What is the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

[user83921]

What is the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

Some really beautiful stories here!!
Just goes to show that there are still some kind hearted people in the world... 🥰

When I was about ten our electricity ran out and my mum sent me up the shop with the electric key to top up and a £20 note (literally the last money she had) whilst she stayed at home with my baby sister.
On the way to the shop I managed somehow to lose the £20 note and only realised after I had handed the key over to the shopkeeper and it wasn't in my pocket. The (rather rude) shopkeeper told me that she wasn't giving me the key back as it had already been topped up and I had to go and get some more money.
I spent agesss in the cold running back and forth between the shop and my house looking EVERYWHERE. But couldn't find it. I returned to the shop to tell the shopkeeper and she told me she was going to phone the police because I stealing from her and she wasn't giving me the electric key back.
I burst into tears and was basically begging her knowing full well that my mum didn't have any money at all and was sat in the dark with a baby.
Then out of nowhere a man in the queue behind me stepped forward and put £20 down on the counter and said to give me back the key.
I grabbed the key and ran home terrified that the police was gonna come. I was in such a state I didn't even say thank you...

To whoever you are. Thank you so much. I was a child and scared and you really helped me out of a tight spot!! I hope one day I can repay the favour.

I was on an overnight Greyhound bus when I was traveling across America. The heating on the bus broke down and it was freezing. I fell asleep and when I woke up the guy next to me had put his coat over me and he was asleep and shivering.

Someone at work took me to hospital. Still friends 23 years later

I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. I had to withdraw from an online crafting group. 2 months later, a delivery at work (I was off ill obviously but my work company was on FB) - a double duvet size handmade quilt. A group of the ladies had decided to independently sew strips in different colours, sent them to the one who organised it. She put it together and sent it. These are people who I have never met. They are from around the world. They just wanted to send me a hug in the only way they knew how. I still tear up.

Oh lord this thread has me crying buckets, wonderful stuff

I really really love this thread
Especially the ones where there was literally nothing in it for the other person at all, not even the warm fuzzy feeling of making someone happy, like the man caught wiping bird crap off someone’s car. And the ones where someone went way out of their way for a stranger. I love them

@fluffypudcats that’s special

Teenage Boy (Not sure how old - Probably Fifteen or Sixteen) Stopped a Man from approaching my little girl by standing in front of her and saying "She's my cousin. Her Mum is just there, I can get her if you like". The man could have been old enough to be my grandfather. I gave him a five-pound note and told him to treat himself and his little brothers who were kicking a ball about not far from the park we were in.

I often wonder why Parents can't raise their boys to be Gentlemen. It doesn't do them any harm

This was a lovely thread, I then read this...^^

Why are some people so negative about boys?
Like all girls are so perfect?

We had a very low-key and informal wedding. The 'reception' was just afternoon tea in a cafe we often went to, with no frills or fuss. We were on a large table in the main body of the cafe, surrounded by other customers. When I went to the counter to pay, an elderly gentleman joined me and insisted on paying half the bill because he felt so honoured that we'd shared our day with everyone there.

Performed the Heimlich on a bus in Australia when I was choking. Literally saved my life.

Saved my life

Agree @redelephants

Aside from the daft comment at the end, the entire post is off in my opinion.

I failed my A Levels badly and sat on a bus full on sobbing. A lady came and cuddled me, gave me a tissue and assured me she failed and now has two degrees. It was years ago but was exactly what I needed at that moment in time.

When I was quite heavily pregnant with dd I was carrying a couple of full Tesco bag for life bags, when two teenage lads got off the bus and said they would carry it home for me, they had the local secondary school uniform on, and I said no don’t worry I’m nearly home, but they insisted and said they were early for school anyway, I was so touched I could have cried. I called up the school to pass on my thanks, I didn’t know the boys names but they were a credit to the school. Still brings a smile to my face four years on

I was travelling home from a night out on a night bus. Quickly approached by two young men who sat themselves next to, and in front of me, blocking me in. In my drunken state I was chatting away but quickly realised something was definitely not right when they didn’t get off at their stop. I had no money for a taxi and knew the walk from the bus stop to home would be dark and dangerous. A girl stood up, pretended she knew me ‘from school’ and insisted on getting me off the bus to go home together. I didn’t know whether to trust her or not but chose to trust and thank god I did. In her sober state she said the conversation was actually awful, and she was concerned. She walked me all the way home to my door, and then gave me a hug and disappeared! Never ever felt so grateful.

Last year I was assaulted by my then partner whilst we were away. I tried to escape but the garden of the place in which we were staying had really high walls all around it. I'll never forget the kindness of the two neighbours who helped me escape, called the police, let me use their phone, made me sit down and gave me a hug and a cup of tea.

I often think about them and am so grateful.

I had a blow out puncture on the motorway. Three hours I was stood at the side of the road in the end (rac later apologised).

About two hours in a bloke in a works van stopped and asked if I was ok. He'd passed me going in the opposite direction an hour before.
He gave me his number and said if I needed help he'd come back for me - he lived an hour from where I was.

I've never forgotten that he stopped when two separate police cars drove on.

Small thing but I've never forgotten the kind nurse who had wheeled me down to theatre for a fairly minor op .

She came over to do a last check and must have seen a terrified look on my face so she bent over and gave me a big hug .

When my 6 year old daughter got lost on a 2500 person campsite in Italy. A Spanish woman rallied a load of other women of all nationalities ( but mostly Southern Europeans) and they sent out a search party. My dd in the meantime had got to the far end of the site and approached a lady with kids ( which I had always said she must do if she ever got lost). I will never forget those women.

My dad was in hospital with a newly diagnosed bowel cancer with bowel obstruction. It was bad and he ended up dying a few months later. I live in another country and I got a last minute flight to see him and was squashed in with DD3 who was 5 months and had to come as she was breastfed. I’d been too flustered and traumatised to sort out food and the lovely lady next to me looked after me as though I was one of her children. Every time she gave them a snack or drink she offered me one too.

It was a small thing but it meant so much to me at the time.

I've changed my name for this as the story will out me to anybody who knows me...

Many years ago I was in Australia on a trip with my DH (DBoyfriend at the time) and through a bizarre series of events I ended up in a town 250km from him with barely an Aussie dollar to my name and with no way of contacting him.

Not really thinking clearly, I gathered the tiny amount of change I had and went into a small newsagent-type shop in a residential area to try and buy some cigarettes. When I had scraped together every bit of small change I had I still didn't have enough to buy even the cheapest pack and I literally just stood at the counter and sobbed.

The lady stood behind me waiting to be served stepped forward and paid for the cigarettes. She then guided me out of the shop and walked me back to her home where she presented me with a cup of tea and a plate of toast before sitting with me and gently drawing the whole story out of me.

It turned out her husband was an HGV driver who was on a route every night that took him through the town I needed to get back to. She got on the phone to him and explained the situation and a couple of hours later we drove to the nearest main road where she parked her car in a layby and waited with me until her husband pulled in with his road-train to take me back to where I needed to be. She also insisted on coming with us so that I wouldn't have to feel scared being in a lorry by myself with a man I didn't know for several hours.

When they dropped me back where I needed to be she told me that if I couldn't get back into the place where I was staying to wait in the same place two hours later and they would pick me up on their way back through and I could stay with them whilst we worked out what to do next.

I had no reason to be back there two hours later as everything ended well. I never saw the lady or her husband again and I couldn't even have told you exactly where they lived although to this day I do wish that I'd taken their details so that I could have thanked them later.

Whilst I would never condone getting into vehicles with strangers I really had no other option on this occasion and I will never forget the kindness of this couple.

Had a fairly traumatic birth with DS, couldn’t walk to ward kitchen even. Was probably in shock. Just couldn’t face the hospital food that evening. (And DH at home with older Dd). The lady handing out the dinners was so lovely. Couldn’t have been more than 19 but so caring seemed like she’d been doing it for years. She said I needed to eat something so when she brought the cups of tea she magiced up a plate of biscuits. Such a lovely gesture I hope someone is as nice to get one day.

Took us into his office so my elderly mum could rest when our flight was delayed from Florida. We were all locked in the airport overnight. Horrible.
Walks around by our empty house , I’m away for three weeks, to check on it in the early hours as there’s a lot of crime in our area.
Lots of things ..I’m sure I’ll remember more

Once my dogs legs went in the park and we couldn't carry her back to the car as she was a big heavy dog. A group of teenage girls came and helped us carry her on a make shift stretcher. It was so nice of them and just shows gangs of teens can be very nice.

Years ago some friends and I got terribly stuck in an unanticipated storm (we had checked tide and weather at tourist information the previous day) walking along the beach at the Jurassic coast. Two friends were physically unable to continue walking and were in very real danger of being trapped between the sea and the cliff face. The other two of us had no choice but to leave them on the highest point we could get them to with a bright red kite to help them remain visible and continue on to get the emergency services. We managed to make it to the next village but the lifeboat was unable to land in the storm so a helicopter had to get involved. Whilst all this happened a fossil hunter somehow saw my terrified friends, made his way to them and used his spade to cut steps in the cliff so that they could remain out of reach from the sea. He stayed with them until the helicopter arrived and declined a ride to the next village, cutting himself more steps out of the cliff until he just disappeared over the top.

My friends could have died without him, the place we'd managed to get them to was submerged by the time the helicopter came. Thank you to him and to the amazing emergency services and volunteers.

This is a wonderful and inspiring thread and I too have leaky eyes.