Who do you remember from your past who would have no idea that they'd been memorable to you?

[halexanderamilton]

I saw a lollipop lady this morning and it made me remember the lovely lollipop lady from my primary school who was so friendly and fun and remembered all the children's names. I obviously don't know but I'm guessing she's passed on now, not knowing how she had affected me and most likely lots of other people. I am 52 now and I have remembered her with fondness. It made me wonder if there was anyone who will still remember me in 45 years when I'm gone, other than close family, obviously.

What random person can you remember with pleasure from your past who wouldn't know that you remembered them?

I can't think of one off the top of my head but it's a lovely post so am bumping.

I was struggling to stand due to pain in my feet in a coach queue once convinced I was about to keel over.

A lady whose name I never knew but whose face I still remember, reached out and held me up til we got on board

One of those times when you feel like your prayers are heard.

My neighbour told me about a very inspiring English teacher he had when he was in high school about 30 years ago. Recently he read about this teacher in a local newspaper, as he had published the latest in a series of books. My neighbour sent an email thanking the man and received a lovely reply, saying that in fact he had only taught for about 5 years after qualifying as a teacher before giving it up to write full time.

My neighbour was surprised as he remembered the teacher as being quite old and wise, when in fact he must have still been in his 20s.

My neighbour is a doctor but has a great love of literature which has given him much pleasure in life and helps him de stress from his work.

Lovely thread, so I’m bumping

The student paramedic who literally held my hand whilst I was being extracted from my car after a crash in which I was badly injured. She was fairly new and had never been to an RTC before and she was clearly very nervous, but she was so kind and supportive. She gave me fantastic support over a couple of the worst hours of my life and it really bothers me that I can't remember her name or even what she looked like. I remember her voice though.

Lovely tube worker in London who gave me a lift home when I was stranded and a bit panicky. He also gave a Swedish backpacker a lift at the same time.

Nice Tanzanian man who took my friend and I under his wing on a bus.

Bloke in London who asked if I was OK after I was sexually harassed even though I wasn't a feminine worthy damsel. and I screamed fuck off at the top of my lungs

The nurse who stopped DD and I in the street to say thanks for her reins. She'd worked in A&E.

The woman in Durham Cathedral cafe who gave me a hug after witnessing an argument with my Ex.

The man who gave me a dollar so I could get the bus over the Mexican border and then pay for a bus in pesos (that I had) rather than buy a much more expensive ticket.

The people who helped me at Heathrow when I arrived with a nine month old and lots of luggage.

The man whose cup my disabled son knocked over who said "it doesn't matter, I understand."

Form teacher who was also my English teacher when I changed schools for the umpteenth time aged 12. She paired me up with a girl who was to show me round, look out for me etc, still dear friends with that girl 40 years later

The midwife who held my hand when I gave birth to my micro premature daughter . Her first name was Heather and I’ll never forget her face or her kindness . The shifts changed soon after she was born and I never saw her again . Still remember her .

I was sobbing in the street once over a shithead boyfriend. Was 18/19.

Lovely girl/woman stopped me, took my hand and asked if I was okay.

Possibly the first time someone had been nice to me.

I had felt picked on by a maths teacher who had a reputation for being mean. She had destroyed my confidence and made me feel there was no point in even trying. I began to hate school after previously loving it and being conscientious.

I got a new teacher the next year who just saw something in me. She brought back my enjoyment of maths and I got an A at GCSE though her encouragement. She left our school not long after.

I had been off work with depression and was generally feeling a bit shit about life. I met an old acquaintance in the supermarket who was also off, but for recovery after surgery. She could see I wasn't right and I ended up spilling it all out to her in Tesco. Later that day she turned up at my house with a homemade lasagne and gave me her phone number. It was just so kind. At a time when I found it so difficult to do stuff she made the effort to help. It really lifted me.

And last week I discovered the car park machine didn't take five pences and I was stuck not able to pay for the ticket. I asked the man in the queue behind me if he had change and he paid for his ticket and gave me the fifty p my ticket cost. Would take the change and was just so cheery and nonchalant about helping.

When the DD's were little they used to love bin day and watching the bin lorry come and the bins be collected and would rush to the window to watch. One of the bin men would look out for them and give them a wave and then later developed it into doing little funny dances or making funny faces at them. They used to look forward to it every week.
We all quite missed him when we moved. It's a really happy memory of mine.

Another one-I'd just had some really horrible and life altering news and had had to pull over on a petrol forecourt to have a cry and a bit of a freak out. There was a man in the car next to me and he got out and came and asked me if I was alright and could he help. Just that bit of kindness in that moment actually meant the world.

A boy at primary school who was my friend when all the others bullied me. We lost touch when we went to different secondary schools but through the powers of the internet I recently learned he is hugely successful in the world of finance. He always was very clever and I'm pleased for him.

These are lovely. It makes you realise that sometimes the little things you do that you don't even realise make a huge difference to someone's day.

I remembered another one. I was in London, early evening with my DS' who were then about 6 and 9 and a drunk guy came roaring out of a bar and yelled in the little ones face. Completely unnecessary and not personal towards him, just an idiot. Another man behind came up to us and made sure we were alright and said to my Ds 'not everyone's like that, he was just not very nice' and really reassured him and allowed us to focus the story on the nice man, not the nasty one.

Please keep them coming. I think we all need to hear these lovely stories sometimes.

A member of my family had died and I was on my first day back at work with an office entirely open to the public. Someone said something foolish to me and I couldn't hold back the tears. A woman who had been waiting to be seen walked.over, said she didn't need to know why I was crying but I needed a hug and just held me until I was back in control. Her kindness and loud calmness meant I didn't feel embarrassed and everyone else in the room just accepted the situation. I Barely remember her face, which is weird as I have a great memory for faces, more her voice and presence.

After I had my baby and I was utterly reeling from the shock and pain of it , a nurse / assistant... ( I don't even know her role I was so out of it mentally!) came to look after me so kindly, gave me a bed bath, kept gently wiping my face with a flannel and fussing over my covers, generally making me feel so cared for and restored. Although the obstetrician who delivered my baby will always be an angel in my eyes, so will this lady, and I bet she doesn't remember me!

At the end of a book club get together the lovely hostess took me aside as everyone was getting coats and saying goodbye, and asked me if I would like a cuppa. I almost cried. I was going through a hellish time with exH and I couldn't remember the last time anyone had done me a simple kindness.

I remember coming back from university, late, travelling through London. Waiting at the tube station, was a lad, carrying a guitar. He just looked so cool and interesting. , and was obviously either going to or from a gig.

I wish I could say he turned out to be famous, but no. Just wished I had the nerve to speak to him.

I know gave student-aged kids, but still recall that lad standing on the station.

Now have...

This post just prompted me to Google someone I had a one night stand with back in the 90's. He is the only person on the planet with his name so I've never forgotten it. Doubt he'd remember me though. Found his Twitter account, goodness what a self absorbed knob.

When my arsehole XH was shouting at me yet again in a garage forecourt, I caught the eye of a man going into the shop. He gave me such a sad kind smile it was clear he felt sorry fir me. I realised there and then that I didn’t want a stranger to feel sorry for me , and that there were decent men out there.
I’m now happily remarried to a man who has never raised his voice to me in over twenty years.

I was 35w with my DS when my placenta ruptured and I had to be rushed down for EC under general anaesthetic. It was the middle of the night, DH was at home so I had no one with me. All the people in theatre were introducing themselves, telling me what was happening and what their role was and one lady came over and said “my names X and I’ll be here to hold your hand.” She held my hand and stroked it, while everything was going on and until I was under. I never got her name and don’t even remember her face but that small act of kindness still brings tears to my eyes even now. She doesn’t realise how she made me feel in that one small moment

When I was in my early 20s I often had to move to a new city, on my own, for work. It was quite lonely, not really knowing anybody, but each time some of the older (by which I mean, people in their 30s upwards, so not really old at all, but established) people at the places I worked took me under their wing, made sure that I was invited to social events and would offer me lifts, etc.

They didn’t have to do that: they all had families, jobs and other things to deal with, but I will never forget their kindness to a young woman, and I can still remember their names, too, even though it was 25 years ago!

I'm in my fifties now but when I was in the equivalent of Yr4, I had a teacher called Miss Sweeney (or, perhaps Mrs), whom I understood to be single. She had a sleek, sharp, black bob and wore smart professional clothes. As an eight-year-old, I was much in awe of her manner, her confidence and her competence. She created an impression on me for reasons I didn't understand at the time.

I had always been a 'tomboy' and many tried to feminise me. I could look back at what I remember of her and see that being a woman, didn't have to mean being weak. I like to think of her as a feminist.