Random strangers you remember fondly

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

Do you have people who you never really spoke to or knew, but they kinda made you smile and you still think about them years later?

Mine was a middle-aged guy I used to see at the gym, dad bod type but took his training VERY seriously. He used to coach himself, out loud, throughout his sessions: "just one more... that's it... YES" or "smashing it today, 2 more reps.....ONE MORE...UH!"

It sounds like it should be annoying but it was actually endearing, his total lack of self consciousness. I called him Encouragement Guy.

Do you have anyone you look back on?

I have remembered another, also from a train: I was in my early teens and on my way to a boarding school where I was bitterly unhappy, and a long-haired young American stopped to talk to me because he said he didn't like to see such a long face. He told me about how he was travelling around the world with his surf-board looking for the perfect wave (which at that time wasn't as unusual as it might sound) and the surfing in Cornwall was nearly but not quite what he had hoped for. He asked for my school address, and for the rest of the year he sent me very occasional postcards from different beaches around the world to cheer me up and (as he said) make the bullies jealous of me having an amazing boyfriend! That was a joke, obviously, but it did cheer me up on the journey and over the rest of my time at that school. Since he never had an address for me to write back to, I was never able to get in touch with him to thank him.

I’ve already posted this on here. But years ago when my son was about 2.5, he asked if he could get himself “ready” one morning. I said of course he could but to put on a jacket as we were going round to the village shop. So he did. Wee Micky Mouse cagoule and wellies.

We get a lot of dog walkers as we are at an entrance to a wood.

So off we went and met an older man with his dog.

My son couldn’t contain himself and shouted to the man “Mr, I got myself ready today” and he stopped, said “ well done wee man”, shook his wee hand and gave him 50p for “sweeties” to celebrate.

I will never forget that man and his kindness to my son.

'My' old ladies - two elderly women (80 ish I think when I first saw them, so they would be pushing 90 now) who used to go for a morning walk together in one of the villages I drive through on my way to work. I saw them pretty much every day around 7:30, rain or shine, and I used to worry about them if they missed a few days. They stopped during lockdown when we weren't allowed to meet people, and the first morning I saw them again I was so excited I texted my mum to tell her ! I haven't seen them for about a year now, I miss them and I really hope they're both ok😥

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime wow! How old was he in comparison to you at the time? Would you have liked to have got in touch with him when you were older?

I think maybe five or six years older, possibly between school and university sort of age (much like my brothers, in fact) and no: he never showed any interest in me getting in touch with him, and never made it possible, so I simply didn't think of it. I didn't even know his surname!

When we were very, very skint, I was a few pence short to pay for my groceries in Aldi. I literally was counting the money out at the till. The lady behind me made up the difference, a d said “I’ve been there too love”. I know she just wa Ted to get on, but I appreciated the recognition that it was t just me.

Ooh I remembers another one as I was walking down the road yesterday - a young woman who was walking downn the same road on the phone a few years ago, very animated, and shouted down the phone “BUT I JUST WANT TO SEND YOU SOME TURMERIC!”. Still wonder wtf that was about all these years later!

A man drove into me and started to blame me for the accident he caused. He was getting quite agitated when three men who'd been smoking outside the probation office came over and asked me if I was alright. One had to leave because he didn't want to be late for his appointment with the probation officer but the other two had already been in so stayed with me until the police came and took their witness statements.

I'm fascinated by this one

I was with my husband and our young children in McDonald's for a treat. Saw a man juggling 3 very young children (found out a bit later they were 3, 2 & 1 week) while trying to order at a screen. He was holding the baby but the other 2 just kept running off. He was visibly upset. After seeing this for a few minutes I got up and asked him if I could help him order. He immediately handed me the baby and picked up the 2 year old, and managed to order. I invited him to sit with us so he could eat and I offered to feed the baby. He explained that his wife was very ill in hospital and he wasn't coping very well. Once they had all eaten he was much calmer , and he was going to head home to wait for family to arrive to help with the children. I never even asked his name but I've never forgotten him and really hope his wife was ok.

I just remembered another one! I took my dog out for a walk while I had tradesmen in because he was a bit scared of all the banging, but I was 38 weeks pregnant and struggling to walk far, got to a field and was hit by Braxton Hicks and horrendous lightning crotch so squatted on the ground worrying I was about to go into labour in the fields! A lovely old man appeared, took my arm with one hand and my dog’s lead in the other and very slowly walked us home 🥰 my dog behaved beautifully for him because he must have sensed that he was a good man.

About 13 years ago, my husband was in the middle of a very long military deployment, and I was taking my 3 children to visit their grandparents in Spain. The kids were about 3 months, 5 yrs, and 7 yrs and we were on a packed flight, and the baby was screeching and wailing.

I set the older children up with colouring and snacks, and they were being perfect, but I had to spend the whole flight pacing up and down with the baby, singing Flower of Scotland quietly in her ear as the cadence seemed to calm her, but I was worried about getting in other people's way (and annoying them with the crap singing).

When we got off, as my bigger kids trooped off the plane, each carrying their own little rucksack, and I got off with the baby on my front and a backpack on my back, a lovely businessman in a suit helped me down the last couple of steps and quietly complimented the children's behaviour and told me I was doing well. I've never forgotten it as it made such a difference when I felt like I wasn't doing well at all.

When my DD was 15 months old I flew to see my sister in the US, and met two people I still remember now. The man sitting next to me on the plane had to put up with DD, who was actually very “good”, she was still breastfed,slept quite a bit but she still needed entertaining - he had children of his own.When the main meal came she was asleep and I was cuddling her,so he cut up my food for me so I could eat it one handed.
So kind.
At the airport changing for the connecting flight there was no help at all - at one point there were stairs, but I had DD, buggy and luggage. No lifts to be found, airport staff were 🤷🏼.Made it to a cafe, had food, DD spilt drink on floor,staff were unpleasant about that ( and yes, I did offer to clean it up!)
Rushed off to get our connecting flight, totally frazzled and looking lost when a guy in uniform stopped and asked me where I was going. I told him and he said that he was the pilot on that flight and basically took charge, carried my luggage,and got me across the airport to my boarding gate while being cheerful and friendly.
i’ve never forgotten him either.

I met an elderly man in airport departures, it was so busy and he asked nervously to sit at our table. It turns out he was travelling alone for that first time since his wife of 50 years had died. We spoke about their life and jobs each of them did. It transpired that I did the same job as his wife had (learning disability social worker) and the connection really gave him some joy. It's an interaction I will always remember fondly and I wonder how his holiday went.

Getting on a train heavily pregnant ( about 9months ) and standing in the middle of about 12 women. Looked like a WI outing

No one stood up
Everyone talked across me
A young guy sitting at a further end of the carriage with blue coloured hair and headphones on looked up from his book and apologised profusely for not seeing me straight away and gave me his seat.

I was on my way back from a meeting at a nunnery
I was designing them a chapel. I remember everyone of those lovely nuns too. They always made lemon drizzle cake for our meetings.
The first christening at their chapel was my son ❤️

I sprained my ankle staying in a hostel in Los Angeles. 2008. A kind Scottish woman from Inverness looked after me, made sure I had food and water. Made my life so much easier for her lovely help and support.

I was in Israel in the 90’s, in the height of bus bombings. I was leaving Jerusalem for Tel Aviv and whilst waiting for the bus to move caught the eye of a guy standing waiting outside. We both glanced a the same time. Looked away looked back and laughed. I had a butterfly belly and he beconned me to get off the bus. I didn’t do it but oh I wonder about him and what might have been haha. Once I was moving I actually started to get paranoid and think he was trying to tell me something and that there might be a bomb hidden on the bus so the butterflies soon disappeared but I still think of him when questions like this come up.

My final shout out is for
the guys working at Tottenham barbers, London

i tripped up on a paving slab whilst walking past and they rushed out to see if I was OK . They brought out a chair and a cup of tea for me.
The kindness of strangers 🙏

The first time we went out for dinner after having dc4…. We had a new born, 13 month old, 3 year old and a 9 year old. I was worried someone would start crying or having a tantrum. It wasn’t a relaxing evening at all 🤣 there was a table of women in their 60s near by and I could see a couple of them clearly talking about us.
On the way out one stopped next to me and said what a lovely family you have and what a great job you are doing. It meant so much. I was a worried bag of nerves and no one ever said things like that to me!

I’d been at work all day in new shoes and no tights/socks. By the journey home they’d rubbed my heels so badly they were bleeding and I was struggling to walk - they were so incredibly painful. As I got off the tube, a lady silently handed me a couple of plasters. I’ll never forget the kindness.

After A levels I was Inter-railling with best friend. On a party island. He had a bad accident. I wasn't there and didn't know about it. Someone from the bar had recognised him and in the morning came and found me on the campsite to tell me what had happened. We were able to get him back home okay.

Lovely thread! Many years later. Our son was born prematurely (1 month). He needed open heart surgery, which they wanted to do when he got to 2kg (4 lbs). I am quite a hardcore atheist, but it was incredibly comforting when the hospital priest came to us the night before the op and said she would pray for our child.

I have another one about my youngest son.
He loved Curry’s Cola.

For people outwith Scotland, it’s red and, along with its partner “Vimto” is, imo, better than irn bru.

So when he got his pocket money, he would go round to the village shop and get a 10p mix up and a bottle of Curry’s Cola.

I went to the shop every morning on my way to get the train to work and became friends with Ali, the owner.

Then my son was diagnosed with DT1. He was 11. It was awful. I couldn’t tell him he would get better if he took his medicine because he will always have it. It runs in my husband’s family.

So, my manager at work was great about it as he had a 3 year old daughter and a brother who were the same as it runs in his family too.

He gave me a couple of weeks off work to get my head around it and get used to the four injections a day etc. So, I didn’t go to the shop and neither did my son.

On my first day back, the shop owner asked me where I’d been and said he hadn’t seen my son either.

So I explained to him and said the one thing he was missing was his Curry’s cola.

Next day, I went to the shop and he ran into the back and brought out a CRATE of sugar free Curry’s cola 😭

He had got for my son and said it was free and to get my husband to pick it up after work.

Will never forget it.

When I was in France last year a young woman asked what I thought of the coat she had just bought at the flea market that morning. She wasn't sure about it she said but I told her it was perfect. That little friendly interaction made my holiday perfect as well.

There's an older woman, around 60 or so, and I seem to see her walking through town in various locations when I drive home from work, seemingly whatever the time. She has a long grey braid over her shoulder and seems to walk with a small smile.
Recently my DH told me whenever he goes on his runs, he keeps seeing an older woman who smiles at him every time wherever he goes. He described her and of course it was this lady!
Sounds ridiculous but both of us really appreciate seeing her now.