Person knits baby blanket for pregnant work acquaintance, reminds us to never hesitate to be kind

Editor's note: This article was originally published on December 30, 2022. It has since been updated.

Do you ever get together with friends or family, have a good time, and then regret anything you said or said later? If you find yourself replaying events and wishing you could go back in time, second-guessing may be depriving you of joy and self-esteem. We might be rather unhappy as we ruminate our decisions. A woman opened up about a similar dilemma on Reddit talking about making a baby blanket for her pregnant coworker. After gifting the blanket, she was left wondering if she had overstepped her mark as an acquaintance. She was even beginning to regret her decision. 

While she was nervous and apprehensive about how the gift would be received, her work acquaintance absolutely loved it. The new mother even sent her a picture of the baby wearing her hand-made baby blanket at the hospital. She wrote, "She loved it so much she took it with her! To the hospital! To give birth!" 

The wholesome story won many hearts, with many commenting that you should never hesitate to be kind and do a good deed. Some commenters even shared their own experiences of how a work colleague made something for them for a certain occasion. One user said, "My manager gave me a crochet blanket for a Christmas give one year. It's a large 60x60 blanket and it's so freaking soft. I love it to death and it will stay with me until I die. She spent so much time making this for ME, and I appreciate the time and effort it took. I keep it on my living room couch and I've gotten many compliments on it. I love handmade gifts and I'm a guy in his 30's."

Another said, "I have a woman at work, we're friendly, but no contact outside of work. We have a mutual love of Pearl Jam. She was expecting, so I left a PJ onesie on her desk. The baby wore it home from the hospital. I loved that. It was really more of a joke gift." A third said, "My co-worker knitted a blanket for my son. She does it for anyone expecting. My son is 19 months, he looks like Linus when we pick him up from daycare, he won't nap or sleep without his blanket. It is his favorite thing to hold and it was made just for him with love and care." A fourth said, "Oh yes! My mother-in-law is a talented knitter, crocheter, seamstress, etc. A few years ago she knitted a sweater set and blanket for me to give to an expectant mother with whom I worked. She loved it. Everyone loved it. It felt so special to give something handmade. Now she crochets hats and things for people at Christmas."

Moreover, we all have conflicting pressures and tensions in our life, not to mention the current coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns. This has occasionally pushed kindness to the sidelines in favor of what is necessary now. It's simple to exhibit compassion while posting online, but it's more difficult to commit to kindness in our real-life actions and words.  We can gain emotional benefits by taking the time to be kind to others.  It truly makes a difference, especially for those who are vulnerable or in need. A number of users under this comment thread said how essential it is to be compassionate and kind.

One said, "Whenever I start to doubt myself in these types of situations, I always try to think of how I would feel if I was the recipient of the act of kindness I want to give someone else. It would bring me so much joy to receive an unexpected gift, compliment, act of service, whatever." A second said, "I’m so glad you went ahead and made it and gave it to her! I think sometimes something really thoughtful from someone you don’t know well can have more impact than the other way around. So happy she sent you that picture."