Very often we tend to live in our own world, looking at what we are missing without paying attention to our luck. A tiktoker decided to tackle this bad habit by hosting a surprise for a random stranger, documenting it all to inspire and encourage others to do the same, within their means of course.
The video shows tiktoker Perri Saenz placing an order at Starbucks, a famous American coffee chain, with a friend. However, instead of ordering, she asks the counter clerk a question.
“What is your life’s dream?” Perry asks. The bartender, whose badge is “Manny,” replies that he is trying to buy his own car. Perri asks him how much the car would cost and he answers “1000 euros”.
“What is the problem that torments you?” Perry asks. It was then that Manny decided to confide, stating that he was struggling with depression. I struggle with depression,” he says. The young woman is impressed by the simplicity with which the young man decides to confide, then leaves with a “Good, we could see each other from time to time”. Immediately after, the film shows Perri and her friend going to a store to prepare a surprise for Manny: they buy a wooden crate, a bouquet of red roses and a toy car.
The video continues with Perri walking to the scene again and telling Manny, “We were really inspired by your story and wanted to get you something.” She therefore offers the young man the bouquet of roses and he replies with a smile: “Thank you very much. I had never received flowers before”. Then, the young woman takes out the wooden crate and, holding it out, says to the waiter: “There are others”. Manny opens the box and finds the toy car next to some cash. “It’s a thousand euros, says Perri, so you can buy the car you want.”
At this moment, the young man burst into tears and thanked the young woman with emotion, entrusting her with a very intimate thought: “This morning, I wanted to end it. I didn’t even want to wake up.” The young girl encourages him with very sweet words: “It is a sign from God. He tells you that you are meant to be here and that you are loved. The light will shine on your face again.” The video immediately went viral and garnered over 40.6 million views, as well as thousands of comments full of solidarity and admiration for this selfless gesture. You just saved a life. Kindness is key, people,” one user commented.
Perri managed to create a surprise with the help of Charlie Rocket, an influencer who runs the charity Dream Machine Foundation. After the thousand euro donation, the group organized a fundraising campaign to allow Manny to get a better car than the one he had just bought. The campaign raised more than 38,572 euros, exceeding the initial goal of 15,000 euros.
We can never know what the person at the cafe who just served us coffee is experiencing, or our colleague who sits next to us at work every day; everyone has their own story, made up of happy but also very sad moments, and we must always remember that even a small gesture can make a big difference.