Posted on 01/07/2023 7:30:38 AM PST by Hostage
A few months old, a bit long, but entirely worth it:
Retired Teacher Pays for Stranger’s Groceries Before Making a Shocking Discovery About His True Identity
It's no secret that the world can turn around even with the smallest gestures. It only takes one moment to change your life and the lives of everyone around you. And the world's desperately in need of kindness and positivity.
One particular woman chose to do a small act of kindness, having no idea who the recipient was of her good deed.
What she thought was a simple act of kindness turned out to be one of the most memorable moments of her life and her story quickly went viral.
A Retired Teacher
Ruth Reed is a retired teacher from Medford, New Jersey. She’s just a regular everyday person who lives a quiet and humble life with her husband.
The two spend a lot of time together and they decided to regularly perform small acts of kindness throughout the day.
A particularly small pact they pledged is to exhibit generosity as much as possible and wherever possible. And while there were many acts throughout the years, Reed couldn't have imagined that one of them would make her famous.
Morning Shopping Routine
Ruth Reed's day started out like most other days in her life. The New Jersey native woke up and headed to her local Wawa convenience store.
Wawa is very famous shopping chain in the east coast it can be found in most major cities on this side of the country.
Reed wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen when she walked into the convenience store and she had no idea that she was about to experience something amazing.
A Familiar Face
Local stores are somewhat of a get-together place and it's not unlikely to run into someone you know while shopping at them. If you live nearby and go to the same grocery stores on a regular basis, it's not uncommon to see some familiar faces while doing your weekly shop.
But this fateful morning, Ruth Reed wasn't just going to see someone that she knew, she was about to run into a face the whole world was familiar with.
She couldn't have known that her simple act of kindness would reach the entire globe.
A Stranger in Need
Reed found all that she needed and she was ready to finish her routine morning shopping. She stepped to the checkout counter and was ready to pay when she noticed something happening up front.
It looked like a man paying for his groceries was having trouble with the payment process.
This can be very stressful, especially if there's a big line behind you waiting to finish their shopping.
Luckily for him, Ruth Reed was standing in the same line and she was ready to help.
Helping Out
When Reed saw the customer up front struggling to make the payment for his groceries, she decided to step up and help the stranger.
In normal situations, when you bring groceries to the counter and don’t have the means to pay, you return some or all the groceries and you only buy what you can pay for.
But Ruth Reed was not about to allow this customer to go home empty-handed.
She went to the front of the line and she decided to pay for his groceries.
But she still had no idea about the true identity of the lucky shopper.
The Generosity Pledge
What's great about Ruth Reed is that this wasn't some random or impulsive act of kindness—it was a decision she made with her husband a long time ago. They pledged to always help people in need at the grocery store.
While they help everyone, they especially want to help soldiers and veterans as a sign of appreciation for their service.
"We decided when we saw military people we would treat them at Wawa or Dunkin Donuts or whatever," said Reed in an interview with CBS Philly.
It goes without saying that the Reeds were committed to this life of generosity and charity.
No Second Thoughts
After witnessing the man’s struggle to process the payment, Reed did not waste any time. She jumped to the front of the line and she offered to pay for the groceries.
"It looked like he was using a card, and it didn't go through,” Reed explained. “And then he asked a young lady for five dollars, and I thought, ‘this is it.’ So I said, 'No, I'll get it.’”
It was just like any other day, and she paid no attention to the identity of the customer. An opportunity to help someone presented itself, and she jumped right in.
A Celebrity Look-Alike
After this incredible gesture, the customer at the counter seemed eternally grateful and he kept thanking Reed. The two continued to chat and Reed noticed something awfully familiar about his face. He eventually told her his name was Keith.
Funnily enough, he had the same name and he looked exactly like the country singer Keith Urban. But what are the chances of running into a celebrity like this? It had to be a random look-alike customer.
Or was it really the country music legend himself?
An Uncanny Resemblance
The more Reed talked to the stranger, the more he she thought that he looked like the country singer. But Reed just couldn’t believe her eyes, and at one point, she even told him he looked exactly like Keith Urban.
The man laughed and replied that he was Keith Urban! Reed was stumped and she couldn't believe that she was standing next to the country star.
Surely a celebrity with the status of Keith Urban would shop at a more high-profile store. Plus, he couldn't possible have needed someone to pay for his groceries.
Uncovering the True Identity
Reed’s skepticism grew, and even though the man looked exactly like him, she refused to believe that she’d met up with a celebrity at her local store.
She kept talking to the man and asking him questions in the hopes of revealing his true identity. She even asked him where his wife Nicole Kidman was.
Surely the celebrity power couple would do their shopping together at some high-profile spot.
Reed was still unsure if the customer was Keith Urban and she was more determined than ever to find out.
It's Keith Urban!
Excited by the possibility of chatting with a world-famous celebrity, Reed became completely oblivious to her surroundings. But as she continued to ask questions, she noticed something in the background that made everything clear. She saw bodyguards that surrounded this mysterious stranger.
It suddenly became evident that the man was telling the truth. He was indeed country legend Keith Urban! Wow, what were the chances?
Reed explained her reaction in an interview with NBC Philly, “I just fell apart. And he was so gracious.”
Embarrassed by the Situation
What are the chances of going shopping at a local grocery store and bumping into a high-profile celebrity like Keith Urban and then paying for his groceries?
Now that Reed confirmed his identity, she was totally embarrassed by the whole situation. She openly doubted him and asked him all sorts of questions to uncover the truth. But the popular country singer wasn’t fazed or offended by this at all.
In fact, he probably found it amusing because it's hard to believe that you’d run into a mega-celebrity in a local store.
Country Music Legend
When Reed finally realized that she was in the presence of Keith Urban, she was shocked. The man was who he said he was and he happened to be one of the most popular country music stars in the world.
Throughout his successful career, Keith Urban's had a ton of chart-topping singles and albums.
The country music singer spends a lot of his time in New Zealand and Australia, but he's still managed to become a huge star in the United States.
A Vast Fortune
Besides the fame, Urban managed to amass a vast fortune thanks to his numerous hits and achievements in the country music industry.
On top of this, he's married to Nicole Kidman, an equally successful and wealthy celebrity actress.
There's no doubt that the Urban-Kidman household is financially secure. So why did Urban need help from a complete stranger at the convenience store?
Surely, they are rich enough to buy the Wawa store chain, let alone pay for the groceries.
Sometimes it Isn’t Enough
Life can be funny sometimes. It turns out that no matter how much money you have in the bank or how big your credit card limit is, sometimes it just isn’t enough. You never know when you'll have an unlucky day of not being able to pay for your groceries.
As it turns out on that fateful day, Urban only had $10 in his wallet. Since he brought groceries that cost more, he took out his credit card to pay for the rest. Unfortunately, the system was down, and his payment wasn’t able to go through.
Luckily for him, Ruth Reed was there to help out.
Down-to-Earth Person
It's interesting that Urban remained down-to-earth and humble, despite his mega-stardom and popularity. Most celebrities of his status have people that do the shopping for them. But Keith Urban wanted to show everyone that he's still just a normal guy that can end up in awkward situations like the rest of us.
Not only was he shopping at a local grocery store, but he also got caught unprepared and he wasn’t able to pay for his groceries due to a system crash. No amount of wealth and fame could help him with this. But a certain lady named Ruth Reed could.
Not only was he shopping at a local grocery store, but he also got caught unprepared and he wasn’t able to pay for his groceries due to a system crash. No amount of wealth and fame could help him with this. But a certain lady named Ruth Reed could.
An Extraordinary Lady
While Keith Urban showed everyone that he’s just a regular guy, Ruth Reed, on the other hand, showed everyone that she’s anything but ordinary.
Most of us like to believe we would help out someone in need, but the reality is, not everyone is ready to walk the walk. However, Ruth Reed was and she jumped in on the situation faster than anyone else could. She wasn’t in it for the fame or special prizes, it was just the way she lived her life.
Urban was so impressed by this little lady, who at first glance didn’t even recognize him, that he wanted to do something for her in return.
How did he thank Reed for her kind act?
Personal Satisfaction
After the whole situation passed, Urban was keen on repaying her kindness, but Reed wanted none of it.
She wasn’t doing this because he was Keith Urban, the world-famous country singer. Rather, she did it because it made her feel good and this was how she chose to live her life—she enjoyed helping other people and brightening someone else's day.
She wasn’t aiming for a special reward or recognition and she would’ve done it for anyone. This impressed Urban even more.
Repaying Kindness
But there was one thing that Reed wanted and it wasn't a special reward.
Reed asked the country singer for a quick photo with her new celebrity friend. For her, this was the ultimate prize.
Seeing how she initially struggled to believe it was actually him, she wanted proof that she met the real-life Keith Urban.
Urban gladly agreed to pose for a photo with Reed and the two of them snapped a photo together outside the convenience store.
We can't even begin to imagine how shocked Reed’s friends and family must've been when they saw the photo of her with the country music star!
“Nicest Lady in Medford”
Such an amazing experience had to be shared with her loved ones. After she sent the photo to her friends and family, Reed decided to post it on her social media accounts as well. And just when she thought her day couldn’t get any better or more exciting, she went viral!
Her post was shared thousands of times and she received incredible comments from people in her community. Some of them commented on how Keith Urban was the lucky one, as he met “one of the nicest ladies in Medford.”
Going Worldwide
Reed’s popularity didn’t stop in the comment section—she caught the attention of the media and various news stations like CBS Philly.
They contacted Reed and wanted to do a full interview on the situation and that wasn’t all. The story went so viral that it even reached Urban’s hometown in Australia and New Zealand.
This amazing show of generosity was featured on the radio program The Kyle & Jackie O Show. Ruth Reed, an ordinary lady from Medford, was suddenly popular throughout the world and everyone was in awe of her generosity.
Kindness Inspires Kindness
This simple act of generosity was appreciated by many viewers and reporters. But it was not the only the story that went viral. It seems that kindness was catching on as well. The owners of the Wawa wanted to show their appreciation and honor the good deed.
So, they offered a free cup of coffee for all customers in hopes that a happy occurrence that day would continue to spread. Perhaps it will even inspire others to step up and help people in need.
Not Surprising
The news spread really fast in the small town of Medford. Naturally, everyone was very excited and touched by this story. However, not everyone was surprised. After all, Ruth Reed was a lady known for her random acts of generosity.
She tries to do something good every day, simply because she enjoys the feeling of satisfaction afterward. She never exposed herself or sought recognition. For this reason alone, her closest friends and her loving family were not surprised when the news went viral.
It was just another good deed, but this time it involved a celebrity star.
A Way of Life
One of the reasons why people weren’t completely surprised by this act is because of Reed’s previous work as a middle school teacher. She dedicated her life to help, guide, and teach new generations.
But she never kept this lifestyle hidden in the classroom. She let it out into the world and she showed kindness whenever possible. After all, teachers dedicate their lives to inspiring young children and it comes as no surprise that they’d want to show kindness in all aspects of their life.
After retirement, it became a way of satisfying the need to help other people.
Inspiring a Song
The story became such a hit that it started to inspire people to do better and make the world a nicer place. It reached beyond the people working at Wawa and living in Medford.
Besides kindness, it caused a massive outpour in creativity. It inspired Carly Tefft, an aspiring country singer and songwriter, to write a song about the event.
Tefft also happens to be a close friend of Keith Urbans and she felt so uplifted that she decided to honor the act by writing a song.
Honored by MasterCard
Ruth Reed had no problem helping others and spending her own money in the process. She never asked for anything in return.
Her kindness was repaid tenfold. As it turns out, MasterCard decided to honor Reed upon hearing the story. They approached her on Twitter and told her that they sent a year’s supply of prepaid cards that she can use at any time to help people in need.
It almost became a movement as they wrote, “Your next 52 acts of kindness are on us” using the hashtag "#StartSomethingPriceless."
We are All Humans
The story that started in the small town of Medford eventually grew bigger than anyone could've ever imagined. It's not only an important reminder that we're all humans, regardless of our status, but that kindness can be incorporated in everyday life.
It costs us little to nothing at all to make someone’s day.
Additionally, these acts can inspire other people to do good. It's a domino effect that can make the world a more positive place. Many people started these random acts of kindness after hearing Reed’s story, including one person that paid for a whole dinner for an elderly woman in a restaurant.
Being Part of Something Bigger
No one could believe what would come out of a routine grocery shopping, especially Ruth Reed. She's a humble and modest person and she got really excited about the story going viral.
For her, it wasn’t about getting the appreciation or recognition. She felt like a teacher again as she inspired others to do random acts of kindness that could make someone’s days.
Being a part of something so huge was the biggest reward she could possibly ask for, which is part of the reason she started doing acts of kindness to begin with.
Dedicated to Kindness
After everything that happened, most people wonder what’s the next step for Ruth Reed? What could ever top this achievement? But for her, it’s not about the praise or outdoing herself. It's about the opportunity to do good and feel satisfied inside.
She doesn’t need to go viral as this is something she simply enjoys doing. For her, the future looks much like it did before she met Keith Urban—she'll continue doing acts of kindness for others.
Reed’s dedication to this lifestyle is truly an inspiration in itself.
👍 beautuful!
Oops (sp?), but typing on a smartphone with a thumb, so it happens.
Unnecessary is right.
Read like an infomercial didn’t it?
Tediously told and irritating. Every time there is a commercial break the story starts over.
Must have gotten paid by the word or it came from one of those one spoonful at a time click again and again things that are nothing but advertisements.
She shouts to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man consults his portable GPS and replies, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.
She rolls her eyes and says, "You must be a Republican!" "I am," replies the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," answers the balloonist, "everything you tell me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you're not much help to me."
The man smiles and responds, "You must be a Democrat." I am," replies the balloonist. "How did you know?"
"Well," says the man, "You don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and now you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."
Me either.
If I had done that I would have had no clue about who it was I had helped.
great story!
I've started paying more attention to movies in recent years and, while I don't follow the gossip sites, I do read reviews and interviews. The impression is steadily growing on me that 90 percent of the celebrities are generally pretty gracious, many of them extremely so. As in other fields, there is a small minority of jerks and nightmare cases that give everyone a bad name. And of course, drugs and alcohol sometimes get involved.
It's also true that the big celebrities live under a constant microscope. The paparazzi have always been there, but now everybody has a smart phone with a camera. It must be a nightmare to be photographed every time you step out onto the street, go shopping, or sit down in a restaurant. Everyone has an occasional bad day and anyone can get snappish when they're tired, upset, or have just been pestered one too many times in the last 15 minutes. But the celebs now live in an environment in which every bad moment gets captured and often goes viral.
I don't move in movie circles, don't hang out in clubs, and probably wouldn't recognize more than a dozen celebs if they were sitting right next to me. If I saw a celeb on the street, I wouldn't accost them. I've worked around politics most of my life. When I see political people out of uniform, off the clock, doing real people things in the real world, I leave them alone. They get harassed too much and it contributes to their tendency to self-isolation. They are entitled to private lives and time with their families. The same goes for movie people and other celebs.
That said, I have gone to a few local film festivals that were within range as well as a couple of "special appearance" type events involving movies in which I have an interest. There's nothing to it; just buy a ticket or two and drive out to see the film(s). My personal encounters with the tribe are therefore extremely limited. I can think of five somewhat recognizable actor/director types that I've met and a larger number of movie people who are basically unknowns. In my limited experience, all have been perfectly normal people. They were all present to work an event so they arrived in a fan service frame of mind to begin with, but they were still easy going, personable, attentive, responsive, etc., and they honestly seemed to be enjoying themselves talking about their craft. These weren't top tier, red carpet events that they had to go to because the studio demanded it; they were doing a favor for a friend and could have begged off if they wanted to. No head cases. No handlers or bodyguards. No one was watching the clock. They all stayed until they had answered every question and taken every picture, and they were among the last out of the room.
These weren't mass attendance events with a crush of crazy fans; they were small enough that one could have a short conversation in a relaxed way. And these weren't the mega A-list names whose presence would automatically generate a mob environment. All of that helped. But even many of the mega A-listers have the reputation of being very nice when encountered in a civilized environment.
I live in DC, so targets of opportunity do appear. My most recent such adventure was the Middleburg Film Festival, which was a completely lovely event that had several excellent movies that were on my list. Only one of the several venues was a theater; the rest were local buildings (community center, a church, a school) with a room big enough for an improvised screen and a jury-rigged sound system. Several of the directors (I don't recall any actors) made appearances and stayed around for discussion. It has certainly given me a whole new perspective on the industry. There are hundreds of such small, low profile festivals around the country. Check one out sometime, just to get a flavor of that strange world that we do so much complaining about. You will find out that a lot of the people aren't strange at all; they just have an unusual and pretty interesting way of making a living, and most of them seem to be grateful for the opportunity. And grateful to the audiences who ultimately make it all possible.
Typical clickbait prose. Why I do not ever click on that crap....easy tell....”X person looks at photo of spouse, immediately calls police, medical authorities, divorce lawyer, priest and psychiatrist” usually 60 intrusive ads follow along with the text.
So we are now posting click-bait stories here? Please, don’t.
Keith Urban? Bah! Let me tell you about the time I met Keith Hernandez at ....
______________________________
I used to see Prince driving to work. I’d be driving home, and I’d see a small black man in a yughe sports car. After about 4 sightings I realized that it was Prince.
And for all the MN people: Guess who I saw? Dave More and Vern Gagne.
Another one - a limo was stopped on the side of the road with a flat tire. A couple stopped to help. Turns out it was Trump’s limo. Trump repaid their kindness by tracking him down and paying off their mortgage.
Another one - Trump paid off an elderly widow’s farm mortgage. Her husband committed suicide thinking the insurance would be enough to pay off the mortgage but there was an exemption for suicide. Trump stepped in and paid it off so she could continue to live on the farm that had been in her husband’s family over 100 yrs.
Biden, however, wouldn’t spit on America to put out a fire.
My husband was in India on business. Hundreds of homeless children crowded around him and his crew begging for anything. The crew had already been warned that if they gave them anything that the children would be jumped and most likely killed and the money would be stolen.
Sometimes the reaction is situational and can have differing responses, depending on the perspective. Example:
We were at a Dodger game, first level aisle seats about twenty rows up. Two rows in front of us and a few people to the right was Karen Carpenter (this was at the height of her fame) A woman and her young (13, 14 ish) daughter wanted an autograph.
With the encouragement of the mother the daughter was working her way in front of people to get to Karen Carpenter. The girl was stopped by somebody associated with Miss Carpenter and went no further returning to her mother. She said she was told that Miss Carpenter only signs autographs between innings. The mother thought this to be rude and loudly said so.
The woman and the girl were rude and did not realize it, thus they likely think very little of Miss Carpenter.
Encounters, when natural, not forced, are far different than something like that one at the baseball game.
thanks for those examples- just adds more weight to how decent he is- in stark contrast to the bidens
Good one.
His recent songs have gotten too bland for my taste but his earlier hits were pretty good, like "Where The Blacktop Ends" and "Raining On Sunday." He has had a pretty impressive run of Top 10 country hits during his career.
This story does seem a little contrived however, if he was surrounded by bodyguards, why didn't one of them pick up the tab?
Excuse me, but what in the text body of the thread is asking you to click anything?
The source has to be listed, but nothing in the story above in this thread is prompting you to click.
Or are you suffering Bidenism? Yeah, chronic stupidity.
The picture of Ruth with Kieth is outside.
But she helped him inside.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4121570/posts?page=39#39
Yeah, I felt the same way.
It’s a good story but it would have been better shorter.
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