Random Act of Kindness - to balance all the ranty threads, tell me of a random act of kindness that you have never forgotten.

Read this thread from beginning to end there really are some lovely people in the world.

I've had a few people give me their finished with car park tickets and when we had to rush DS to a&e last weekend someone gave DH change because he didn't have enough.

A few years ago I fell off my bike in front of a couple of 13-14 year old lads who, to my eternal gratitude, didn't laugh (at least not in front of me) and crossed over to my side of the road to find out if I was ok. Fortunately the only thing that was hurt was my pride. Actually I've found teenage boys to generally be lovely for little things like holding doors open for me and the pram and picking things up off the floor that DS has thrown. Also if I have to go into uni with DS in tow they let me go in front of them for the lift.

I worked briefly as a hospital domestic and always tried to do a bit extra. When I was getting lunch orders one day an elderly lady asked if she could have a sausage sandwich. I said I didn't know because it wasn't on the menu but I'd see. I managed to get a couple of sausages from the canteen and made her up the sandwich. When I gave it to her she was so happy and the lady in the bed next to her called me to one side and thanked me profusely because she'd been asking for days for one. Really made my day but I was gutted for her because after all that she couldn't really chew so had to leave most of it. Still I like to think it at least brightened her day a bit.

My old US colleagues who threw a surprise baby shower for me when I was expecting DD1 and very impoverished, and miles from home and relatives. They bought many essential items that I continued to use for four subsequent babies. We had a great afternoon party; people had baked all sorts of nice goodies -- people's mothers had baked all sorts of nice goodies, some had crocheted and knitted baby items for weeks. I remember them all very fondly.

Lovely, lovely people in uniform who directed me through Heathrow all the way from International Arrivals to Aer Lingus departures (a long old hike) when I was en route from another US city via NY and London to Dublin after my dad had a stroke, with 4 yo DD and 1 yo DS in tow and baggage enough for a month for us all. Especial thanks to the man who found an out of the way lift so I didn't have to choose between the children and the luggage on the escalator at one particularly fraught point.

A mum from a group I see occasionally for a night at someone's house to chat and relax who made me a cup of tea a good few years ago when the awful reality of life with exH was well and truly kicking in. I hadn't confided any of my troubles to her or to anyone else at that point but she offered to make me some tea and got together a tray, nice china, little jug of milk, and spoons to stir. It was the only kind thing anyone had done for me for ages.

My wonderful relatives who supported me in every way imaginable, and the DCs too, in the aftermath of my separation from exH.

In my nearly 40 years I have never had an act of random kindness bestowed upon me.

& that makes me sad - I clearly look evil or unapproachable - I have asked for help & it has been given, gladly, but I always have to ask.

& I always offer help, be it with bags, doors, change, letting people in the queue in front of me, shelf reaching, prams, I gave my chuffing lighter to a homeless bloke yesterday because I walking past & he was having trouble lighting his fag.

I don't beg for random acts of kindness. But they would be nice.

When DS was about 2 weeks old I was doing an emergency shop and was in that phase of just exhaustion. As I got him out of the car, a woman just stopped and said "WOW, he's SO gorgeous!" and I thought "Yes, he is" and it totally made my day.

Also, the group of newly released prisoners who escorted my friend and I off the Greyhound in NYC when we were 19 - saying "it's a rough area, we should know!"

Love love love this thread

I love the Great Mummy Network - where one mum sees another having One of Those Moments and lends a hand.

I commute and was recently travelling home just before New Year and there was a very whiny little girl on the train with her mum. Other passengers were eyerolling. I popped over to ask if the little girl would like some chocolate buttons (emergency stash kept in handbag along with party size bubbles for DD!). It turned out the little girl was BURSTING for a wee poor kid - but the mum had big cases for them both, and didn't know that there was a toilet on the train. I explained where it was and said I'd stay with the cases till they came back. The little girl was a changed child, the mum was equally relieved and she thanked me.

I said it was nice to repay a Mummy favour as 2 weeks previously another mum had helped me mop up an exploding poo situation in the swimming pool changing room and was SO nice to me when I was all flustered and really needed another pair of hands!

When I was 5 months pregnant I was admitted into hospital for a week with a bowel obstruction. My consultant, Mr Duncan (chelsea and westminster hospital) came to see how I was on the Saturday morning. It was his day off work. I was so touched by his kindnes.

During a particular year, I passed out 4 times on the train. Each time, kind people carried me off the train. One lady insisted she had to walk me home to make sure I got back ok.

One kind young man who was visiting his mother helped me from outside kings cross. He carried my numerous bags whilst I pushed the buggy containing my son. He waited for me to print my tickets, find the platform and then even boarded the train to help with the luggage. I was so moved by his kindness. God bless him where ever he is.

I actually think people can often be wonderful when something goes wrong. I recently saw a lady collapse in the street and had to call the ambulance for her. We were deluged with cars stopping and offering help. Her neighbours coming and taking her (empty) shopping trolley home for her and trying to contact her husband. I was forced to help as she collapsed in front of us but was amazing how prepared many people were to help.

Years ago I miscarried our first child. I and my now ex dp got a bus from the hospital - it was a five mile or so ride to the centre of town and then we would have had to get off and walk or taxi fifteen minutes home. We just sat in numb silence with tears rolling down our faces. When the bus arrived in the centre the driver asked us where we lived and without another word closed the door of the bus and drove us to our door. Even now it makes me tearful to think of his kindness

the FOURTEEN people who stopped to offer help as I stood by the side of a country road with my three dcs in the rain when our car broke down.

Going into travel agents to buy my holiday money a few years ago (just before change to Euros) a chappy just leaving handed me a handful of pesetas and said here you have these I can't use them. Think there was about £20. How lovely :)

I was once caught in a tropical storm in Vietnam (think of having buckets of water being thrown at you) and there were no taxis to be had. I took shelter under the awning of a shop and resolved to wait.

A young boy who worked there saw me and invited me in to wait there. All the staff seemed to be about 16-18 years old and the shop sold nothing but hairdryers (very apt) and footspas.

After a couple of minutes a taxi stopped outside and they all indicated I should get in it. I showed the taxi driver the card for the hotel I was staying in and he drove me to literally the other side of the city.

When I got out and tried to pay he refused. The kids in the shop had called the cab and paid my fare.

I tried to go back the next day to thank them but I couldn't find the shop again.

Lovely people.

betachimp, while I was reading that I was hoping you ended up marrying him! Thanks for not disappointing me!

this thread just makes me want to go out and do good things for people

Oh another for next.

The twins must have been about 5 or 6 weeks old and we went into next for a wee look. Both babies threw up at the same time and they were covered. It was a nice warm day so they only had on sleepsuits and they needed clean clothes. I was a bit skint but the manager saw it happen and came over and asked if he could help. I said looks like i need to find them both something very cheap to wear and asked if he could get me a packet of unisex babygrows (twins are b/g). He came back with a gorgeous dress and a pair of dungerees and a packet of vests. I told him it was just babygrows i was needing since i only had £15 with me. He told me not to worry about it and wouldnt take any money for them.

This is a lovely thread. Here's my story...

After a drunken, raucous night out with my friends, I was feeling very embarrassed, hungover and sorry for myself! Worst of all, I had stepped in broken glass and had loads of tiny shards of glass stuck in the soles of my feet. I tried to get them out myself, but just made the problem worse.

The previous week, I had been on one date with this shy, grumpy, funny guy that I'd vaguely known at school and he turned up unexpectedly to see if I wanted to go out for lunch.

I explained that I couldn't walk and showed him my feet and then promptly burst into tears. Without batting an eyelid, he went into the kitchen and filled a bowl up with hot water and produced (rather oddly now I think about it) a scalpel from his back pocket which he sterilised under boiling water. He then spent the next two hours carefully picking the broken glass out of the soles of my feet and bandaging my feet.

It was the kindest thing that anyone had done for me for years and I think I fell in love with him there and then.

(BTW we've been together ever since and got married last year).

In the South of France last August, had driven there via Italy (as you do). It was a Sunday afternoon in a strongly Catholic area and DH went snorkling with the car keys in his pocket and oddly enough they had got lost in about 10m of water. My phone is in the car, all the money is in the car, for some bloody reason the spare car keys were in the car. I tried my best French but no one could help. In the end a lovely bloke heard me and came over, took DH with him to get a wire coat hanger from a nearby hotel (apparently he 'had some experience when I was younger'). It took him and two other blokes 2.5 hours to break back into the car for us, wouldn't let me just break the window. whilst their kids/wives waited patiently in 30 degree heat. I have no idea what we would have done otherwise as the camp site was too far away to walk. One of the men explained before he left that he was a Catholic and believed that if he did a good deed to us we would help someone else and eventually it would make its way round loads of people. Fantastic.

All the people who took turns to help my DH carry a double matress up to the 17th floor of the tower block we lived in pre marriage and DC....on every floor another person would come along and relieve the last! The lift was broken (again) and he had no choice! He had help all the way up from around ten different people!

the 2 lovely older ladies who walked me home when i was sick outside the chemist when dd2 was 3 weeks old. They waited with me till my mum arrived too,

I've a few which i'd forgotten about.

1. thailand 1992-The young student who was staying at the same beach appartments as DH(Bf at time) and I and arrived with cakes, biscuits, fruit and coke having noticed we had run out of money and had been eating nothing but boiled rice for 3 days.

1. The male nurse who sat and chatted with me when I was in hospital with quinsy 'cos I burst into tears everytime I was put on the anti biotic drip.

1. The friend who arrived with a big saucepan of dahl when i got home.

1. The hotel receptionist who rang my room to check I was ok and sent up tea and biscuits when I turned up at a local Premier INN which I booked into in afit of snot and tears following a flounce from home after a row with DH.

1. The man who stopped and offered to drive me to work when I was surrounded by snarling dogs from a gypsy/traveller camp which was on the industrial estate i worked on. I didn't know waht was worse the dogs (and I quite like dogs normally) or getting into a car with a stranger.I opted for the strangers car and didn't really register when he dropped me off right outside myplace of work (only second day there). I ran in, in tears and didn't even thank him. I saw him later that morning he had come to check I was ok - he was the chief Exec. I thanked him profusely and appologised for my earlier rudeness - told me not to worry and welcomed me to the company.

EEK post is getting ridiculously long - have met lots of lovely people. heres and for all of you.

The lovely mnetter who sent dh a mp3 player to listen to when in isolation, and the lovely ones who have sent girls some stuff.

The person who dropped enough money to pay for 3 months carparking when dh was really sick

The lovely van company who collected dd1 piano completely free of charge and refused all money and then called to thank me for the biscuits and choclates!

The student nurse who sat by my bed all night when i was in a bad way, and then helped for the next 3 weeks while i was still in a bad way and looking after dd2!

I was still in hospital with DD shortly after her birth as she was quite poorly - she was in NICU and I would walk down the corridor from the post-natal ward (two hundred steps there and back) to see her first thing. The lovely lady who brought the breakfast waited until I was back to make me hot tea every morning I was there.

Last yearwe were going down to visit friends and take dd to see her dad. I decided to stay in a hotel the first night since my friend was an hours drive from my ex and i didnt see the point in arriving at my mates then driving an hour back to drop her off only to have to drive straight back down.

Anyway we arrived at the hotel and had arranged to meet some other friends near the hotel for dinner. By the time we got back the twins were tired and grumpy. A really nice woman who worked at the hotel came and offered to help get the children and bags into our room. The twins were both crying as she left and i was about to run them a bath. 5 mins later there was a knock at my door and it was the woman with room service including milk for the twins, hot chocolate for dd, a big pot of coffee and some lovely biscuits. We hadnt ordered any of that.

But she wasnt finished surprising me. She told me to sit down and relax (i had done a 6 hour drive then went out to dinner with 3 grumpy children) and she offered to bath them and help get them ready for bed. Turns out her twins were now 21 and she missed the bedtime routine. While we were chatting i asked her when she finished and she told me she had just clocked off just before i walked in but thought i looked like i could use a hand.

Ah, the story about the nun reminded me of when I was in o'Hare airport, Chicago. I saw a nun carrying a heavy bag and asked her if i could help, she refused saying that it was heavy but balanced and strapped onto her back well. So we walked on, when we came to the escalator she hesitated so i took her hand. At the top she said she'd hated them ever since they were brought in and that God sent me to help her. Bless.

My husband gave up his business class seat for a lady who was travelling with her nursling from Singapore to UK.

When I'd been shafted over by someone at work I cried on the train home at the sheer unjustness of the situation. The guy next to me asked me about it and listened to ne moan. Turns out his younger brother had just died in the Nimrod crash that killed 12 men. And here was I going on about work, and he sympathising!

We ran from the house to the bus stop to catch the bus for DD's swimming lesson. She was four, and DS was 2. We had loads of gubbins with us, and somehow when we got on the bus I realised that we had managed to leave her swimming bag at home. "No problem!" said the driver - who drove the bus to our front door, stopped, and waited while I zoomed in to pick up her bag. Fab.