What's a kind thing a stranger has done for you?

[whatsnewpussycat777]

For me, she showed me round an interview site. I got the job. I was mighty grateful. You?

Some everyday heroes here x

On holiday in the USA, husband and his sister went into an off licence to buy wine while I was outside with the children. The staff refused to accept their Uk driving licences as proof of age (both of them were around 40 so surprised to be checked anyway!).

As we all walked towards the car empty handed a man came running after us handing over the two bottles of wine they had tried to buy and refused to take any money for them!

Went to do food shop with a newborn. Filled trolley as I had a money off voucher (percentage off). Money was tight. Tried to stock pile where I could.

I lost the voucher while shopping. Retraced my steps and asked at reception. Burst into tears when I couldn't find it.

Lady at the desk matched what the voucher would've been. She didn't have to do that. I still see her now and my heart glows. She won't know who I am but I certainly will remember her.

I'd just finished the grocery shopping and had my hands full with a trolley, 5 month old DS2 in his carry car seat across the top of the trolley, and almost two year old DS1.

DS1 was going through a tantrum stage and decided to have a major one right there, just by the door to the exit, because I said 'no' to something.

There was nothing I could do, he was thrashing around too much for me to pick him up and put him into the trolley's child seat, so I decided to wait it out until he calmed down, then console him and get us all back to the car.

I was close to tears myself when along came this lovely woman, probably about the age I am now (mid-50s). Without any fuss she offered to push my trolley and baby while I grabbed DS1, and together we went back to my car.

She was so kind, just lovely. Absolutely no judgment whatsoever and I'm quite sure she'd been in my shoes at some time and knew exactly what it can be like with small children. I've never forgotten her kindness.

A few, actually!

First, when I was pregnant with DS I ran into some money trouble. DP was working away for a few months, we didn’t live together at the time, my family are 300 miles away etc etc. I posted (genuinely) under my then username about ways to make money and a poster DM’d me to say she’d come into money and wanted to give me some. She said she didn’t want paying back but that I should pay it forward when I could. I cried I was so grateful and I’ve been in a position to pay it forward since.

Second, DS was just over a year old and I was driving home on the motorway after visiting a friend for a night. My car lost power, started smoking, I managed to get it up a slipway and round the roundabout before the steering locked up and I came to a stop just off the busy exit, with cars hurtling past me. I got my and DS out of the car in his car seat and was on the phone to the breakdown service when a delivery van pulled up. He had a look under the engine and couldn’t figure anything out and asked me if I wanted to drive it off the road and up into the McDonald’s car park. I was too scared to put DS back in the smoking car, so he got in it and drove it for me. When I eventually got home, I called the company and told them how amazing the driver of the van was and sent a case of beer!

This is a lovely thread 😊

One that sticks out to me was when DH and I took the kids on a treat day out to a theme park. They’d been looking forward to it for ages, super excited. We needed petrol but decided not to stop at the local garage as the next one along was cheaper. Got there, it was closed. Ploughed on, really low on fuel by now. Reached the next one and it had been demolished and was being rebuilt. By this point we must have been on fumes but we put into sat nav to take us to wherever the nearest petrol station was and though with a wing and prayer we might make it. Turns out it was no longer a petrol station but a caravan show room. I almost cried, thought our day was a write off because we were literally in the middle of nowhere. A chap came out to see if he could help, out poured the sorry story and by sheer coincidence, he had a diesel pump for the motor homes and we were in my new diesel car, 1st time I’d ever not had a petrol one. The lovely chap filled my tank and refused to take a penny from us. DH said if I’d proposed marriage to this man in gratitude it wouldn’t have been an over reaction, we really were that grateful 😂

I fell bang on my arse on an icy pavement when walking to work, and a man driving past stopped and asked if I was OK. I am middle-aged and plain, so his motives can only have been altruistic.

When I was a very poor student nurse and was living off a bag of pasta I found just go without lunch while at my placement. An older social worker attached to the team left sandwiches on my desk every lunch time for a fortnight.

*I would go without lunch

Told me my skirt was tucked into my knickers and tights 😱😂 allowing me to not embarrass myself in the other half of the very large, full of people office.

As a teen I sat on the riverbank in our town centre sobbing my eyes out because my BF at the time had cheated on me. I was ready to let the water take me. Two young mums saw me from the other side and walked all the way down to the bridge, with their babies in prams, to come speak to me. They were so unbelievably kind and chatty, full of stories of their kids rubbish dads that I was completely distracted. They probably saved my life that day and have no idea. The feeling of being cared about by two utter strangers who were so disadvantaged was indescribable.

I had a puncture on the motorway. About 9pm and dark, although it wasn't cold or wet thank goodness.

A car stopped and the guy walked back to change the wheel for me. He found that my jack was missing and unloaded his own car to get his jack and changed the wheel for me.

His boot was full of luggage and I realised he had his wife and 2 young children in the car and they were on their way home from holiday. This was in the early 90s and I have never forgotten his kindness.

Or in fact hers as I am sure she couldn't wait to get home and it disrupted her journey as much as his.

Given me £20. I was in my local Co-op, buying a few things, only had a £20 on me and was very hard-up at the time. (Also had PND and was with my baby in the pushchair.) Went to pay and realised I had lost my money, it was all I had. Asked a few staff members if they had seen a twenty pound note on the floor but they hadn't. Was getting quite tearful by now. A man came over and gave me a £20! Said 'are you sure?' And he said it was fine, just to pay it forward on day. Paid for my things, looked up and he had disappeared. Was very moved by his generosity

I went into an exhibition on the Southbank a few years back. I was themed 'love'. There was a section called 'Heartbreak Hotel'. I'd recently had a bad break up and went in, not in a good place before I started never mind after I got out. There was a washing line type thing in there where you could pen your thoughts anonymously and peg up the note. I wrote my feelings down. One of the staff followed me out, and asked if I was ok. She sat with me for over an hour, while I cried my heart out.

Paid for my meal. I was a single mum with young kid and had saved up to go to an Italian restaurant. I’d had a lovely conversation with an Italian-Canadian family who were visiting. They’d left and I asked for the bill to be told that the family had paid it.

I was so touched.

This thread has made me well up ♥️

Last time a stranger did something for me, they noticed i didn't have change for the car park and paid it for me. It was only a £1 but I was really touched!

What a lovely thread. :)

I was in home bargains, picking up bits for.my nephews birthday party. I was feeling awful, balance was dodgy, feeling like I was going to pass out, and trying to discretely hang on to a shelf to prevent it. A lovely woman took me to a seat, got me a bottle of water, took my list and got the rest of my bits for me. I cried I was so grateful.

i was very low anyway, and then i was suddenly extremely ill, after eating what must have been a dodgy item from a wholefood organic place. it was a grocery shop, not a cafe. and i was further down the road. no public conveniences of course.
i went into the owl bookshop, kentish town road and told a youngish woman asst that i was feeling unwell and could i possibly use their loo. she didn;t hesitate, led me through the back office and pointed out the loo. she went back to the shop floor. i was in there some time. just outside the loo was a corridor where all their coats and bags were, and no one around. amazed that not only had she helped me, but trusted me to leave me alone there. i was so grateful, hence i.d. them.
when i came out, she

This is such a lovely thread!

I’d also like to add a lovely MNetter who has made me a new bag, didn’t want anything in exchange, has put up with my random messages and the fact it’s taken me ages to make a reciprocal gift - I won’t name her just in case, but you are a wonderful person and you rock!

Our car had broken down at the side of the road, and a car pulled up. The man said he and spotted us there and he’d gone and bought us sandwiches, snacks and drinks and asked if there was anything else we needed. Very kind

I’d also like to add a lovely MNetter who has made me a new bag, didn’t want anything in exchange, has put up with my random messages and the fact it’s taken me ages to make a reciprocal gift - I won’t name her just in case, but you are a wonderful person and you rock!

Oh yes, another MNer story here. A few years ago I was so skint I couldn’t afford a Christmas tree. A lovely MNer messaged me to ask if she could buy me one. I’d managed to get a discounted one at that point but I was very touched by her kindness

They were so unbelievably kind and chatty, full of stories of their kids rubbish dads that I was completely distracted. They probably saved my life that day and have no idea. The feeling of being cared about by two utter strangers who were so disadvantaged was indescribable.

Oh my gosh. This has properly made me cry. I hope you’re doing well now and I hope those women have rid themselves of their useless baby fathers!!

I was 21, living and working on my own in Asia. I got food poisoning. It was 40 degrees, my classroom had no air con. I was so sick. My students got a member of SLT to drive me to the clinic. He had no english. He insisted on sitting with me while I waited. I kept telling him to go home and I was fine. He kept tapping on his phone.

After 10 mins he tapped me and said in very broken english, reading from him phone, 'if you my daughter, I would want someone to stay, so you ok'.

Damn near broke my heart.