Random acts of kindness from strangers?

[Destinysdaughter]

A few years ago I’d got made redundant from a charity I’d worked for for 9 years. I was in a big department store one afternoon in London and bought a few cosmetic bits. I went to the till and paid. The shop assistant casually asked me if it was my day off, I told her I’d just been made redundant and the charity I used to work for. She was so kind, she knew the charity and it had helped her sister leave an abusive relationship some years before and she proceeded to give me about £50 worth of free cosmetics! I was so taken aback and touched by her gesture, don’t think she realised how much it meant to me to be acknowledged for the work we’d done and was feeling pretty useless at that point. And that kind of thing never happens, it really made my day!

Just wondered if anyone had unexpected acts of kindness from people that they’d like to share here?

So many people can be so lovely, that was really kind of her :)

There are too many to mention really but I'll always remember having quite a severe panic attack very early on a Sunday morning and plonking myself on a doorstep and wondering how I would get home. I was frightened I'd faint if I stood up. A man came along and asked if I was OK and I said no, he held my hand and guided me to his family's home, I had breakfast with them then he drove me home afterwards.

My sister and her husband had just moved into a new build house. 3 days later he told her he was leaving. They had used most of their savings on the house. A few days after he left an envelope was put through her door with £300 inside.

We went out for a family lunch when my baby was about 6 weeks and my toddler was just over 2. I was feeding the baby while we waited for food to arrive, when my toddler started being very difficult and noisy. We were all exhausted and it ended up with my husband carrying my toddler out of the restaurant kicking and screaming to calm down outside so we didn't bother the other diners. I was still feeding so couldn't help or leave that minute, but sat crying/fighting back tears feeling that the treat was ruined and regretting even trying to eat out.

My toddler returned in a much better mood and we proceeded to have a lovely lunch.

When we came to pay, the waitress said that a random person had paid for our meal. She couldn't tell me anything about them so i couldn't even thank them. The thought that a random stranger could treat us with such kindness and support when many would have (perhaps fairly) tutted and judged still makes me well up now. I've since done the same thing for someone else I thought could do with a break.

It's easy to forget sometimes but there are so many wonderful people in this world.

Came out of a training session to take a phone call telling me I hadn’t got a job I really wanted (I’m struggling where I am for various reasons). Started crying on the phone to DH when I rang to tell him. There was a lady in the corridor who came over and handed me tissues. It was such a lovely gesture and I was really touched.

I work in a hospital and last week a lady was having a problem paying for her coffee with her card. She was a bit flustered and embarrassed. The lovely gentleman behind her in the queue paid for it, wouldn’t take any details, just told her to enjoy it.
Simple but lovely.
People are nice.

The student midwife who passed me in a corridor in the nicu when my newborn twins were in and she happened to ask how I was. She literally saved my sanity, I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown and she pulled me back from the edge just by asking how I was and spending 10 minutes talking to me when she didn't have to. I sent a letter to her course leader to tell them what a difference she made to me.

I had a car accident( not my fault!) with my then boyfriend's car in which it was written off. Car was one year old.
I was training to be a teacher and heard that Uni lecturer was on the way to assess me while dealing with other driver/ Gardaí/ school. Guard was lovely, local pharmacy took me in and gave me coffee and a Kit Kat and a week later driving through the town again, same Guard remembered me and said he was happy to see me driving 😊

On my way into post office, slammed my finger in my car door. Broke the nail very low down, blood everywhere - minor injury nothing broken but not pretty and I was in serious pain. One of the staff there came out, took me through to the staff area, took care of the wound, bought me a chocolate bar from their vending machine to get my sugar up as was feeling faint from the blood and sat with me till I felt okay to go. Never remembered his name, but he could've easily just passed by, or just administered first aid and gone - but taking the time to sit and wait, get the chocolate and water.. so kind

I love random acts of kindness. I try to do at least one a week. As my kids grew out of toy cars and before then baby toys I would always carry a few in my bag and pass on to kids in restaurants and cafes when they are getting bored and playing up and the parents haven’t yet finished their meal.
I write down things in my diary that friends and people I know from the school run tell me, so I can remember to text a good luck message, or cook something for when they get out of hospital, or I might bake a cake if they are having a visit from family.
I do what I can, just hope that people pay it forward. It makes me feel happy to potentially brighten someone’s days

Just wanted to say that this thread is lovely, there's some great people out there who just want to be kind and this thread proves it.

As my kids grew out of toy cars and before then baby toys I would always carry a few in my bag and pass on to kids in restaurants and cafes when they are getting bored and playing up and the parents haven’t yet finished their meal
Aw, that's a lovely idea. Got loads of toy cars/little toys here that are grown out of, nice idea to pass them forward,will have to remember that.

Bumping

Just posted this on the what made you happy this week thread.

Neighbour and daughter we don't really know came to the door with these roses. The daughter had seen me in the garden 'looking sad' and asked her mum if they could buy me flowers.

They are so very appreciated, life has been a bit difficult lately. I thought I was hiding my emotions, but one perceptive little girl knows better!

When my Mum died, once a week for about 3 months I’d come home and find a bag of home cooked food in microwaveable boxes with a wee note saying “something to make life a little easier”. My dad had the same, and my brother.

I’m guessing it’s someone who knew Mum, but to this day I’ve no idea who.

Lovely to focus on random acts of kindness. I offered to pay someone's bus fare the other day because their contactless wasn't working (cash fares on buses are a bit more complicated these days). They didn't accept, and I actually realised I may have embarrassed her, which I didn't set out to do, so there was a lesson in it for me too, but I like being able to do things like that for people if it makes their day easier.

A lovely man paid for my hospital car park when I could not find the change - he could see that my life was stressful as I had my OH (who has PD) with me. It made my day!

And I remember the vicar who stayed in my railway compartment - yes,it was the days of compartments! - when all the other passengers had beat a hasty retreat. I had with me two little DDs, one of whom had whooping cough - she was past the infectious stage - she had had it for months. We were on our way to my parents at the seaside for her to recuperate. She had violent coughing spasms and vomiting every 10 minutes or so and I was catching it in plastic bags and generally felt somewhat fraught. The lovely vicar stayed by my side,and took the bags to the bins. True Christian charity I feel.

A few days ago, a lovely man was so kind about my heights phobia

I was visiting a horrid "open" office block where I had to go across a passageway where I looked down at all the floors below

I was hanging onto the door, afraid to go out and he asked me what was wrong;
he then gently offered his hand and walked beside me to where I needed to go, all the time reassuring me about how solidly the floors were built

He held my hand all the way there, which reassurance I needed like a child (I'm 62 ! )

A lady paid for my hospital parking when I was rushing to see DSS who was in A&E after a fit. The machine diddnt take cards and I had no cash and was about in tears when she just offered to pay.

I tried to do a good deed at Aldi the other week when I saw a frail older lady searching for a £1 for the trolley. I asked if she wanted mine with the £1 in it and she told me she wasn't a beggar

Oh dear, I would always either accept or politely refuse a kindly meant offer
It's rude to throw back obviously intended kindness in someone's face

Maybe I embarrassed her? I know from my previous work that older folk can be very offended by acts of charity.

Wouldn't stop me doing it again though!

I'm tall and strong and chatty so I end up helping old people a lot. I've found that saying "let me help you" like you want to and they are doing you a favour by letting you is accepted more than "can I help you" which comes across like they are incapable.

My daughter went to pay for tram ticket machine wouldn't except cash .Nice lady paid for her ticket with her card I thought that was lovely , I tried to find out who it was but she probably thought it was nothing but it's not it's a lovely thing to do .

I have a little stash of antibiotic bottle lids that get thrown away at work, but fit the coin slot in supermarket trollies. I often give one to people I see searching for a £1 coin. Not charity because it costs me nothing.

My car once broke down by the side of the road and a kind person stopped to check whether I was ok and offered to wait until the breakdown service came.

The judge at court (child proceedings) asking the clerk to go and get me a hot drink (she asked what I would like) and telling them “not the rubbish stuff from the canteen go to x place and get a decent one with cream”.

I was in pieces and it was one of the most compassionate gestures i have ever received.