When you make friends in real life, you have a common interest, a hobby, or a job perhaps that connects you to your new friend. Online, more random connections can pop up, but these can be super joyful.
A word of caution: I accept that not everyone is kind online, and please protect your boundaries.
But here are three special online moments and the kindness of others and how they changed my life;
Enter @tessmaths, a fabulous maths expert. I arrived at an online meeting to see Julia there. Her warm welcome was trying to help me get over my starstruck moment of meeting her for the first time.
Yet I got in a tangle still. I poured my heart out to Julia, explaining that I had just quit my teaching job. Her kindness in listening, not judging, helped me believe it would all be okay.
Then she popped one of her special maths tea towels in the post to me, and when it arrived, I felt her kindness. Her kindness showed me that kind people exist and they can believe in you, too.
Fast forward, and I’m freelancing, having quit my job. I had put myself out there in my freelance state and offered a session on explicit instructions via gifs with a pay-what-you-can-afford model of a suggested £3.
My friend wanted to pay more than £3 (he knew I was skint!) So I put up a pay what you can afford unless you’re an exceptional human who believes in me ticket at £10.
Enter @heymartineellis, a fabulous productivity and wellbeing expert.
Martine, a stranger to me, bought the £10 ticket. I reached out to explain that it was for my friend and I had no intention of charging people £10.
Martine told me she was happy to pay £10. She was so kind. She believed in me, too. I valued her feedback after the session. Her kindness gave me the strength to carry on being self-employed.
Finally, enter @cmccrink567 @PetraMay @NyshaChantal @ReallySchoolK and others who nominated me for a TechWomen100 award.
People from the internet are nominating me for an award!
To take time out of their day to nominate me, how kind are these souls?
I appreciate their kindness and faith in me. And with their kindness, I won.
Make friends everywhere you can; there are kind souls all around.
Conclusion: “Unexpected Acts Of Online Kindness.”
In a world where online interactions can sometimes be harsh and impersonal, these stories remind us that genuine kindness can thrive in unexpected places. From @tessmaths’ math tea towel to @heymartineellis’ unwavering support and the heartwarming nominations from @cmccrink567, @PetraMay, @NyshaChantal, @ReallySchoolK, and others, these moments of online kindness have not only changed my life but have also reinforced my belief that there are kind souls all around us, waiting to connect and make a positive impact. So, let’s continue to make friends wherever possible, both in real life and online, for in this vast digital world, kindness knows no boundaries.
Sammy White
Twitter @WhatTheTrigMath
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