The Book I Never Expected

A small act, a stranger, and a bit of serendipity, how an unexpected exchange over books became a story I’ll never forget.

“Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness write the biggest chapters in our hearts.” ~Goodmoodism

Back in 2023, I was decluttering my apartment, trying to let go of things that no longer felt like a part of me. I was selling a few items on Kleinanzeigen, an online marketplace where people buy and sell secondhand things.

Among them were some books I’d decided to part with, stories I had read, loved, and was now ready to release.

One day, a message popped up from someone asking if I could ship the books. I usually didn’t, too much hassle, but I wrote back and said, “If you buy at least two, I’ll make an exception.”

And he did.

He chose Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

We exchanged a few friendly messages, short, polite, but warm.

Then he asked something unexpected:

“Would you be interested in swapping books sometimes? Sending each other ones we liked, so we could both read more in English?”

I loved the idea. It felt simple and kind, like something from another time, when people used to write letters and send little surprises to strangers.

So, I said yes.

I packed the two books carefully and mailed them. When he received them, he thanked me and recommended a few titles he thought I might enjoy.

It was nice, nothing more, nothing less, just a thoughtful connection between two people who loved reading.

A week later, I came home to find a small package waiting for me. It had his name and address on it.

Inside was a book, When to Jump by Mike Lewis, one of the ones he’d mentioned.

I hadn’t expected anything. I hadn’t asked for it. But there it was, a gift from someone I’d only written with a few times. And it moved me deeply.

I sent him a message right away, thanking him from the bottom of my heart. It was such a small thing, yet it meant everything, that someone who didn’t know me personally had thought of me with such kindness.

And then his reply came. I’ll never forget his words:

“Hello S.,

nice to hear from you. Hope you are doing well :D
It may sound strange, but I somehow had the feeling that you should read that, and I decided to follow this feeling and make you this gift.

Maybe because I once read that you should listen and follow your gut feeling and intuition more often in life… Therefore, I am so happy reading your nice words and very thankful for your appreciation.

Enjoy reading and let me know whether it helped you in your current situation, and maybe even to make some relevant decisions.

Wish you all the best as well, and please keep your positive energy. It’s great.

Regards, S.”

It’s a special kind of joy when a stranger sees you for who you are, not through how you look or what you do, but simply through the energy that lives in your words.

To think that someone who didn’t even know me could feel my positive energy through just a few messages, that meant more to me than I can explain.

It also felt as if someone who barely knew me had somehow seen something in me, a spark, a restlessness, maybe even the beginning of a change I couldn’t yet see myself.

I read When to Jump not long after. And the funny thing is, he was right. Maybe he sensed that I was standing at the edge of something new, unsure when or how to leap.

It took time, but looking back now, I believe he was right all along.

My jump didn’t happen right away, it came slowly, quietly, without me realizing it

And one day, it happened.

I started to write.

Maybe Goodmoodism is my jump.

Or maybe it was serendipity, a small, unexpected act that reminded me how kindness can shape the course of a life.

We lost touch eventually. Life happened. Somewhere along the way, his messages were deleted, and I had no way to find him again.

But almost a year later, while cleaning my inbox, I stumbled upon an old email notification from Kleinanzeigen, his last message to me. I read it again, and the same warmth washed over me.

It was too late to reply, but maybe not too late to remember.

So, this story is for him. Wherever you are, S., I wish you the best of luck and the happiest of days.

Your small act of kindness meant more than you’ll ever know.

Has someone you barely knew ever done something kind that stayed with you?

With a grateful smile,
GOO:DMOO:DISM