Has a random act of kindness stayed in your memory forever?

Driving by myself up the east coast of America, 13 years ago. I stopped for lunch at a motorway diner. When I asked for the bill, the waitress said my lunch had already been paid for, by a trucker who'd then driven off up the freeway. She had no idea who he was.

Longer ago than that, when I was about 17, Interflora came to the door with a mahoosive bouquet. Honestly, the biggest bunch of flowers I had ever seen. I was SO disappointed when they weren't even for our house but for a 'Miss Brown' - not me, not my mum, not even a neighbour. Me and my mum and my boyfriend's mum who was round for tea spent ages trying to help the delivery man work out who the flowers were for, because even the address was only a vague description of a rough area of our wiggly village.

Interflora man came back an hour later, having gone back to the shop and phoned the client. Client had apologised for inadequate instructions, admitted that he didn't know my name or the name of our house, but confirmed that flowers were for me (me! ME!). I never found out anything more than that it was someone who drove past me on my morning walk to school. (School coat was brown. Apparently I was supposed to understand the code.)

Next day I got a nowhere-near-as-enormous bunch of flowers not at all anonymously from my somewhat put out boyfriend, whose mum hadn't stopped going on about my secret admirer all evening

I love this thread

lisalisa cmon now!

Awww - BUMP! Looks like it has been a good year since this thread was revived and, having just came across it I think it deserves to be bumped!

My RAOK was when my son crashed into my DD's head on a slide in a soft play area here in Manila. He ended up biting off nearly half of his tongue. Screaming and blood everywhere!!! We were quite new to the city and didn't know where the hospital was. The manager of the soft play didn't know either but got in the car with us and asked loads of people until we found it. I knew that it was because she probably felt guilty as it had happened in her place but was glad. She put my DD and (visiting) in-laws in a cab and sent them home then got us to the front of the queue. I kept trying to shoo her away but she insisted on staying and even helped us to hold him down while his tongue was stitched.

She tried to pay for it all but we insisted. While DH was away getting the anti-bs she sat with me and I made conversation about how lovely and new the hospital was. She completely broke down and told me how difficult it was to be there as the year before her gorgeous 4 year old boy (same age as my DS) had to be brought here when he had a massive heart attack but he died. I was so touched that she stayed with us even though it must have been so very awful for her. I can't tell anyone that story without welling up.

Every man who, when seeing me struggling to push my mate's wheelchair up a hill at Alton Towers, would come up, take the chair from me and get us up the hill It made such a difference, whenever we went. It's easy at the start of the day but by the end I was always dead on my feet!

That was about a year ago, we've both been at college/uni on demanding courses so haven't seen each other for ages, so we're having a catch-up soon.

About 5 years ago, when on a school holiday in Italy, I got seperated from the group. I'm visually impaired, didn't speak a lot of Italian, and 3 men, each tried to help me, eventually handing me over to a policeman, and then the daughter of the teacher running the trip spotted me. I was in tears and so, so scared!

I try and help whenever I can, I'll direct people, pick things up for people if they drop them etc. But I've not done anything that's ever truly made a difference.

Actually, I tell a lie, I might have! I was on the bus home from work (Alton Towers, this year was my 2nd working there) and a lady was sat next to me, we got chatting, and she said her son had ASD. I began giving her every bit of info I could think of that would help in future visits to the park, and happened to mention the Mumsnet SN board. I don't know whether she joined, but if you did, I'm that lady that spoke to you and helped you when you needed to get from the bus station to the train station.

Oh, and in my first year at Towers, I was working on the admissions gate, and a lady came to my mate sobbing, wanting to make a complaint.

Turns out she'd had a really long walk from the carparks, and had lung and liver cancer, as well as a daughter with ASD. Me and my colleague, along with a Guest Relations person, sorted the lady out with wristbands to help get on the rides, got her a wheelchair as she couldn't walk far, and sat with her while the wheelchair was found, going into our lunch break.

I didn't expect any reward for it, and didn't get any, no problem there. Major problem was when I found out 2 girls got employee of the month for counting cars in and out of the place Made me question that whole system and brought to the fore, a serious bout of favoritism (the girls had worked there the year before too), and also a cynicism about the whole employee of the month system.

Brilliant thread

I had just had a collision with a very slow-moving bike (he didn't even notice) and I ended up in the middle of the road in rush hour traffic with my bike between my legs, unable to get up. A lovely man stopped his car, removed the bike for me and offered to take me to hospital. I was going to the GP's surgery for my first ever appt there, so he threw my bike into the back of his Lada estate (I have never laughed at those since) and drove to my GP's surgery. He even put the chain back on my bike for me so I could cycle home after.

I had his name and knew where he had come from workwise, so I dropped off a box of Roses for him later.

Well were you??? Two years later I think we need to know !

sorry? Your point in the rolleyes and angry face is?

Unless your name is LisaLisa and you have not established whether you were Ghosty's angel.

Yes it quite restores your faith in mankind doesn't it?

This is a lovely thread this time of year x

Just found this lovely thread - here's mine..
Many years ago, when hugely pregnant with ds, I rashly decided to go Xmas shopping in the West End. Bad decision - it was heaving. I got badly jostled and a bit disorientated which made me step off the curb and into the path of a cyclist. He screeched to a holt, and then shouted at me before cycling off. I promptly burst into tears. A woman passing took pity on me, and took me to her office just off Oxford Street. I sat in her (very plush) office and drank tea. She even offered me money to get a cab home to North London, but I couldnt accept.

While pregnant earlier this year, I had to visit London most weeks - say about 30 Tube journeys in all.

I never once had to ask for a seat on the Tube, there was always a lovely person who offered me theirs!

beautiful stories.

when i was roughly seventeen myself and a friend stupidly decided to hitch a lift (for a journey of about 200 miles).

a flashy car pulled up and a gorgeous man invited us in. he told us that it wasn't really safe for us to travel with strangers and that he couldn't leave us there.

he played us music, chatted away to us and when we stopped halfway bought us coffees and cakes. he brought us the whole way and was so kind.

thank you wherever you are.

Message withdrawn

Such a great thread. Makes me think of my grandfather, at his funeral on the order of service it said 'If he could he did' which really summed him up. Now my grandmother is ill, family all live a long way away, but she seems to be surrounded by good people who will go the extra mile to help her out, she says that she thinks my grandpa is looking down, helping her out, I think she is right in a way, people remember his kindness and all these people he touched are now rallying round for her, so in a way he's still looking after her.

Smiley that story made me cry. What an amazing person.

When dd was 2yo, she was recovering from a stomach bug and I had tonsilitus. The electricity ran out and I needed to go and top up my key. It was about 6 or 7 pm and I had to walk for half an hour to get to the petrol station to top it up. When I got there, they said the machine was broken, and the nearest place that would be able to do it was about 15 miles away. I broke down in tears. I didn't know anyone with a car, or anyone who would help me. Behind me in the queue, there was a taxi driver who took pity on me. He drove me there and back, and didn't expect anything in return. I asked for his address so that I could pay him back, but he refused. Without him a weeks worth of food would've been wasted, and I would've had to live without electricity until 10am!
Thank you random taxi man

This is a lovely thread. 4 years ago dd2 was very ill and our GP had just taken blood to test for leukaemia. I was in bits and struggling to think of something to cook for dd1 for tea when a lady from toddlers knocked on the door with a meal already prepared. Thankfully dd2 turned out to have a chronic viral infection and gradually recovered but it was such a kind thought.

Was away for the weekend with DH and DD1 (8 months) and had a call that my mother who had terminal cancer had taken a turn for the worse and I should come straight away. We were about 250 miles away and set off straight away.

50 miles in the car broke down. The rescue service turned up and drove us to the nearest garage. The car was not immediately repairable and we were told to come back the next day. One of the men was finishing his shift. His father had died of cancer the following week and this was his first day back. He immediately loaded our car onto his recovery vehicle and drove us to the hospital 200 miles away and then took our car to a local garage.

Without that act of kindness I wouldn't have seen my mother before she died or be able to be with her when she did.

One recently sticks in my mind. It wasn't a massive gesture but it was really kind and I haven't forgotten it. I was in the supermarket queuing with ds to pay for our bits and bobs. There was a massive queue, eventually I got to the front and the old woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder said to me "do you know those kitchen rolls are on two for one offer?" I thought about it for a minute but then it was my turn to go, it was pretty close to ds' tea time so I just said "oh well it's my turn to pay now, never mind" and she said "here, take mine, I'll go and get another one and queue again". Small gesture but it was so sweet. Doesn't happen often in this world. I think about her all the time, I hope she's happy and well.

There have been loads:

-pg standing on the bus to work and not brave enough to ask people to give me a seat, one of the other passengers asked for me (and made the people who had been pretending my huge lump didn't exist feel really bad into the bargain!).

The first time I took DD back to England (at 4 weeks) we flew. I was on my own and very nervous. Of course she cried and I could see all the other passengers getting tense. I managed to get her bfing and got her to sleep. As we were getting off the plane the man in front of me turned round and just said "well done!". Those two words made me feel fantastic!

When DD was 2 I was seduced by a Eurostar offer to travel in first class for 10euros extra. As we got in to the carriage (which was full of quiet, posh people) she started bawling and I knew that I was faced with 3 hours of disapproving looks so I asked the hostess if we could stay in the lobby outside the carriage (DD in her pushchair and me on the tippy seat). Instead she got the train manager's permission for us to travel in the little staff room where they usually eat their lunch. So I got my first class travel and DD got to make as much noise as she wanted.

An exboyf and I got stuck in a little town in the Pyrennees after missing the last train. All the hotels were full (or at least said they were to a couple of scruffy and foolish backpackers). We went to the campsite where they let us camp without a tent and because we had no food and the camp shop was closed, the woman running the site did the rounds of the camp and came back with bread, milk, sausage and lots of other bits and pieces. Then our neighbours invited us in for coffee. I remind myself of this whenever I come across unkind French people (which happens!).

Aw, this is my favourite thread ever, especially nice to read at this time of year....love it!!

When I was about 14, I was out on my bike with my brother when I misjudged trying to bump up a kerb(at the wrong angle)I fell off and hurt myself and a lady rushed out of her house, taking me and Db into her house where she fed me tea and rang my Dad to come and pick us up.
Recently(this week), I have had so much kindness from several complete strangers that I am astounded. Because of their kindness, my Dc's will have Christmas gifts to open next week. Thank you to those wonderful people you know who you are.