Financial problems are an issue that just about every person faces at some point in their life, but to those actively going through it, that fact can seem like little comfort.
It's very, very difficult to focus on nearly anything else when money is proving to be a constant problem for you. The concern about it is all-consuming, and the worst part of it is that the solutions are often nowhere near as simple as some make it out to be. Saving for the future can be difficult when you're living paycheck to paycheck, and things like loans and lines of credit can potentially bleed your finances even more dry than you might have without them.
Pretty much everybody faced with financial troubles dreams of finding an easy way out of them. Winning the lottery, a rich relative you didn't know about leaving all of their possessions to you, a surprise gift, just about any of them are completely unlikely, but hey, a person can dream.
While this case might not be quite that fantastic, it's enough to warm our hearts. A young woman was discussing her stress over her finances over the phone while on a train, and after taking a nap, she woke up to discover that someone had left her a surprise gift...
Ella Johannessen was on a commuter train to Leeds, and was having a bit of a rough day. She had gone into debt during her third year at university, thanks to quitting her job in order to focus on her studies full-time. She called her mom and had a very emotional conversation with her about the issue, and then later fell asleep after the call was finished.
When she woke up however, something had been left for her: a folded-up napkin, which contained 100 pounds (around $140 US) in 20 pound bills.
Johannessen immediately took to social media to try to find who left them with her, in a post which went viral. She commented:
"I started to cry - this is because I was incredibly thankful for your kindness to someone you don't even know. After a terrible 18 months where I lost my father and both of his parents it showed me that there is kindness and good people in the world. I will pass your kindness on. I want to say thank you to the person who gave me this gift, I hope you will eventually see this."
Ms Johannessen, who lives in Leeds, told the BBC she would be "passing the kindness on" by volunteering for a charity.
