What is the kindest thing a stanger has done for you?

[grannyinapram]

I'll start-

When I had my first baby I used to avoid going to my local shop because the door was really heavy and I always struggled to push the pram through it.
One night I was walking with the pram toward the big heavy door, then a little girl got out of a car in the car park and she ran over and opened the door for me. Then she ran back to the car! She wasn't close either, she came all the way Iver just for me.
Beautifully kind little girl.

Another time I was walking with my baby and my toddler in the rain, it came down heavy and we were all soaked (except baby with the rain cover)
someone stopped their car and offered me their umbrella. They couldn't tell because my face was soaked but I shed a tear. Wonderful lady.

Another time it was quite the opposite- it was a boiling hot summers day and I was walking with my then about 1 year old in the pram again. he was crying because it was hot. We walked past a hand car wash place and the man washing the car sprayed the hose into the air and gave us a lovely cooling down.

I'm sure I have many more but those are the ones I remember most.

Phoned me when I was very suicidal . Made me laugh out loud . At the time I hadn’t smiled or laughed for weeks .

Rang me again morning and night for seven days to check I was OK .

Ten years on I send her a Mother’s Day card and count her as one of my closest friends .

Cut up my cheese on toast! I had a baby feeding and wriggling, so they wouldn't he still enough to feed one handed let alone zero handed. I was really hungry (she may have even heard my tummy growling) desparingly looking at my toast getting cold (It was a bit messy) child started to be less fidgety so I tried and failed to take a bite. She turned round from her table and said something like I'll get that. She cut it up while chatting about her daughter who had also just had a baby. How great it was to be of use to someone as her daughter was in another country. She sat and chatted like we were old friends. So I managed hot toast and a drink. I was so stunned (and new mum tired) I didn't even ask her name! Honestly she was so natural I just knew she'd have done anything really. No fuss. Like the grinch I think my heart grew a bit.
Once when I was very ill and in lots of pain I fainted in (weirdly the same shop) obviously there were first raiders running around getting me water and sat up etc but another lady (with her husband) took me to the cafe bought me tea and toast. I did get her name. So lovely. She even helped me pop my pills out of the packet as I was too shaky to do it and called my husband. They sat with me til he came. Quietly chatting.

I had a crash on my way home from work one afternoon, a woman ran over from the petrol garage and made sure I was okay, even gave me a hug, the guy behind jumped out of his car and did everything he could, even though he had kids with him! And a guy towed my car home for free and would take any money. So so grateful!

I was also sick on a train once, was really ill but don't know why, an elderly lady gave me a bag and some tissue and a guy gave me a bottle of water and helped me off the train at next stop.

Do love kind people!

When I visited my mum in hospital last year, I realised I had no change for the car park meter. After calling my sisters who didn't have any either (and had already gone inside), I was having a bit of a faff in the car trying to magic some coins when a man kindly offered me the money, and refused the five pound note I offered.
Not a huge amount of money but meant a lot at the time.

I went to my local hospital’s walk-in early pregnancy unit for a check up as I suspected I was losing my longed for pregnancy to miscarriage (which turned out to be the case). The receptionist asked me to complete a form with my personal details and then wait in the waiting area. The area was huge and for outpatients for lots of different departments, there must have been approx. 200 people there.

I sat there getting more and more anxious when I saw the receptionist enter the area and scan around. Eventually, she made her way over to me. She bent down and whispered ‘happy birthday’ in my ear then left (she clocked it from my date of birth on the form).

Such a small gesture but it meant the world to me and I’ll never forget it.

This is really a kindness karma story:

I was at a bus stop next to a shop on a rainy day, it was packed and everyone was miserable waiting for the bus that just wasnt showing up. A guy came out of the shop and slipped on a crisp packet and fell heavily onto his back. Everyone at the bus stop turned and looked at him, some people sniggered or laughed outright, but I was the only person that did anything - I ran over to see if he was ok. He was, but very embarrassed, so thanked me and rushed off.

Weeks later it was a swelteringly hot day and I was on a totally packed bus feeling really poorly and like I was about to faint. Someone touched my elbow and said 'excuse me, please take my seat here!'. It was the same guy, and he sweetly wouldn't take no for an answer.

What goes around comes around, at least sometimes!

[quote MacbookHo]@MillieVanilla -- Do you ever think that woman might have been your guardian angel? I think she was.

When my DS was about 2, he fell out of a supermarket trolley, bumped his head, and was hysterical. I was crap - just crying, being helpless - and a woman suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. She took DS from me, talked to him, and just kept rubbing, rubbing, rubbing the back of his he'd where he'd hit it. Eventually she told me he'd be OK, but to take him to A&E just for reassurance. Then she vanished.

On my way out of the supermarket, something on the floor caught my eye. It was a shiny coin with an angel carved into it. Da-da-DA.

In A&E, they said he was fine and there wasn't even the tiniest bump on his head.

I really believe that woman was his guardian angel. I had the coin cast in silver and put on a chain, to protect him. :)[/quote]
D'you know it's never occurred to me.
She no doubt saved my life that day, I had planned it down to the last degree but minus a lady seeing and stopping me. I even remember thinking that because of the rain less people would be around too.

Had sex with me.

Paid my parking in the hospital carpark when I was having a meltdown because I didn't have change. DH in icu and my mind was all over the place. He wouldn't accept the note in exchange

One thing that has stuck with me was the nurse who cared for me during a nasty missed miscarriage that required a hospital stay.

I guess it's not shocking that a nurse would be caring but this woman was so much more than that. It was the most warming experience I have ever had in a medical environment.

I had been suffering fertility issues for years by that point and this lady talked to me about it for ages, gave me a huge cuddle, got on the phone to another department who I'd been waiting for an appointment with for ages for more tests and chased them up (got an appointment within a week after that), checked up on me afterward, asked me to let her know how the appointment went she'd chased for me.

She was the kindest person I think I've ever met, she couldn't have been in a more suited profession. It was the worst time of my life but this one nurse got me through it and had me laughing and smiling.

I was gutted when her shift was up and she was swapped for someone else!

I recently had my first baby and likely only given the issues I've had to go through and I keep thinking maybe I should send a little card to the ward to let her know and thank her for her kindness. Maybe she won't remember me but I definitely will remember her.

I use a walking stick, I don't often use public transport but on a couple of occasions I've been waiting for bus, seen a taxi and thought, "fuck it, I'm not waiting" I've had several taxi drivers refuse to take payment.

I'd also like to thank teenage girls. I have two nieces and over the years I have asked girls of around the same age to help me choose a present. Just random girls, when my nieces were younger I'd ask mum if it was OK to ask her dd for advice.

I know it's a little thing and no where on the scale of others but if you have dd who has helped a middle aged woman buy some earrings, or some make up, it was probably me.

I used to be a supply teacher, one lovely group of VI formers I'd taught for a couple of months bought me a card and a bottle of wine.

It was only after I got home I realised the only one old enough to buy wine was Muslim and wore hijab.

The cleaner on the post-natal ward after I had DD.

I could have thumped her the first time I met her - I'd delivered at 6 that morning after a 20 hour labour and traumatic birth and gone down to the ward just before 9. I was woken up two hours later to feed my baby (by someone who had not read my notes) and then the cleaner came into the bay with the hoover. (She told me later she'd decided not to get me out of bed - I replied she'd have got thumped for her troubles, and I've never resorted to violence in my life!!!).

Anyway, we went home the next day but returned the following day as DD had jaundice. I then saw a lot more of this cleaner. It was the next day I was there - she'd brought round breakfast, and discovered it was still on my tray when she came to collect the plates (hadn't had a chance to eat it). She promptly buttered and marmaladed my toast, and cut it up for me, so it would be easier for me to eat. She didn't have to do that, but it was so kind of her to do so.

@StrawberryFizz26

*tiersofaclown* OMG!! Thank god for that man

Indeed. 30+ years later and I still remember him so clearly and am so grateful he noticed and reacted as he did.

I also sit here now looking at that dog's distant descendent who is asleep in the bed beside me.

@PokeyPoker -- definitely send her a thank-you card including your lovely happy ending! It will make her day. And it's Christmas, so an even lovelier time of year to do it. xxxx

When DD was in very ill hospital and I had to hold it together but then cried in the cafe, two women looked after me and sat with me for a bit and gave me some tissues. It was just what I needed at the time, some other humans to be with me.

@PokeyPoker as a nurse I'd be over the moon to hear from you. When I have had a card or a note from a grateful patient it has stirred me on during the tough shifts.

I used to be homeless and a prostitute. One night I was attacked and left miles away from where I needed to be and two young men saw me crying at a bus stop. They took me and bought me coffee and food then drove me to where I had to be. Until then people walking by had either laughed because I was such a mess or offered me their change for my services.

The poet Maeve Brennan said, 'We are real only in moments ofkindness'.
So good to see so much of this 'realness' on this thread ❤️

Bump

@vampirethriller

I used to be homeless and a prostitute. One night I was attacked and left miles away from where I needed to be and two young men saw me crying at a bus stop. They took me and bought me coffee and food then drove me to where I had to be. Until then people walking by had either laughed because I was such a mess or offered me their change for my services.

I'm glad that the men helped you. I hope you are in a better place now. How shameful that people laughed when you were already crying.

Oh @vampirethriller I hope things have improved for you

@Bookworming and Bikingbear thank you, life is much better! I've got a flat and my dog and my daughter and it's heaven compared to then.

A man undid my petrol cap when it was stuck and I was panicking, having just passed my test aged 17.

I was lost in an airport in South America and couldn't get my phone to work to call my friend to find me. A lady saw me crying and called her boyfriend so he could speak English to me and find out what was wrong. He called my friend and told her where I was. She wrote down her address and email on a piece of paper and got her boyfriend to tell me that if I couldn't find my friend, she would put me up for the night at her house.

Luckily my friend found me from the directions. Always been grateful to the lady for helping me. I had been stuck for ages and was terrified by the time she helped me.

I used to use a handbag/rucksack as a nappy bag

Would leave it on the pram while we went to baby group. Would usually take my keys and purse with me

For some reason ...god knows why....i left it all on the pram

It was stolen (as it looked like a handbag)

Obviously the thieves were a bit pissed off as it was a nappy bag but they stole the money and cards and drove up a long road tossing the photos of my children and the little love notes out of their car window...driving license, the lot

A very very kind woman saw what they were doing, was curious about what they were throwing and she picked up every single card and photo.

I lost nothing of any personal value