Unexpected acts of kindness are rare, but not unheard of, especially among Canadians, who are known for being quite friendly. But usually the only time you can get someone to pay for your meal is if you’re out on a date, married, or you’re a kid and your folks are buying. But when Glen Oliver, drove up to the drive-thru window at a local Tim Hortons, he decided to do something he often did, which was to pay for the driver behind him. The only thing is, he had no idea just how much his act of generosity meant to that person.The act of kindness happened back in July at a Tim Hortons in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. And when columnist Ian McMillan of the Pickering News Advertiser, got a letter outlining what happened, he ran the story.
Glen would often pay for the driver behind him when he frequented the local coffee shop. But he didn’t know just how much of a difference he had made in a person who was going through a very rough time.
It mentioned that the person was “in a bad place in July,” and that they “intended to take their life. July 18 was going to be their last day.” McMillan also noted that the writer said that they intended to “end it all at home in their own little ritual.”
The lady said the man in the SUV, aka Glen, said to “have a great day.” The writer added, “I wondered why someone would buy coffee for a stranger for no reason. Why me? Why today? If I was a religious sort I would take this as a sign. This random act of kindness was directed at me on this day for a purpose.”
The letter writer wanted to do something nice, and wrote, “I decided at that moment to change my plans for the day and do something nice for someone. I ended up helping a neighbor take groceries out of her car and into the house.”
The writer added, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and know your kind gesture has truly saved a life … On July 18, 2017, I not only had a great day, I had the greatest day!” So, the columnist published the story, and eventually, Glen’s wife alerted him, and his identity as the good doer was known.
He told Global News that when he read the column “I was blown away, blown away — couldn’t believe it. “It’s exponential now, you know? Like such a small, insignificant thing to most people just turned out to be … the planets align for somebody.” It just goes to show that doing a good thing can catch on.
