Kindess of Strangers

[tyaca]

ok - i've been sounding off for ages on the commuting thread about peoples' rudeness to pregnant ol' me on trains and tubes.... so i have decided to Redress the Karmic Balance by starting a thread about those little moments when people you dont know are really really nice to you and restore your faith in mankind

brought about by the assistant at Sainsburys just now who offered to pack my bags and couldnt stop smiling at me!

and - in all fairness - everytime anyone ever gives you a seat, they're putting their comfort after yours. even once should be appreciated!

hmmm.... that's it for the moment. except to say how funny it was when the 14 & 15 year old asbo's on my estate clocked i was prg last week and shouted their congrats. does stopping throwing fireworks so i can get to my front door count as kindness

[Flame]

@ the asbos!

[Martha200]

I would like to add an extra, today a friend referred me to a friend who is a chiro and showed me great kindness by seeing me and working on me (for nothing) and left me in a much happier, non painful state. Unlike the physio I saw yesterday who said there was nothing they could do but give me splints to wear and to come back if I still have problems.

This afternoon has been fab, and all for a friend and a stranger to me

[MaeWest]

I was v heavily pg during the 2006 heatwave. I was out in town and came over a bit dizzy so put out my hand to steady myself on some railings. Immediately, a lady came rushing over and took me to sit down in a nearby cafe next to a fan, and made them get me some ice-water. Nearly made me cry!

[GoodGollyMissMolly]

What a lovely thread.

A woman I have never met gave my brother £5.00 to give to me for the baby. Bro is a plumber and was doing a job at this ladies house and the baby happened to come up in convo. It made me cry that someone could be so thoughtfull of an other person that thye dont even know.

Also the assistant in Sainsburys practically doing my shopping for me when I was having really strong BH and could barely walk as my tummy was so tight.

[Sherida]

Such a change to read nice things! I've had loads of positive experiences (now I've said that it'll all change...you watch...) such as a man allowing me to go ahead of him in a queue. I've also had someone tell me that pregnant women are the most beautiful creatures in the world, and someone I met at a party started singing, albiet intoxicated, at my bump, and even kissed it!

Keep this lovely thread going !

[MitfordSisters]

Employee on the Docklands Light Railway held back the commuters for me this morning so's I wouldn't be jostled.

[BellaBear]

A lovely lady gave me 50p to pay the car park charge today when it was obvious I had been crying, was in a rush, and the machine didn't take 5p coins.

I had just had a silly 28 week midwife appointment and had to rush to the hospital before a certain time to give in a blood test.

(and just in case she is on mn, it was in St Albans)

Whata lovely lady.

[BellaBear]

and a lovely thread as well!

[RGPargy]

Someone once (and only once) gave me their seat on the train.

[callmeovercautious]

I was in Babies r us and the girl at the till was a trainee, started having BH and was so fed up of waiting so long I burst into tears I asked the lady behind me to hold my place so could go and sit down for a minute. Her DH went and picked up the chair and brought it over to me and she gave me a tissue! I was so embarassed but they were lovely to me. I paid quickly and wobbled as fast as I could to the car and cried for half an hour - because they had been nice!

I was 39+3 and DD arrived at 40 so I think my hormones were in overdrive

I have lots of nice memories but a few bad ones too, it is nice to point out the good ones!

[e14mum]

What a nice thread.
I had 3 people stand up at the same time on the Central Line to give me seats the other day.

[Dropdeadfred]

when i was travelling to work whilst pg with dd3 i wasn't offered a seat and was really suffering with lightheadedness...i had the cold sweat on the back of my neck and felt really faint when a lady shoved her way over to me and said 'forgive me if i'm wrong but are you pregnant? you look faint, have you eaten this morning?' I was so shocked i just nodded and mumbled about dry toast...this lady then talked about blood sugar, gave me a Penguin biscuit to nibble (fromher own lunch box) and commaned a businessman to get up and give me his seat (which he very grudgingly did). She was a heroine!!

[sarahloumadam]

Lovely thread. A v.elderly lady in the M & S toilets offered to let me go first even tho she had been waiting for ages. I wasn't too desparate but the offer was lovely and nearly made me cry after a morning of being shoved about every which way. .

[sabinar]

I was walking up the stairs (we have lots of stairs!) from the train the other morning after yoga with a couple of shopping bags and a young girl offered to carry my bags up the stairs for me. I was actually feeling fine that day so I declined her offer (eh, I just do that automatically... must rethink that strategy), but thanked her profusely. It put a big smile on my face.

Then the other day in the supermarket I had looked everywhere for the eggs and just couldn't find them. Ended up getting to the check out and said - surely they sold eggs in the shop, where were they? as I couldn't find them - the check out lady went and got me a packet of eggs off the shelf herself. Bless.

[GoodGollyMissMolly]

It restores your faith, doesn't it.

keep this thread going, it's so nice to hear all the positive things that go on.

[PuppyDogEyes]

i have been really lucky, people have been really kind to me, it just takes me a couple of minutes to register why!!! i keep forgetting that i'm 7m preg!

[moocowme]

I squished onto the tube during peak hour on the way back from obs appointment. could not even get near a seat to ask for one. lady next to asks if i would like a seat. i told her yes but can't get to them (to many people) so she asks everyone to move and elbows her way through then instructs a man to get up. i don't think he was brave enough to say no.

now i just wish that people could give up seats on trains and buses to people carrying small babies!

[widgetsmummy]

Dropdeadfred - thats a lovely story!

Am loving businessmen being commanded to move - shame on them all for not offering!

This thread makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

[MrsMcJnr]

LOL Tyaca - lovely idea I'm not being a misery but I don't have a single heartwarming story to tell a woman in M&S actually made me cry the other night as she was so horrible to me for accidently skipping the queue, I was hot and felt faint and all I could think of was getting out of there. I am 32 weeks and very obviously pg!

[wobbegong]

Last week, I had to let four Victoria line trains go by because they were completely packed, so no hope of getting even beyond the doors. I'm 33 weeks, with SPD and a hernia, and on my knees after a nine hour day at work. Young guy with can of beer invites me to go ahead of him on the train, and I say thanks but no- I'll never get a seat. So he jumps on the next train and shouts, really shouts, "PREGNANT LADY! PREGNANT LADY COMING THROUGH!". Three men get up, hurrah, and I crawl to a seat. I also embarrass myself by crying with gratitude, oops.

Random strangers do smile also, it is rather sweet. What a nice thread.

[mellymooks]

Ahhh this is a lovely thread! People have been lovely to me. I work in a library and a customer I hardly know turned up with a bunch of flowers for me in my last week before ML and wished me luck!
Also I live at top of a steep slope which leads down to my house. I had just got back from tesco's and was preparing for an epic unloading of stuff and doing many journeys to and from car, when my neighbours daughter who was randomly vising her and whom i've never met insisted on carrying all my shopping to front door for me!

[mumofk]

Just having a quick browse and reading these has made me cry- what lovely stories. I can't remember (though I know loads of people have been very lovely to me) any particular stories right now, but keep it going and when brain back in gear I'll share mine too. Blub!

[Mintpurple]

I go through Heathrow terminal 1 every couple of weeks and the queues at the security checks can be awful sometimes.
But I have seen the security guards pulling obviously pregnant women from the back of the queue, and escorting them right to the front on several occasions.

They just scowl suspiciously at the rest of us

[macdoodle]

Am on final countdown at work and every regular patient withoput fail has been genuinely kind and caring wishing me well and not begrudging that they wil have to see someone else for 6 months (taking me twice as long but nice to be appreciated....apart from thos with little kids who really don't seem phased that their monstors seem determined to kick my rather large and obvious bump and is quite difficult for me to get to child not making any effort to make it easier for me ......

[orangehead]

I will always remember a young man who worked at boots. I had just been to my 3 month scan and got very bad news from it and the hospital told me to go home to get some stuff and come back in a few hours to be operated on. In total shock I went to boots to get some stuff for hospital. The guy who served me only looked about 18, he asked if I was ok and I said yes and he said 'you look like you have had a bad day' I said 'yes', he carried on serving me and just before I left he said something like you dont look ok can we do anything or ring someone for you. 7 years on I am still impressed by his concern it makes such a nice change