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?

Lots of small things that have meant a lot. The most recent was a lovely lady in the local park cafe. I had ventured out alone with DD (16 weeks) and DS 2.5, which I haven’t done often. It was bizarrely busy for a Friday lunchtime and I had to wrestle the pram through between tables. DD was screeching and DS was overtired, not very hungry, determined to carry rather than wear his ladybird backpack and just generally being uncooperative. There was a lovely lady at the table next to me with what I assume was her daughter and 8 month old granddaughter. She asked if she could help and I assured her no, I was fine thank you (whilst actually being on the edge of meltdown!). She managed to prevent DS spilling his whole cup of milk while I was getting cutlery and then politely backed off while I managed to keep DS in his seat long enough to feed DD. We left and I went to change both children and realised I’d left the bloody ladybird backpack at the cafe! When I came out of the baby change they were there waiting to go in. I started trying to wrestle the pram back through the cafe DD was whinging and DS started wailing about the ladybird. The lady appeared and offered to hold the pram while I went with DS. I looked at her, the distance to the counter and the wailing toddler - said thank you, abandoned pram and baby with her, grabbed DS, dashed to the counter where the staff had put the bag and dashed back to her. She had been rocking the pram and all she said when she passed it back to me was ‘I think she’s nearly off to sleep’. I have never been so grateful. Doubly so when I realised that my jacket had been hung over the pram so I had not only trusted her with my baby but my phone, wallet and car keys! It’s a good job she was as kind and honest as she seemed.
Actually lots of people have been lovely when I’ve had small babies, someone insisted on buying me a drink at a cafe while I was stuck feeding DD and someone else offered to cut up my lunch.

Just a little thing compared to lots of these amazing stories. Tonight on a 2hr train journey I suddenly felt shivery and knew I had to be sick. I never usually go near train toilets so I knew I was desperate. I was hemmed in by a man beside me fast asleep and oblivious. A lovely woman across the aisle noticed I was starting to get upset and intervened. When I got back to my seat she'd swapped so that I was sitting on my own and made sure I had water. A tiny gesture all in from her, but made a huge difference to me. Thankful for women looking out for other women and I hope I can make that difference to someone else sometime.

Hey Cup I’ve a different user name now (probably a few actually) but I remember your threads, your dd and her beautiful eyes. I used to knit squares (badly) too. Your bravery has stayed with me and helped me through a lot of things since then. I hope you’re well. Lots of love.

This thread has actually made me cry.

I’m going to print it out and reread it in the days when I feel like there’s no hope for humanity and remind myself that there ARE good people out there, quietly doing good deeds. I hope I can make a difference to someone in this way, some day.

I have had a few.....

Just yesterday my bank card was posted to me and I couldn't work out how someone knew my address turns out I left it in post office while getting a parcel so had address and the posty delivered it back. I emailed head office to let them know :)

Once my saddle slipped under my horse out on a ride , my young crazy horse galloped towards a main road a van driver noticed as I was caught in the stirrup being dragged and kept speeding up to block him entering the main road eventually blocking him into a tight narrowing , I was unconscious but he managed to calm a wild horse and use my phone to call my mum and dad! . When I came too I started slapping him thinking I was being attacked and shouting I didn't have a horse

When I was shopping when son was a baby a lady told me how beautiful he was and how calm I was with him screaming the place down ... she was in front of me at the till when I put my shopping on the cashier said the lady had left £40 to go towards my food bill . I chased out to find her but she had gone ! .
That £40 was a lifesaver as I was so short.

There's many other little ones too ! .

Not me but a stranger looking out for my DD1. She was coming back late at night and had to drive up a narrow(ish) country lane with no street lights when her car broke down. Something wrong with the battery which meant she had no lights whatsoever - the hazards wouldn't work which meant she was stuck nearly in the middle of the road with only her phone for light. She rang us and by the time we had got there a lady had come across her and turned her car round and was using her hazards to warn others that she was there. Just a small thing but it was nice that there was somebody there keeping her safe until we got there.

A lovely woman in Aldershot drove me home from park, where I were being sick and completely paralysed under a tree ( period pain). I could barely speak any English at that time. Hope you are reading this. Thank you!

I was in a cafe where you had to order at the counter so I took my young dd to sit at the table before I went up to order. I reached into my bag and realised that I had forgotten my purse. When I told dd that we would have to leave, her lip started to wobble and the lady on the next table instantly gave me her contactless card and told me to order what we needed. I ordered a croissant and glass of milk for dd and nothing for myself as I didn’t want to take advantage. When it arrived, the lady very sternly gave me her card again and told me that I had to have a drink too. So kind. I’ve often been back and hoped to be able to repay the kindness but have never seen her again.

Fell flat on my face, smashed glasses, badly cut face; lady got her car out and brought me home, never mind me streaming with blood. A real good Samaritan. Couldn't find her again to thank her.

Someone is definitely chopping onions in here....

So many reasons to love people again, thank you

I was still in my teens on a crowded train and this creepy man came to sit next to me and started chatting me up in a loud and creepy way. I replied quietly and politely because I didn't know any better in those days and did not want a scene. So he of course got worse and more inappropriate. An older lady a few seats ahead looked round and asked me if I wanted to swap seats with her. So I did.
It was so kind of her and I've never forgotten it.

@EastMidsGPs What a beautiful thing that woman did for you. They are people I admire, and who we should celebrate, for they create change.

In maternity wing after the birth of DS, my first child 24 years ago by emergency caesarean under GA. I was there for 10 days due to complications and in those days they didn’t rush to get you home. My DP had asked me on day 7 not to have any other visitors the next day as he wanted to come in and it be just us three, I waited all day and he didn’t show - after many calls from the payphone (no mobiles then) aching from my c section and the baby in the plastic cot on wheels beside me found out he was with another woman at about 8pm. Was in floods of tears, so much I could hardly breath, not just because of him but also because I had asked nobody to come in and had not seen anyone that day and had asked my own dear mum not to come in after she’d visited every day. A lovely midwife came and cuddled me, and pointed at the baby and said “that’s who matters now, not him” and stayed with me till I calmed down. I wish I had thanked her, but I was too upset and didn’t see her again before I was discharged.

@rody111
$11000 patches k last month

And yes here you are... desperately scrabbling around for business by spamming a chat forum 😆

Reported

Being stuck at the first floor of a store, took the escalator up to meet a friend who had recently had surgery. The lift that we planned to take done was out of order. I am disabled and use a shopping trolley. I was standing at the top of the stairs wondering how I was going to get down. A woman came up the staircase, grabbed my trolley and took it down for me. I was so grateful just such a kind and thoughtful thing to do.

Listening to the radio yesterday I heard Aled Jones saying instead of giving things up for Lent, he was going to do a kind act every day.

A great idea, and one we can all do.
But do you think he's been reading this thread ???

Not for me but a stranger gave my teen daughter and her friend £20 to get a taxi when they were stranded at a bus stop in a strange town after buses had stopped. Tried to track her down after to thank and repay but couldn't locate the house.

Had lunch on my own in a lovely little coffee shop and when I went to pay it already was from a gentleman at another table.

December 2009. I was 17, travelling home to Germany (Forces family) from an interview at Cambridge. I had what I’m pretty sure looking back was swine flu. I was a mess, and on top of this I had depression and was pretty sure I’d just screwed up my interview. Taxi driver who took me to the station evidently noticed, as he dropped me off with ‘No charge, love - Merry Christmas.’

On my flight back, I was blowing my nose hard as we came in for landing. The woman next to me happened to be a bilingual German nurse, and she advised me not to blow so hard. I ignored this advice as I just wanted to be able to breathe properly. In the terminal, I tried to blow again and passed out - just keeled over backwards at the baggage reclaim. Came to with the German nurse lady translating to the paramedics. She’d seen what had happened and helped me communicate with them to get my dad and my brother who were waiting outside the gate.

2013. I’m a TEFL teacher, aka dumb white girl in the middle of rural China, trying to get to Yiyang station (Hunan province) to see my friend in a city a few hours away. Getting the bus from my school to the local town, to get the bus to Yiyang, proved problematic as I didn’t know where to get off the bus. I underlined the Chinese for ‘bus station’ in my phrasebook and asked the people around me. Cue the book being passed around the entire bus as they loudly debated where I should get off. Eventually get shown off the bus and have the bus station pointed out by friendly middle-aged dude.

Get into the bus station, I have no idea which bus to take. Suddenly, a friendly Chinese girl appears out of nowhere and asks in perfect English where I want to go. I say Yiyang station, and she takes me by the hand, leads me over to the bus, and tells the driver where I want to go. Her English name was Jenny. Thank you so much, Jenny.

I had just finished uni, I had four weeks to find a full time job and a new place to live before the end of my tenancy. If I didn't, I'd have to move back to a different country to live with my parents.

I landed a job in my industry which was a great opportunity but had to move there within a couple of weeks (not commutable) so I found myself without a car, family or anyone to help. I was sort of money too as I had to pay the deposit for the new flat. One day, my neighbour saw me sat in the garden looking really sad as I had no idea how I was going to move my belongings to the new place.

He offered to help by driving me and my stuff to the new place (4-hour round journey). He helped me load all the stuff and unload it at the new place. He also made sure I was looking after myself on the run up to the move. He'd grab a couple of beers and nibbles and sit outside inviting me to join him as we shared a garden. He told me he didn't want anything in return. He just asked me to one day help someone else out.

To this day, I can't thank him enough for his help and support!

I have a few stories but these particulary stand out.

I had cancer I was 27, it was my second chemo session and I was on my own, (was 2 hours away from home DH and DM had to work) I was the youngest person in the room and a lady came over to talk to me when her husband fell asleep 20 mins into his treatment she sat with me for 6 hours while I sobbed and puked rubbing my back and giving me hugs she sat with me the following week, that was her husband's last session. The following week she came to visit me even though her husband was no longer reviving treatment.

Around the same time while staying in hospital I was desperate for some fresh air, but didn't want to bug the very busy nurses, or HCA's. I attempted to walk to the main door to sit in the garden, sick bowl in hand, confident i could do it, I got from the ward to the corridor extremely weak and frail trying to hold my self up on the wall a young lad about 17 saw me just be before I collapsed and caught me as i was falling. He then asked what I was doing.. I said I wanted air.. he carried me about 20 feet to a wheel chair and wheeled me outside he then sat with me for 15 mins and gave me his coat because I was shivering ... he said he was visiting his gran and she was asleep he then took me back to the ward in the chair.

Last year while walking my dog on the beach, she had a seizure a lady ran over and waited with me untill it passed then took me to the vet in her car.

I was very depressed after my diagnosis and in shock I went for a walk "around the block" and ended up at the beach in just a paor of jeans and jumper it was January an elderly couple saw me sat on the bench crying and cold and came over poured me some tea from their flask and the old lady held my hand while her husband went and got the car they took me home. They weren't local I vaguely remember them saying a weekend for their anniversary I never got their names but I'll never forget these people

@ThatsNotIt ❤️ so many lovely kind people, I hope you're better now xx

A passing stranger applied compression to my arterial bleeding after a road accident which undoubtedly saved my life, and a further 5 strangers donated the blood I had in a transfusion.