What's the kindest thing you've ever experienced?

[flopsytheflatcat]

an act of kindness to you or one you've witnessed or heard about?

I was once at my local petrol station a few years ago in December. There was a teenage boy with a moped, which had run out of petrol. I assume phone out of charge too and no money. Disorganised like I am!

While I put petrol in my car I saw him desperately asking everyone if they could lend him £3. He was really obviously increasingly upset and everyone was giving him cold shoulder, it was hard to see. I think he'd been there a while and he didn't know what else to do. Peps were being very harsh towards him, turning away, but he was just a scared kid.

I didn't have much, two DCs with me, but I went to cash machine and got out a tenner and gave it to him. He was so sweet and wanted to pay me back but I said please don't worry about that and merry christmas. That was end of it. True story and I'll remember him to the day I die. I'm very glad I did this and hope someone would help my son in future if this happens.

Parkhead that made my cry, I'm so sorry for your loss
Years ago I was waiting for the train on a Friday evening to come home for the weekend from uni and my friends mum phones me and told me that my friends cancer was terminal and she didn't have long left. I was sat on a bench next to another girl and burst into tears, I couldn't talk to tell her what had happened and she gave me a tissue. The train was going from a different platform and she took me to the right one and made sure I was on. I had stopped crying when my friends mum rang me again to see if I was ok (I can't believe she did that either), and I got upset again. The girl from the bench was sat a couple of rows in front and came over to me and gave me her pack of tissues and said 'keep the pack'. I managed to thank her and her helping me when she had no idea why I was even upset meant a lot.
Also I got back to uni once and my phone had died, I had text my friend to see if she would be able to pick me up from the train station but it died before she could reply. I had no money for the bus in my purse and none in my bank and I was so embarrassed, it was miles away from my house. I asked a man if I could borrow a pound for the bus, he asked me how much I actually needed and gave me all of it. And my friend had been driving around looking for me

The stranger who donated eggs so I could be a mum

@ParkheadParadise ❤️

When I was completely desperate and lonely, looking after my dad who has dementia in a rural village 5 hours away from DH and DCs I emailed the local vicar in despair. She replied immediately and suggested meeting up in the village pub. She listened to my story and has been there for me ever since. Sometimes just a text to say she is thinking about me. She has been the only person in the last few years who has always asked me how I am and listened to my reply. I will never forget her for doing that.

@bluebluezoo

A school friend of mine had a bag of sweets, lined her friends up with me at the far end and started going along offering the bag.
I assumed she'd say she'd run out by the time she reached me and everyone would jeer so started to walk away.
She ran after me to say she wanted to give all the girls a sweet and then share all the rest with me.

Huge ego boost for a shy, un-self-confident little girl

Lovely staff in hospital a few months ago.

Out of nowhere I came down with appendicitis and needed emergency surgery. The year before that I’d nearly died giving birth to my son and had ptsd and was very upset by hospitals and surgery. I was alone as my husband had to stay at home to look after our son and no family nearby. The doctors, nurses, anaesthetists and care assistants were so lovely, sympathetic and warm, very kind, put me at ease and took my mind off what could have been a horrible situation. Amazing people.

So many people were exceptionally kind when DH died. From ds's teacher who bought him a lego set to do while the class were busy with father's day stuff, to my friend who works in catering and did the food for the funeral, no questions asked and payment not even considered (and everyone commented how good the food was too).

I once went to Sainsbury’s on the bike and when I came out with my shopping there was a teenage lad hanging around just next to it.
I said in probably quite a cross voice "what are you doing with my bike".

He said "looking after it for you until you came back because you forgot to lock it".

Reading that back I suppose he might have been thinking about nicking it, but I still like to think of it as a nice thing to do.

When my best friend flew in from abroad for my DD’s funeral. She left her baby behind and travelled at very short notice and expense. I wasn’t in any state to go but I felt like a part of me was there just by her making such a big sacrifice to attend. She’s the only one who remembers to text me every year on DD’s birthday. She’s the kindest and most pure person I’ve ever known.

Oh @ParkheadParadise I am so sorry. What a wonderful man.

One of mine was that when I was 17, my paternal grandmother died and my dad (single parent) fell apart a little. I helped organise the funeral and we were expecting some guests back to our house after the funeral. We didn't have much money but I had made some ham sandwiches and bought some extra teabags and milk. I'd asked our next door neighbours to pop in and set stuff up when we were due hope from the service.

When we got back, our wonderful neighbours had put on a full spread of sandwiches, cakes and delicious African ribs and rice. They'd put an urn in our kitchen, brought extra mugs and plates and bought lovely tea and coffee. I'll never forget it. They are wonderful people.

We also found a massive Xmas hamper on our doorstep one year when finances were particularly bad. They never mentioned it but it was of course from them. We ate like kings that year

I know one of the family is on here. I hope she sees and knows how appreciated she and her sisters / mum are. Don't care if it's outing

Parkhead I’m so sorry.

I was pushing a screaming newborn DD in her pram, having had to leave the house for some air after being stuck cluster feeding on the sofa for ages. I felt overwhelmed, shattered and like a completely useless Mum. A lady and her family were walking towards me and I put on a brave smile as we passed. The lady must have seen how frazzled I looked and said to her children “oh I remember when you two used to sound like just like that, that baby must be stressing her poor mum out just like you used to”. She smiled and touched my arm, saying “it gets easier”. It was such a simple act but it felt so comforting and reassuring. I went home feeling so much better. It would have been such a small part of her day but meant so much to me. I’ll always remember her.

@Candle1000 that's so lovely x

@ParkheadParadise So sorry for your loss, what a nice man.

A friend took me in when I split from my fiancé, I stayed with them for six weeks while I sorted myself out, so grateful.

I had another friend live with us many years later in similar circumstances as a pay it forward.

I just saw one that I thought was lovely tonight. Our town has an FB page and someone posted on it saying that she'd seen a young boy being bullied - he was being held by the throat and kicked by other boys. She and her husband went out and chased the bullies away. She was hoping to reach the parents of the boy to find out if he was ok and let other parents know that this incident had happened and get them to give their own kids a talking to.

Anyway, 2 people that run clubs for teenagers have since posted to offer the boy being bullied free lessons/club membership to build his confidence and help him make friends.

So many other people in my town are leaving messages of support for the boy too.

I actually had tears in my eyes as these things were coming up on my newsfeed...

I was being given treatment from a HCP around 2009 aged 18, and somehow ended up telling her horrible things from my childhood and teenage years that I’d never disclosed or discussed with anyone , and still haven’t years on. Somehow she demonstrated extraordinary kindness, and friendship, and became like a second mother to me throughout ten exceptionally horrible years (during which she continued treating me for most of them) .

When I left her care , she was in floods of tears and made me promise I’d remain in touch . Two years on we speak regularly and have met up a few times, I’d be absolutely lost without her . I have no idea if I mean as much to her - I suspect not! - but I credit her with saving my life .

Situations bring out either the worst or best of people, don’t they?

Sitting in a hospital corridor on my own in those crappy uncomfortable hard plastic chairs, waiting to find out if I had cancer....having lost 7 relatives to the shitty disease. Tears pouring down my face. No mobile phone signal to the outside world.

A very frail elderly woman who must have been 90, was also on her own, came and sat next to me, held my hand, said absolutely nothing, handed me a cotton handkerchief and continued to............just sit with me.

No words exchanged.

The most amazing experience. Something so negative into something so heartwarming.

This thread has made me think. Whilst reading it I have remembered so many acts of kindness towards me there are too many to type out. It would take me a very long time.
So I appreciate each and every time I've been helped...and it has helped to balance the times when people had been unkind.

The friend who invited me on holiday when I was lost, unhappy 13 year old...
The nurse who came to talk to me when baby son was in ITU...
The man who gave me chocolate and money for a train home when he saw me hitchhiking...
The counsellor who dropped everything to visit me after an extremely distressing phonecall…
The charity who gave me money so I could give my kids a holiday. I was a single parent...
The friends who let me stay with them after a break up...
The friend who raced to be with me when I had an accident and didn't leave my side...
Many more.....

A little bit odd this one. I went into hospital for the planned C section of my youngest daughter who they suspected maybe incompatible with life (I refused some tests so they couldnt be sure) There were so many people in theatre and we were very obviously terrified. I had my spinal block and as the anaesthetist monitored me as they started the procedure he started to sing, I laughed and asked if he was serenading me, he said no and that he sang to keep the evil spirits away. Slightly odd, but our daughter was healthy and perfect. I still think of him often.

Mine is much smaller and simpler than others here, but means so much to me. DD was born at home with just DH with me. Midwife arrived a few minutes later to find us on the floor in the bedroom, still pretty in shock. After checking we were ok, she grabbed DH's phone and took pictures of the three of us huddled together which we would never have thought about in the chaos of the moment.

In my twenties I was trying to buy a bottle of port at Sainsbury's but didn't have my ID on me and was obviously looking frustrated. A lady saw this, grabbed the bottle promptly paid and wouldn't take any money from me despite me chasing after her and trying to pay. That made my week and if she's on mumsnet thank you mystery lady from Brixton!

what a lovely thread. It has helped me to remember some amazing people who really went above and beyond:

• A Kenyan bus driver who gave me the money for a hotel for my last night backpacking before getting my flight home. i had $20 left and had some hotels in my lonely planet guide which would have been less than that but after driving round for a bit trying to find one of them he paid for me to stay at a more expensive one than I had the money for. It was nighttime in Nairobi which is quite a dangerous place so I was immensely grateful and so kind of him as that would have probably been about a weeks pay for him.
• I also remember a stranger giving me £3 towards a pair of shoes I loved when I was shopping with a friend as a teen. I was discussing with her how much I liked them but was a few quid short and this lovely lady just gave me the money so that I could buy them - so lovely.
• and a colleague who i didnt know very well at all who let me and my dd who was a toddler at the time stay with her for about a month when i moved out from home when separating from my ex and whilst I was waiting to get my own place. That was really above and beyond.

There are some amazing people out there.

JJSS123
So sorry this happened to you. I hope things got better for you.

Lots of people have been so kind to me in the past.

Crying my eyes out on a pavement and a lady came out from the church with a cup of tea and packet of biscuits. I stayed in the church office all day while she went about her business. I didn’t say anything but I needed a safe warm non judgemental place that day.

Most recently ds had been rushed to hospital in the middle of the night. I genuinely thought he was going to die in front of me so by the time we got to the ward I couldn’t take my eyes from him. I’d rushed out the house in thin pj’s and flip flops. We had been in hospital a week before and they had really clamped down on hot drinks on the ward. A nurse got a chair, positioned it at the end of the ward so I could still see him and forced me into it with a cup of tea in her mug and clearly her snacks. Then she held his hand like I had been until I came back. I gulped scalding tea and went back. I feel like I owe her a debt. She must she messed up parents everyday but she took such care of me.