The Kindness Pump: A Chance Encounter That Changed Us Both
— Credit to the rightful owner

Today, I set out with one simple mission: to fill up a stranger’s gas tank.

It wasn’t part of a big campaign or a viral challenge—just something I felt led to do. A small act of kindness. A quiet offering.

I started at the gas station near my favorite coffee shop, parked by the pump, and waited. But oddly, no one showed up. I sat for a while, watching cars pass by. Still, no one stopped. It was strange, almost like the universe was gently nudging me elsewhere.

So I drove off, grabbed my coffee, and headed toward the gas station closer to my house. It’s a big one—12 pumps in total. When I arrived, I pulled into the first open spot, watching as each person filled their own tank. Again, no one seemed in need. No one looked up. Everyone was already taken care of.

Something told me to move.

I pulled forward to another pump and told myself, “I’ll just wait a minute. Let’s see what happens.”

And then… she appeared.

A woman parked her car directly behind mine. I glanced in my mirror and saw her eyes meet mine. I smiled—she smiled back. That one small moment felt like a signal. “That’s a good sign,” I thought to myself. She seems kind.

I stepped out of my car, took a deep breath, and walked toward her window.

“Hi, ma’am…” I said gently. She looked surprised—understandably startled that a stranger had approached her car—but then she smiled again.

I continued:
“I know this is going to sound a little strange, but… would it be okay if I bought your gas today?”

Her eyes widened. “What? Why??”

“I just want to be kind,” I explained. “This month, I’m dedicating myself to doing acts of kindness.”

She paused. “Are you sure??”

I smiled. “Yes. I really want to.”

That’s when everything changed.

She slowly brought both hands together in a prayerful gesture, looked up at the sky, and whispered through trembling lips,
“Thank you, God. Thank you, God.”

And then—right there at the pump—she began to cry.

Not small tears, but deep, soul-releasing sobs. Before I could say anything else, she stepped out of her car and wrapped her arms around me. We stood there hugging. Crying. Then laughing. Then crying again.

Between sobs, she told me:
“I just called my bank this morning… I only had ten dollars left. I’ve been helping my mom—she’s sick—and things have been so hard for me financially.”

That ten dollars was supposed to get her through the week.

What I saw in her eyes wasn’t just gratitude—it was relief. It was the kind of emotion that spills out when you’ve been holding everything in for too long, and someone finally says, “You’re not alone.”

In that moment, we weren’t just strangers.

We were mirrors for one another’s humanity. A reminder that we all need each other. That compassion can come when we least expect it—but exactly when we need it most.

She kept hugging me, and I kept hugging her. Her name is Loris, and I’ll never forget her face. Her tears. Her strength. Her joy.

She told me I was her miracle today.

But the truth is… she was mine too.

That single encounter reminded me why kindness matters. Why it’s worth pausing. Why it’s okay to follow the tug in your heart—even if it means waiting a little longer at a different pump.

Because sometimes, that’s exactly how the universe brings two souls together who were meant to meet.

So if you ever feel a little nudge to do something kind—follow it. You never know whose tank you might fill… or whose heart.