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A simple act of kindness between two families who had never met has captured the hearts of millions of people on social media.
LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Madeline Glynn is 8 years old, and she already understands something most adults forget.
It started simply: She could hear music coming from next door — her neighbor was on his porch, playing guitar. She wanted to make a request, but she didn’t want to just walk into his backyard uninvited.
So she thought about it. A rocket? Too complicated. A paper airplane? Perfect.
She asked her mom, Natalie Hulec, to help her fold one. She wrote the note herself, and then — because she’s 8 and paper airplanes are harder than they look — she handed it to her mom to throw.
It sailed over the fence and landed in the yard of a stranger.
The man on the other side
Ethan Hayes is 26. He moved in last September. He’s a full-time musician — playing covers at bars and wineries, writing his own songs on the side. He picked up a guitar during the COVID-19 lockdown, didn’t start singing until he was 22, and somehow turned all of it into a career.
On that afternoon, he was just doing what he does every day: playing on his porch. He spotted something in the yard. Madeline’s stepdad, Russ Hulec, came to the window to explain.
The note was from Madeline. She wanted to hear Taylor Swift.
“He said it’s for Madeline, his daughter, and I’m playing on the porch,” Ethan said. “Am I going to say no? Absolutely not.”
He played “Love Story.” He needed to look up the words; Madeline sang every single one.
Nobody knew anyone was watching
Natalie had her phone out — not because she thought the world needed to see it but because she’s a mom who tries to capture her daughter’s childhood. She thought it was the cutest thing; she posted it to TikTok.
She had no idea what was coming.
Madeline woke up the next morning to her mom showing her the view count. She called her grandma, she called her aunt. She tried to get them on a group call but didn’t know how, so her mom did it for her. She kept saying the same thing over and over.
“I’m famous! I’m famous!”
Then she had to stop refreshing because it was time to get ready for school. Meanwhile, Ethan found out the same way everyone else did.
“I didn’t know she was recording, I didn’t hear them singing along. I was just playing the song, but 2.7 million is crazy,” he said. “I can’t really believe that, but I do it for 200 views. I do it for them.”
What the world saw in it
Nearly 3 million views. Thousands of comments — every single one positive. People saying it restored their faith in humanity, people saying they needed this.
And maybe that’s because of the moment we’re living in. The world feels loud and fractured and exhausting, and somewhere in Lakewood, a little girl folded a piece of paper and sent it over a fence to a stranger.
No algorithm, no agenda. Just a small, human impulse.
Ethan said the moment is bigger than one song.
“What are we if we don’t have each other?” he asked. “Community is one of the most important things. As things get hard, it’s always nice to have somebody to lean on.”
He’s gained nearly 19,000 new followers since the video was posted. Natalie said watching that happen has been one of the most rewarding parts of all of this.
“The amount of attention he’s gained throughout this has been so rewarding,” she said. “I’m so excited for him.”
“Think about the little things,” he said. “The little things make a big difference.”
What kindness costs
Ask Ethan about kindness and he doesn’t hesitate — the same way he didn’t hesitate when he read that note.
“It costs nothing to be kind,” he said. “I don’t care what my job is. I want to be a good person.”
He grew up watching his parents give the shirts off their backs; he surrounds himself with people who do the same. His dream job, he said, has never been about music — it’s been about being a good friend, a good person, wahatever it takes.
From what the internet says, he’s doing a pretty good job.
On both sides of the fence
These two families had never met before that paper airplane sailed over the fence. Now they have plans. Ethan is buying a grill. There’s talk of a barbecue, and Madeline has an open invitation.
“I’ll be on the porch all summer,” Ethan said. “You’re always welcome to listen, you’re always welcome to send paper airplanes over.”
There’s still a fence between these two Lakewood, Ohio, backyards, but on both sides of it now? Friends.
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