What's the kindest thing a stranger has done for you?

Teaandflapjacks I left my mobile in a cab a couple of months ago. The driver found it and rang "Dad" who rang me at work most confused! The very nice driver dropped it to my office when next in the City. I was in a meeting so couldn't go and see him but it was such a kind thing to do! I was really grateful.

Lady at a m1 service station

She help Squeeze ketchup onto my daughters plate.

I was tandem bfing my twins and my eldest daughter couldn't help her sister

I was about to scream with frustration and this lady came and helped

Thank you who ever you were

ahh what a lovely thread!

The anaesthetist's nurse who saw me really freaking out as I was wheeled for the second time into theatre after a D&C for a retained placenta and was haemorrhaging - she stopped everyone for a second, took off her gloves, held my face with her hands, then kissed my cheek.

The wonderful ladies on MN who made me feel human and not a totally awful person for being completely unable to BF - it really affected me quite deeply, I will always be grateful.

The bus driver in dublin who found my handbag on the bus and phoned my mum on my mobile in said bag, then found out where I was staying, before driving his double decker bus to the hostel to give me my bag. I was a very poor student, it was the only holiday I had had in a long time - and obviously was v´was very upset about my bag, he refused all offers of money and insisted on dropping off wherever I wanted to go before heading home for his tea!

and many, many others - I find people generally can be very kind.

my paying it back..

I used to live in London.. I was out at a pub near Liverpool Street and it was freezing, and homeless man was sat begging and half crying. I sat down next to him (amid lots of tutting from colleagues) and ask him his story, he used to be a plumber but was made redundant, couldn't get work, lost his home and found himself on the streets. I took him to the cashpoint, took out 20 quid for two nights at the shelter and gave it to him, I took a taxi with him to said shelter and made sure he got a bed, I gave him another 20 from my purse for food.

I went to uni in Bristol, there was a young woman begging by a cashpoint (loads of beggars in bristol) and she was pregnant. Everyone ignored her, I sat down to talk to her, she had a missing front tooth and was pregnant (domestic violence caused her to flee). I took out my last 20 quid of my overdraft, and the walked up and down the street in my glad rags getting money from strangers for her - I got over 100 quid on top. I walked her to the ladies shelter. I gave her my number, but she never called. I hope she was ok.

The old man who looked very odd and everyone walked round to avoid came over to me. I have a little dog and he asked me if he could pet her, since he used to have a dog similar and he missed his dog. We chatted and I gave him a big hug before heading home. It made him cry, he said he hadn't been touched my someone in so long, he just wanted a bit of human contact.

Also - I always let cars out when I am driving, even if people behind tut and beep at me

DH found a phone in the road on his way home, it was an expensive model, we looked through the contacts (a lot were in another language) but one said home so I rang it, the man was so pleased, he came to collect it and bought with him a very large box of chocs for us. Another time,
DH lost his wallet, the next morning his bank rang to say wallet had been found and the person had taken wallet to the bank as his bank card was in there, the bank cancelled the card and phoned DH, we never knew who found the wallet, there was still cash in it. Makes you realise that there are some good people about

During some floods a few years ago a lady in a 4x4 stopped to offer me a lift in the pouring rain as my car had stopped in a large puddle. I was soaked and therefore soaked her car but she insisted. This was after my car was pushed into a car park off the road by some nice blokes leaving the nearby pub. I always try and pass it on. My DH was stranded in the snow in his stupid midlife crisis rear wheel drive BMW and was rescued by a lady in a Fiesta The next day we stopped to help a chap trying to jump start his car for a job interview. We didn't manage to start it but I did let him know about a local garage which he didn't know about who could help him out. Last week I passed on a parking ticket to a family who were very grateful.

A MNetter did me a lovely act of kindness today. I had never met her or even spoken to her before. She made an offer on a thread to help people and followed it through. She very much restored my faith in human nature.

Oh geez bohemian that story has me with a big lump in my throat!

I was once late for a hot date: on my way home I stopped off at a branch of Habitat on a very busy road. A very elderly and frail lady was trying to get across the road and as it was scarily busy to attempt on her own, I helped her.... She then asked if I'd help her back to her swanky flat block about five minutes (for a hail and hearty person!) walk away...well half an hour later I bade her adieu at the concierge's desk. This was the days before mobile technology, so I was unable to warn my date of my delay....he was still there waiting though - but only because there'd been some police involving 'incident' at the station opposite the pub so had been so distracted he'd failed to notice that I was late!

Best example of help offered unexpectedly was a youth of about 16 in a hoodie at a London Underground station with too many steps to negotiate safely with DS (under a year old) in a buggy. I paused to assess if I could safely do it alone; before I'd had time to finalise my risk assessment, this youngster appeared from nowhere, picked up the bottom of the buggy and off we went down about 40 steepish steps....He then gave me a big smile and jumped over the gates to avoid paying his fare!

On a bus to a plane with a 6 month old and a two year old, by myself.
An older couple was across from me, the man either having had fresh surgery on an amputated arm or the actual amputation, as it was still bandaged etc.
Out of a full bus onto airplane steps of people pushing to be the first onto the plane that was taking us all to the same place, the wife asked me if I needed help up the steps with the kids. Like she didn't have enough to worry about.

When a very good friend died, George Michael sent the most spectacular bunch of flowers to their funeral - he must have found out our mate was a massive fan, somehow. I have always had a soft spot for him since then.

Oh and a small but powerful one. On my daily commute home I lost my train ticket. The inspector came round to find me frantically searching for it.

He asked where I was getting off the train, I answered truthfully and he said "Ok, I'll come back in 20 minutes and if you haven't found it I'll have to fine you. Understand? " We were only 5 minutes away from my station and he knew it...

Sorry, I have to share this as I remembered it earlier today.

Four of my sixth formers (the ones who were always in trouble for something) were walking back from the shops at lunchtime and they passed a house where they heard crying and water splashing.
Turns out that the elderly couple who lived at the house had a burst pipe in the bathroom and the husband had slipped over on the water and couldn't get up. His wife was chair-bound and couldn't get up either so was crying.
My students were superb. One turned off the water at the stopcock, one phoned the ambulance for the man and put him into the recovery position. The two girls comforted the old lady, cleared up all the water, made them cups of tea and one of them phoned their father, who was a plumber, to come and sort the pipe. They even found time to ring me at the school to explain why they were late.

I couldn't stop crying at that one, I was so proud.

The kindest thing that has happened to me was from my next door neighbour. The day after I moved house my car was written off. I had absolutely no way of getting to work unless I wanted to pay £40 a day for a taxi.

She knocked on the door and said she had heard and would I like a lift to and from the train station for a week until I could get a new one sorted out.

I gratefully accepted and the next morning on the car ride I asked where she worked, turns out she doesn't so she was getting up at stupid o clock in the morning and coming out in the evening just to pick me up!!

Wouldn't accept a penny of petrol money either.

I try to pay it forward when I can and last year I was on the last train from Exeter to Waterloo on Xmas eve. As we went through a station I saw a young lad (late teens) rush to the door and realised he must have missed his stop. The next stop was mine and the lad got off as well.

I asked if he was ok and he said that he was an agency chef and was working Xmas day at a fancy hotel. There were no taxis to be found at all so when DH turned up to pick me up we gave him a lift to the hotel.

About 1986 in a job centre in London a kind lady gave me £5. Her name was Linda. I was living pretty much hand to mouth at the time so it meant a lot to me. I had arranged with her to go back the following week to repay her but got a job in the meantime and never did. I've felt terrible for all those years. Linda if you're reading, I've never forgotten you and have felt terrible about it all these years. I hope I didn't ruin your trust in human nature - I honestly didn't mean to trick you out of it. Thank you

The very posh gentleman in an expensive suit who pushed my sisters car out of the hedge after she had skidded on ice, he made sure it was still drivable and then got back in his car covered in mud to go to work.

There's a busy roundabout between my house and the park with no crossing. I was perched on the little island in the middle of the road, trying to judge when it was safe to go, cars zooming around without indicating so very tricky to judge. One hand on pushchair, the other trying to grip toddler who was tantruming because he didn't want his hand held. He was doing the slack legs thing so practically on the floor. Kind lady pulled her car across the junction and stopped so that no cars could get past her and I could cross safely. I could have kissed her.

The woman who gave me a hug in Durham cathedral cafe, after a row with my ex.
The couple who gave me a dollar to get a bus over the US - Mexican border.
Countless people who have helped me carry push chairs and lift suitcases in airports.

People have been really, really kind to me in big ways and small. I hope I've been kind in at least as many ways. Since this is Mumsnet - thanks again to the MNer who sent me a slow cooker, after she read in a post that mine had broken & I couldn't afford a new one.

Mine is shit compared to yours, MrsDV

Last year's Christmas Appeal; two awesome strangers, the one who nominated me, and the one who sent me the most amazing box of presents ever. I cried.

Not sure about the other question, I like doing little random acts of kindness. I sent a rescue for Romanian dogs all of LittleDogs clothes that didn't fit but were still good; last year 30 dogs froze to death, hopefully this year they'll be wearing LittleDog's clothes, and will be lovely and warm.

I love this thread, and I've just thought of another RAOK that has been given to me.

Not long after I had first started driving, I was reversing out of a tight space in a multi storey car park, and I accidentally knocked someone else's car. This was long before there were people doing cars washes and CCTV all over the place, and if I'd have driven away I'd have been as confident as possible that I'd have gotten away with it.

I left a very polite and apologetic note with my phone number on, and when I got home I told my mum and my then boyfriend what had happened. They both told me I should have driven away and not said anything, and my mum especially was freaking out about how much it was going to cost as I was still a student at the time. I was really upset and felt very stupid, and about 10 minutes after the whole thing calmed down at home the man whose car I drove into phoned. He said he was so pleased that I'd been honest and polite that there was no way he was going to take any money from me or my insurance company. I don't know what I'd written that gave it away, but he said he could tell I was young and I'd given him faith in the honesty of young people.

I was 16 weeks pregnant and experiencing a painful and drawn out miscarriage. A student nurse sat on the bed and held my hand and just comforted me for nearly an hour until the horrible sister made her leave . It was a horrendous time and I had no sympathy or comfort from any other member of staff, but 28 years later I still remember that student nurse called Kim.

I go abroad to Africa to help with cardiac surgery for children and its amazing to be involved in giving kids the life saving operations they need. Some of the families are so poor and desperate its heart breaking at times.
At the end of our stay we were due to leave and a young patient came up to us to say thank you and he had carefully and beautifully wrapped a chocolate bar and was beaming with pride as we accepted it. I cried buckets. just a little chocolate bar but this family were so poor it would have been a huge sacrifice for them. The whole team shared that chocolate bar with him and there were lots of hugs and tears. I still well up thinking about him.

The one thing that stands out for me is when I was having dd2, 6 weeks early. Went to local hospital but I was bleeding way too much, think pouring out of me and my body wasn't doing what it should. I had to be transferred by ambulance to a hospital 40 mins away. The midwife who was seeing to me came with me in the ambulance, stayed with me in the hospital and held my hand as dd was born by ventouse. I was in so much pain and she helped me more than she will ever know. Also the two lovely paramedics also stayed and came to see dd after she was born :) Turned out her cord was round her neck twice and thats why she wasn't coming out.

I have two acts I have carried out both involve cash machines, once was a lady had left her debit card in the machine so I took it into the bank, the teller was shocked I had handed it in. The second was another lady had left her cash, £30 in the machine and walked off, I chased after her up the road to give it back.