on towtruck for hours, 5 homeless guys said "hey we've seen you here awhile, bet we can all lift the front of that SUV off the bike" AND THEY DID 😱 https://t.co/2MRiLLUCUO
— Lydia (@Lydia_Beeyoobee) December 25, 2018
my sister and friend comforting me when i realized i wouldn’t be able to go away for college, another friend being there through all the anxiety of coming out/being outed https://t.co/i3eBpLzZls
— ariana 🍂 (@arianabydesign) December 24, 2018
Hands down: my mom feeding me, cleaning my house, and watching my baby while I showered/napped/cried for the first 10 days of my kid’s life. It’s the type of kindness I’ll never be able to repay ❤️ https://t.co/vw1KVrgrrk
— gwendolyn beetham (@gwendolynb) December 25, 2018
So, before we wrap up with this year, feel free to share the kindest thing someone has done for you or vice versa. Or just anything positive in general which makes 2018 worth toiling through.