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?

Back in the 90s and still AIDS era when any form of homophobia was socially acceptable and admitting any signs of mental ill-health absolutely was not. I turned up to a university lecture confused and distressed and an hour early and the department LGBT rep bought me a coffee and held my shoulders until I could tell him what was wrong... he was a couple of years younger than me but so mature and compassionate and patient. From that day onwards, I refused to listen to the toxic crap the Church and media were spouting.

This is another MNer story. I posted on a "things that make you smile" thread that people asking me how I am (checking in) made me smile because I do that too for other people, and also hearing laughter in a restaurant. Someone replied to that post saying "bearlyactive, that's such a beautiful thing to feel happy when hearing others' laughter - how are you" or something like that. I was feeling quite low at that point but that person did, in fact, make me smile and bring a tear to my eye

Couple of years ago I was in town shopping, was pissing down and had a big boots bag (paper). It broke and the contents spilt everywhere. As I was scrambling to collect my stuff a lady came and gave me her hessian bag for life. I still have it, I use it as my lunch bag for work

These are so lovely!
When I was 17 i worked in a shop. I had terrible hayfever one afternoon and I was on my own so couldn't leave and a customer came in and brought something then came back and had gone to the chemist and got me a box of piriton and wouldn't take any money.

My mum and I took my sons when they were two and one on a coach trip to the seaside. All great, then we had to try and get the double buggy back over the beach and it was awful! My mum has various health issues and this thing was massive, we were dragging and pulling for ages and could only get a few steps without having to put it down to rest. A man came over and carried the buggy for us back to the pavement.

And another time I was having breakfast with my one year old a man walked by that had been eating and slipped five pounds into my hand for my 'lovely little man'

I was crying in my sleep on a long haul flight to see my late partner's family after she died. I woke up to the woman beside me holding my hand.

The hotel worker in Croatia who caught DS1's precious Steve the soft toy monkey when it fell from our balcony saving Steve from a swim in a puddle. He called up that he'd meet us in the restaurant and by the time we got there a few minutes later Steve was sat at the bar with a can of coke and a menu

Got off the tram after work to find the road under the bridge where I had to walk was flooded. There was no other way to get home. A kind stranger took me and two others through the flood water in their car.
It's about 8 years ago now and I'll never forget it.

A few years ago I was on the bones of my arse and surviving on lentils and jacket potatoes. I went to Lidl with my last €5, went through the checkout and realised I was €1.10 short. I asked the girl to take off the potatoes so I could keep the cat food; a lovely guy behind me discreetly handed me €2 . I got outside and started crying, I still well up when I think about his kindness

DS was sick in Sainsbury's when he was about 3, a member of staff ran over, gave us carrier bags, a pack of baby wipes, called someone to help cleanup and took my shopping and put it through the till so I could get out quickly. Really appreciated it.

At age 13 I decided to run away from home. I ended up getting blind drunk at a friend's house, and when her dad came in and saw us he attacked her. I ran off up the high street in my sick-covered school uniform and ripped tights from falling over.

A man stopped me and forced me to sit on a step while he called the police. I remember I was trying to make it to the park to go and sleep on a bench. I'll always be grateful to that man as the day could have ended very differently.

On an icy morning driving on the back roads out in the country to work I skidded off the road into a nearby field. A lovely lady stopped to see if I was ok. She then gave me a lift to the garage in the next town where I could get a cuppa and use the loo.

And not me, but many years ago my grandma was down visiting and mum took us all to the beach. My then 5 year old brother was playing at the waters edge and all of a sudden was dragged in to the sea by a freak wave. If it hadn’t been for a lovely kind and fully clothed chap quickly darting into the sea to rescue him before he got washed out he’d likely not be here now. We often thought and spoke about his actions and it will never be forgotten.

When we were ill with Covid, we were really struggling as we had no family locally, and no friends who could help us. A local family delivered a massive load of food for us. We were so grateful.

I fell over in the street, really hurting my shin. A student lad (university town) on a skateboard stopped and helped me up. Offered to go and buy me a sweet tea for being in shock, bless his heart.

I had just picked the dc up from school and the car broke down. A man came out of his house and asked did the dc want to go in and watch cartoons and have a snack while I waited for the AA?. They didn't but what a nice thought. He said he had a dw and she was lovely!!
Once broke down abroad and within an hour our car was in a garage and the caravan was pitched at our booked site.
A neighbouring camper went and got us some groceries too!!

Really lovely thread. I have a few:

1. It was a really hot day so I left the car partially on with the aircon on. It killed the battery and this man who had parked up next to me asked if I needed help. He told me to buy some jumpstart cables and then he used his car to jumpstart mine. I was so grateful. I will never forget his kindness.

2. I had just left my laptop on the train so I was bawling at the train station and this woman approached me and gave me a tissue and asked if there was anything she could do. It was rush hour and there were so many people walking past me and staring, so it really meant a lot that someone would just ask if i was ok

3. When I was about 9 at Disney Land, I got stuck in a sort of one way path away from my family. There was no way to go back and this man could see how panicked my mum was getting, so he just lifted me over back to my family. I was so young but i’ll never forget his kindness

People can be really amazing!

A few years ago, I was driving my DS3 from the south coast to Minehead. I had a massive sat nav fail (it lost signal) and I ended up going round in circles on single track country lanes with not a clue where I was. I happened to find a cottage in the middle of nowhere where a man was out front chatting to two others. I stopped to ask for directions. He was going to give me a map, but when he couldn't find one, he got in his car and lead me back to the main road. It was miles. I was so grateful as it was getting dark and DS tired and grumpy.

Gave birth alone and very vulnerable, a nurse ( who I had struck up some rapport with) dashed back in ( when she was not on shift) held my hand and demanded I have an epidural ( which I had requested but been denied) epidural happened, distressed baby delivered, distressed young mum not as distressed as she could have been. Student doctor Steve was also awesome when I vomited down his crisp white shirt and silk tie, smiled, held my hair back and ignored the complete mess I had made of him and got busy with trying to clear me and the floor up. Never got to say thank you to Julie or Steve from Burton hospital,. Julie stayed to see me stitched up, and when I was shivering uncontrollably ( hot July afternoon) probably from shock, demanded tea, toast and a bloody huge blanket for me and my son.

20 odd years later you are both very remembered!

Standing in a downpour,lady comes over with an umbrella and puts it over my head.

I was in a charity shop, queuing to buy a small item that I really, really wanted. It was £1.50.
I presented my card and was told it was cash only for anything under £10. I hasn't realised so obviously said I'd pop the item back as I had no cash on me at all....

A lovely lady a few spaces behind me handed me £1.50 and is listed that I bought the item as 'it's all going to the charity anyway'.

It was years ago but has really stuck with me

When I was heavily pregnant with a bag full of books to mark, a lady carried it all the way down the road for me

After a night out I realised I was being followed home by a man. Dodgy part of London, tried crossing roads etc but nope still following me. Popped into a barbershop (at about 1am!) and three massive blokes went out to give him short shrift. Their girlfriends came out the back of the shop and walked me home. I could have cried with relief.

Winter of 2009/2010 and we had thick snow and below zero temps for what seemed like weeks. DS was just a few months old and I was a bit emotionally wobbly to say the least. I took him out in the pram to do a bit of shopping and got stuck - couldn't move forwards or back. I just burst into tears. Two men stopped, asked me where I wanted to be, and then carried the pram aloft with my ds in it across the road to the shops.

I still had to get home, mind you, but the gesture was so appreciated. and Stokke prams don't work in the snow

A few years back I somehow forgot my money, or I was short of money as I was at the checkout. A kind lady paid for my shopping. It wasn't a big shop, must have been up to £5, but she was a complete stranger and I was really grateful.

I have had many, but two have stuck in my memory as they happened during the most horrible period of my life.

1. While going through the divorce I was still living with my emotionally abusive stbx. One Sunday I decided to take my DS for a day trip to London, which resulted in massive argument with stbx who believed he had a monopoly for doing fun things with DCs, and I was basically a live in maid.

We went anyway, but I was feeling very low. At the station a man, who was purchasing a weekly travel card for the following week, handed me his current one, which was still valid that day. It really lifted my mood.

1. When the house sale was finally completed after the divorce, I drove to the estate agents to pick the keys to my new home.

I was an emotional wreck as the previous weeks had been horrendous with xh messing me around changing the exchange dates, threatening to pull out of the sale, becoming physically threatening (still living together till the completion). I also had been up since 6 am the previous day, working and then frantically trying to finish packing, as due to xh messing me around with the dates, there was very little time to do the packing. As I parked outside the EA, my car filled to the brim with our belongings and me looking a total mess, an elderly lady approached me. I was sure that she was going to complain about my car being parked too close to hers. Instead she said “your car is sticking out quite a bit, let me guide you as you move it forward”. It was a small gesture, but it felt like symbolic end of the horrible times, and a start of better future.