to ask if a stranger has ever been kind to you?

[Penguinsarethebestest]

On the back of the negative thread of 'nasty to you'

Standing at the toilets at a station, bursting, no coins on me, about put a £20 note in the change machine that would had given me £19.70 all in coins. Nice random bloke pays the 30p for me to use the loo...

Student, broke, knackered, walking home up a big hill after a shift in late night takeaway 3 am, Cabbie stops, insists on giving me a free ride home the last mile and waits til I'm safely in door.

[Orangecake123]

I also gave a packet of tissues to a boy who I saw had throw up near the bus stop.

[GaraMedouar]

These have made me cry, so heartwarming.

[19lottie82]

Yes, I got a flat tyre and a man who I have to admit, looked a bit questionable, stopped and changed it for me. I tried to give him some money to get himself a couple of pints, but he wouldn’t accept it. He was an absolute diamond.

[Mintjulia]

As a 17 yo, I had an interview at a London college for a degree place. I had no money and my mum didn’t have the cash for a train ticket. I decide to try to fare dodge, got caught, explained (in tears) to the ticket inspector what was going on. He happened to be the dad of another girl at my school and insisted on paying my return fare, and refused any repayment once I’d saved it up.

I’ve never forgotten it.

[Royalbloo]

A foreign lorry driver got a MAHOOSIVE spider out of the car for me - I'll forever be in his debt.

He looked ok about it until he say how massive it was and then said..., "Is BIG!"

Thank you, you're my hero!

[MrsAvocet]

Some fabulous stories.
I can relate to yours 2020in2020 as I also have reason to be very grateful to someone who stopped when I was seriously injured in a road traffic collision some years ago. Not only did she call the emergency services, and my husband ,best friend and children's schools to ensure that they were safe (I was on the way to pick up) she stayed with me til the emergency services arrived. She couldn't do anything to help me get out or anything, but just having another human being close by made everything much more bearable. And possibly even more importantly than that, she gave a statement to the police and was prepared to come to court. She didn't have to in the end as the other driver changed his plea at the last minute but I was moved that a total stranger was prepared to put herself through a possibly very unpleasant experience to see justice done for someone she had never met before and has never seen since.

[RoLaren]

At the start of lockdown I tried to buy 4 small bottles of ready-made aptimil formula. The cashier said there was a two-bottle limit (no sign on shelf) I paid for two and walked back to my car when there was a shout and the man who had been standing behind me in the queue came running over. He had bought another two for me. What a guy!

[Ticktocklovelyclock]

19, students, me and mate missed our last train home from Victoria back to our uni town after we got overexcited about being in London for the day, in winter, and they started shutting up the station and chucked us out. So we’re wandering about outside trying to decide what to do ( pre- mobile phone/email days) we don’t know London, we’re broke so very little cash, neither of has enough money in our account to pay for a hotel, and it’s FREEZING cold.
We see this woman, ‘brassy’ my nan would have called her smoking outside what looks like a shitty, B&B. She looks us up and down then tells us we should get off home, not hanging around stations in the early hours. We tell her we missed the train. So she bundles us inside with a sigh and says she’s got a room for the night we can have for free, she’s not going to have our murder on her hands apparently... the place is properly run down, bit noisy - lots of coming and going, creaks, doors slamming but we’re so knackered and grateful for the room we sleep like logs in the end.
In the morning Of course we get the a good look at the ‘b&b’ and realise that we’ve spent the night in a brothel - or at least somewhere that the girls rent rooms by the hour in. Hence the noises all night.
So grateful for the madam/manager taking us in tho, I’m sure she saw all sorts of strays and runaways and she really didn’t have to give us a bed for the night.

[GervaseFen]

Queuing in the supermarket with baby DD probably looking tired out. Got chatting to lady in front who bought a bunch of daffodils and then gave them to me Made my day and still makes me happy.

[cultkid]

I've had a woman pull me into her arms and let me cry on her shoulder whilst my three year old had a tantrum in a resturaunt. I had only given birth 5 weeks before and I was so fragile

I've had a woman drive to my house in the middle of the night to bring me a pregnancy pillow for my back

I've driven to a lady's house when she was working and broke to deliver her food wine and toiletries when she had split up with her husband

I've dropped my sons nursery friends parents home when it rains


I think the kindest thing anyone ever did for me was my husband when he waited for me at university so I get through the lessons where I was bullied

[cultkid]

These posts are beautiful by the way

I have so many memories of wonderful things people have done for me and I feel
Reduced to tears

[looselegs]

Took the kids to school a few months ago, shoved a tenner in my back pocket for bread,milk and gas at the shop after I'd dropped them- my last bit of cash for 2 days. Must have pulled the cash out of my pocket when I pulled my phone out because I went to pay for my food and gas and it was gone. Pulled every pocket out- as you do, even though I knew it wasn't there- and the woman next to me in the shop stepped forward and told the shop assistant to add it into hers. I never even got her name.

[Gulabjamoon]

@MrsAvocet that’s lovely. That definitely makes me more conscious of looking to see if anyone needs help in an accident in future.

I was witness to aggressive road rage from a male driver to a female driver. No one got out of the cars but the woman was shaken up when the man eventually left (by mounting the pavement )

Afterwards she stopped her car next to mine and rolled her window down. I reassured her that she did nothing wrong and he was an arsehole. A tiny thing but it seemed to help her to have validation that someone witnessed that what he did was wrong.

[listsandbudgets]

Oh many times but this was perhaps the most memorable and I'm sure I've told this story before.

I was 18. I'd been feeling a bit ill.. headachy slightly nauseous and just wanted to go home so was walking gmtowards bus stop Without warning I was violently sick AND HAD massive dirreoah both at once..Of course it had to be summer so was wearing skirt and.t shirt..Vomktmall over me, shit flowing down my legs.

Understandably most folk steered clear but one man probably in his 60s stopped, gave me his hanky, took my arm and escorted me shit, vomit and all to public toilets and told me to go into a cubicle, clean up as best I could and wait..Ten minutes later a pack of wet wipes and a multipack of.M and S knickers and a pack of mints slid under the door, he said he hoped I was better soon and I never saw him again.

Never forgotten him, never been able to properly thank him.

[Ticktocklovelyclock]

Moved into a new house, pregnant, didn’t know anyone on the street. About a week after baby comes there’s a knock on the door and it’s a woman from the street who we don’t know. She announces that she’s from #81 and has been batch cooking all weekend and made some extra for us and handed over half a dozen meals! All free able.
She’d heard the baby had arrived and she remembered what it was like for her when her babies were born and thought we could do with some food. I could have kissed her.
We’ve done the same ourselves now for several other families now, passing it on..

[MazDazzle]

Late teens, flat tyre. No clue how to change it. A woman with small children in the back stopped and came to my rescue.

People always rush to help when I’m negotiating stairs with a buggy.

I have a watch which is of great sentimental value. I dropped it and the second hand came loose. A jeweller said it would have to be sent away and quoted me £250, which I couldn’t afford. I took it to a watch repair guy at a market stall who fixed it on the spot and didn’t charge me anything.

During lockdown I was queueing with my little boy to get into a supermarket. The guy in front of us handed him a tenner and told him to get himself a treat. It’s the sort of thing my late Dad would have done. Brought a tear to my eye.

[EmbarrassedUser]

Just had DS, he was maybe 4 weeks. I was perusing they pick and mix in Woolies and some bugger nicked my handbag off the back of my buggy when I had my back Turned for all of about 10 seconds. I was crying —as I couldn’t buy my pick and mix— as it was my bus fare and someone very kindly gave me £10 to get home 💕

[EmbarrassedUser]

Damn the strike through didn’t work (and no I didn’t buy the pick and mix as I needed nappies!)

[WokeJokeOpus]

DH and I lived 400 miles away from each other when we first met. After one stay with him I got on the train and although I wasn’t sobbing inconsolably I probably looked a bit upset. After the train pulled away and I looked stoically out of the window trying to get over how sad I felt, the elderly lady across the table leaned across and patted my hand. She said “one day you will be together and all this won’t matter”. She was right.

[MrsAvocet]

Reading other people's stories keeps reminding me of kind things people have done for me too. I've got a "kind B&B owner" one too - though mine actually was a B&B!
Back in the mid 80s, interrailing with 2 university friends we arrrived in Rome having taken the overnight train from Paris. (Never do this by the way, or at least if you do, don't economise by not booking a sleeper carriage.) It was mid August, excruciatingly hot and we were exhausted. We'd got whatever the book that was the interrailer's bible at the time and started looking for accomodation. I can't remember how many places we tried, but all full. Time was getting on and we were getting upset and panicky. We wearily climbed up another four flights of stairs and knocked on the door. Another no. We turned to go back down the stairs and o. ne of my friends began crying. We'd got to the first landing when the owner came running after us saying he had a room for 2 but the third could sleep on the floor. We bit his hand off. Half an hour later he appeared with a camp bed, bottles of cold water and a loaf of bread and would take no extra money. And in the evening he showed us the way to a tiny restaurant in the backstreets where nobody spoke a word of English and we had one of the best meals I have ever tasted - and I have eaten in some very famous restaurants since then. I'd forgotten all about that experience til now. He really was a genuinely kind man. We were lucky.

[ginghamstarfish]

Yes, thankfully there are a lot of good people, sometimes hard to remember. The one that stands out for me - I was living in a country famed for its hospitality and had many examples of this. One day I was exploring a new city on a weekend away, and it started snowing. I needed to buy boots, and asked a woman in the market where I could find a shoe shop (with my poor language skills). She took me to a shop, bargained with the owner on the price then invited me to go home with her for dinner. I agreed, and we took several buses to a very poor area. Her husband and children were as pleased as if I were the queen visiting. We ate dinner, and I suspected they went hungry to feed me but could not refuse. They refused all offers of help with clearing up etc, then were bustling about in another room. I was just about to say I must go back to my hostel, when they said they had changed their bed and lit the stove for me so I could stay the night. I was a bit taken aback, and said it was very kind but my roommate would be expecting me at the hostel. They were very disappointed, and I asked the husband if he could call me a taxi. They had no phone so he went off and came back with a taxi. I got in, with fond farewells all round, and just as we started to drive off he pressed money into the driver's hand. I burst into tears as we drove away .... I wished I could have repaid their kindness but they had no phone, and I would never be able to find their house again.

[sooveritalready]

Had food poisoning in Rome and threw up in a long taxi queue. Most people assumed I was drunk British lout but one kind American couple bought tissues and water to give to me and ordered a car from their hotel and dropped us back. Was very kind of them.

[HeeeeyDuggee]

A few times stick in my mind

Once not long after my ex left me and our baby so. I was in the usual commute to work/ nursery and realised I’d left my purse at home when the ticket man came round checking / selling tickets. He bought me my ticket with his own money so I wouldn’t get into trouble and said he’d seen me everyday since my boy was a tiny baby on the commute to work so didn’t want to see a good mum get into trouble. I paid him back the next day but that little tiny thing gave me faith that despite feeling like I was a rock bottom life wasn’t all bad.

When my dad died I Had to go to the Hospice to sort papers and collect his things. On the way home I wanted a hot chocolate because it was cold and I was a little in shock (he refused to let hospice contact and had hidden the full extent of his cancer from me so I didn’t know he was dying) the guy working the coffee stand saw I’d be crying i think because he gave me a large with cream and marshmallows even tho I only paid for a small

A close school / childhood friend died suddenly last year. I found out on the way to work but was in shock so carried on with my day. At lunch I walked to the shop to get some food and out on music. As I was walking back into work one of his favourite songs came on and suddenly I couldn’t stop the tears they were just streaming down my face. A woman who is never seen before caught my eye as it happened and she stopped put her arms around me and gave me a massive hug. She asked what was wrong so I explained. She was so kind to me even tho she had no idea who I was

[FanOfKindness]

This is such a nice thread. Isn't it lovely how kind acts stay with you forever, however "small" they are. Everything is so shit at the moment that it's such a pleasure to read this.

A complete stranger in a pub once saw that I was very upset and I ended up telling him about my partner, who was violent and wasn't letting me leave. I have never known exactly what Kind Stranger said or did to my partner but he finally let me leave and I got away from him. (Ex BF was actually really aggressive and dangerous so it was such a risky thing to do, especially for someone you didn't even know)

I saw Kind Stranger again in the same place and he was still so kind and lovely that I ended up marrying him He asked me to marry him even before the bruises had faded. He's still lovely and the kindest person I know and we have been together 30 years now. I often think how different my life would have been had we not met.

[Ticktocklovelyclock]

See, people really are mostly kind and good!