A stranger spread a bit of love and a lot of luck all around the park for others to stumble on and keep!
Johannesburg, South Africa (09 October 2025) – Yesterday, one of our readers, Clare, went for a walk with her dog at James and Ethel Gray Park in Birdhaven.
While strolling through the gardens, she spotted something colourful peeping out from a park bench. At closer inspection, she found a knitted doll smiling up at her.
First she thought a child must’ve misplaced it while playing in the park the day before, but when she spotted others scattered across the park, hidden in trees and placed on rocks and branches, she realised that a good thing had made its way through the grounds.
“I noticed something lying on one of the benches and went to look at it and it was a little knitted doll. I commented to my friend that a child must have left it last night. Then I noticed that there were more, scattered all over the park. Each one was different and had a lovely little note on it. It made me smile and was truly a beautiful random act of kindness!” she told us.
The dolls aren’t lost toys, they’re gifts for strangers who happen to spot them on their walks. Each one carries its own handwritten note. Clare shared her’s with us:
The bit in isiZulu translates to: “My name is ‘good’ – I am here to be your friend and bring you luck and happiness.”
We don’t know who’s behind it, and perhaps that’s just how they intended it to be. In fact, it’s the best part.
Someone has quietly taken the time to knit these individual little characters, hide them around the park, and send strangers home with a smile and a bit of luck in their pocket.
We are all for acts of kindness that don’t demand fanfare. They come from wanting to share a bit of good without any strings attached; they’re just there to brighten somebody else’s day. And with the way our mysterious universe works, they always end up reaching someone who needed a dash of kindness.
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