Kind, generous acts. Have you done/made one?

[cjt110]

I was wondering about what acts, gestures or otherwise have people done, at little or no cost/benefit to themselves to make others smile or feel happy. This came off the back of a thread where a complete stranger complimented someone on a dress they were trying on in a shop.

I know I often comment to colleagues if they are wearing something nice - a nice top or otherwise.

I've given someone my trolley token at the supermarket - they needed one and had no change.

I donate blood.

And having gestures done to/for me?

Someone paid for my shopping when I had forgotten my card and my toddler son was hysterical that we were leaving "our" stuff behind. At the weekend, I had gotten DS into a trolley at the supermarket then realised I'd left my bag in the car. The layout of the carpark would have made taking him in the trolley back to the car would have been a pain in the arse. I was trying to lift him out of the seat of the trolley and a lady offered to help. I said "Actually, I need to nip to the car for my bag (you could see it from where we were) would I be able to grab it and you watch him?" She very kindly did. Made it far easier for me.

So... over to you... What have you had done to you, or have you done to others?

Don't most of us do random acts of kindness for others all the time? I'd say so, based on my life experiences so far - both doing and benefitting from them.

Don't get rid of the thread OP. It's nice. Kindness should be encouraged more. We never hear much about it.

If I see someone who genuinely looks like they are living rough on the street i'l but them some things.
I bought some cans of coke, water and food and gave a homeless guy a couple of my cigarettes and i got praise from a group of lads nearby. I didn't do it for that reason though times are hard. If I see someone like that I will never offer money but I will offer them food and drink and a cig if they smoke / If I have one on me.

I say 'genuine' because there's been a few cases where I live - where people have been found out to be successful businessmen / businesswomen with houses, cars etc. Begging in the street for a quick cash scheme. My friends dished out sandwiches around the streets in London once and got refused by several people staying that they only wanted money.
I don't think it's acceptable because there are people who are genuinely going through hell and living rough.

I was in Solihull the other week and there was a girl sitting there begging, I was going to buy her some food and drink but she was pretending to be asleep, cracking her eye and staring at me, biggest thing that put me off is she had a full face of makeup that looked better than my attempt that morning. If she can afford products / applied it that well she obviously had some place to go and wasn't so hard done by. To me it seemed she might be getting money for a night out around the town or something.

I love this thread, hope it does not get pulled. Makes me want to be a better person. People are not bragging. If they were telling people in RL about all their good deeds, that would be bragging. OP just asked for examples. So much negativity and bad stuff in life, nice to have an uplifting thread. Hope the mods ignore the request to kill the thread.

Actually I hope this thread encourages people to help. We live in a world where helping strangers is not the done thing and we are too scared to reach put if we see someone is struggling.

Well done OP! Someone once paid for my mum's weekly shop. I was 11 and she was a single mum on low income and no support from my dad. I have always tried to help where I can as a consequence.

liquidrevolution Yes,. I suppose it has evolved into showing people that there are things you can do out there to make a difference.

When clearing out my mum’s house after she died we didn’t know what to do with a very specific piece of hobby equipment worth about £1000.

We contacted a local college to see if a student might be able to use it and found someone who was desperate for it but couldn’t afford to buy one. We decided to give it to her for free.

She said she had prayed to God to help her resolve her situation and was utterly overwhelmed that He had provided! I’m not even religious but even I was a bit tearful at that idea.

She decided to make a long standing donation to a charity in my mum’s honour.

I don't get the posters dissing this thread. I think it's heartwarming and also makes us think a bit about what we could be doing.

As for the "keep quiet about your good deeds" principle... well, yes, in real life. But this is an anonymous forum. Not really the same thing.

MyRelationshipIsWeird How lovely. May I ask what the equipment was - I'm very curious now!

I also create bespoke items for a living. On Facebook someone in India shared my work in a group they belonged to and I got lots of orders from it. I thanked him and he said he was happy to help spread the word as he loved my work, and wished that he could afford one himself. I decided that I would make him and his kids one each as a thank you. He was so chuffed and still keeps in touch years later with nice messages and just saying he’s thinking of me. That warms my heart. He recently sent me a t shirt with the same design on it too, so has felt the urge to reciprocate with a kind gesture of his own.

Wasn’t going to say as it’s quite an outing story for anyone who knew me well at the time, but I think I give enough away anyway so should prob give up with the attempt at anonymity! It was a kiln.

I love these threads! They make me feel all soppy but also give me ideas of things that help.

I helped a young lad change his tyre. He lived in Cornwall but worked near me and would go home to his gf on the weekends.

As I was helping him I said that his dad should have taught him how to do it and then he told me that his dad had left when he was little. God I felt so guilty but he was very sweet about it! I made him promise that if he ever have children to teach them how to change a tyre, it's an essential skill!!

MyRelationshipIsWeird I was thinking along the right lines then as I thought a throwing wheel :)

Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth cars were unreliable and often breaking down, suffering punctures etc. So running such old bangers I always had a toolkit in the car and often stopped to help those broken down at the side of the road. Many jump starts for flat batteries. Several epic journeys with a broken down stranger's car on the end of my towrope.

It was simply what one did back then.

Funniest though was when friend and I had been to collect a spare engine and gearbox. Engine in boot, gearbox on back seat with all the tools we had brought to remove them from the old car.

Stopped at a motorway services and noticed an elderly lady looking forlornly at her car. The same make of car as ours.
Asked if we could help and got a garbled explanation of her problem. Asked for the keys, drove it around the carpark and diagnosed that the clutch was slipping and as she didn't understand she had been driving for miles like that. It was now effectively undrivable.

Don't worry we said - go and have a coffee and we'll sort it for.

About 2 hours later we had removed clutch and flywheel from the spare engine, removed her gearbox, replaced clutch and flywheel, replaced gearbox and all good as new. We were practiced at this and cars were simple things back then!

Obviously she tried to press money on this pair of now grubby engineering undergrads. Equally obviously we declined.

As she got behind the wheel to drive off she came out with the immortal phrase 'Tell me, do you always have a spare engine in the boot?'.

GrumpyOlderBloke I like that.

I saw a car with it's hazards on this morning en route to work, at the brow of the hill. Owner sat, sensibly, a good few feet away on the banking sunning herself. I did wonder should I stop and ask if she's ok but decided I'd only look a muppet

We had a Year Six fund raiser on the playground on Wednesday, just selling little things the Year Six children had made. One girl was really upset because her Mum had forgotten about it and had no money with her, Another little girl gave her half of her own money so that they could both buy things. I thought that was lovely.

"Telling the world about your good deeds is bad form and pretty much eradicates any good karma coming your way. Do good by stealth."

But we're not telling the world, this is an anonymous forum. Nobody knows who we are. I've never mentioned these things IRL or online where I can be identified, such as FB.

These threads help restore my faith in people. I've encountered a number of pretty awful people recently, and it gets me down.
This thread has cheered me right up.

Biggest one was instigated by Dh, some years ago.

On a business trip flight from Egypt, he got talking to an elderly Egyptian lady who was going on to Canada - but their flight was delayed and she missed her connection - next was not until the following day.

She was in a right old tizz about what to do - apparently not well off - so Dh phoned to say he was bringing her home to stay the night - we aren't far from Heathrow - and would I take her to the airport tomorrow?

Not a lot of skin off our noses, but she was overwhelmingly grateful.

This is a lovely thread.
My son(10) asked this morning if he could take an extra snack for break time, obviously I asked him why he'd need 2 snacks? He told me his friend in his class says his mum can't afford to buy snack at school and they don't have enough food in at home, so he wants to bring him in a snack every day so his friend doesnt get hungry. This melted me this morning and my son took his friend a snack

In 2011 my dh was trying to get home for Christmas from the states. There had been a volcano erupting in Iceland and we had terrible snow.

I was going to pick up my sons from unis but got caught in the snow. They were trying to get trains home but one son didn’t have enough money. I rushed to the bank making it just as they were closing at middday Christmas Eve.

The lady said they were closed and I just broke down. It had been a terrible year for us. She brought me into the bank. Fired up her computer and sorted the money to my sons account. She also made me a cuppa.

Such kindness. I emailed the manager and she got an excellent customer service tick on her next review.

We are now friends. Thankyou nationwide.

They all made it home for Christmas Day

Just remembered and would like to share...

My parents arent particuarly well off so can't make food bank donations - they have been in a position where they have had to use them for their own food in the past.

Christmas day last year my parents volunteered at the local mission. They did almost a full day there helping with food, presents and general cleaning etc. Makes me so proud they're mine

Someone anonymously donated bone marrow which saved my mum's life.

Someone stopped me in the street, to tell me how lovely my outfit was - I am very overweight, and have huge self-esteem issues, and was trying out a new outfit, and her comment made my day.

I stopped yesterday, and gave an elderly gent a lift - he was obviously struggling to walk, along a country road, so I picked him up. It turned out he was walking to a dentist's appointment - about 3 miles away - I am not sure he'd have made it. I remember all the times I was given a lift by friends, when I didn't drive, and I am glad to have the chance now to pay that forward.

I have never used a foodbank, and on one level, I am appalled that they even exist - it is horrifying that the need for them is there, but on the other hand, it is so uplifting to know how generous people are. If we do the weekly shop in person (rather than online) I tend to fill a bag for the food bank, and I try to put in some basics - food that can be eaten cold if the person has no way to heat things, some non food essentials like sanitary towels and tampons, and some treats - because I think that something that will lift someone's spirits for a few moments is almost as essential as nutrition.

How is it bragging on an anonymous forum

I always look out for the opportunity to be kind, it makes my day.

I usually buy something for the food bank in every big shop.

I sold my baby cot online but the girl who came to pick up was heavily pregnant and in financial difficulty having left the father. I gave her all the equipment I no longer needed, some old onesies and baby toys. She was in tears when she left.

I buy homeless people a meal if I'm going to the shops for one, and always make sure I ask what drinks etc they'd like. I add a few non perishable food items in the bag.