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.

There are some beautiful stories on here and I am so sorry for all your losses 💐 💕

On a really hot day when I was heavily pregnant I had to queue up for a taxi at the train station. It was finally my turn and I was thankful as I was perspiring profusely and was getting a bit wobbly. Opened the door and was just about to put my stuff in when some guy walked around to the other side and steals my ride. I argued with him but he didn’t seem to care, neither did the taxi driver. I was almost in tears at this point.

Out of no where, some random guy comes into the car and literally drags this a-hole out on to the road. He drags him back on to the pavement and tells him to get the to back of the queue. The two then got into a physical fight. I try to stop them (from a safe distance) but the lovely man managed to turn around and tell me “just get in and go. He needs to be taught a lesson in manners”

He seemed to be winning the fight as the taxi drove off. I will always be grateful to that guy and can still vividly remember what he looked like and what he was wearing (he was a dishy red head in a beautiful suit, think Prince Harry 😍). The taxi driver didn’t get a tip as he would have easily overlooked that man jumping in ahead of me if I hadn’t have been assisted.

I firmly believe that for every dickhead in the world there is always someone lovely who will help you out.

@FestiveChristmasLights @ParkheadParadise I am so sorry.

Money was tight at the time but we managed a day out at the sea. Took all own food but treated DC to an icecream. Was on a pier. A seagull swept down and took it. Son only small and was a bit upset and scared. A lovely lady randomly gave him 10.00 to get another one and treat himself. He had a fantastic day after that but didnt risk another icecream until we on way home. I try and do kind things back.

I was diagnosed with bowel cancer 3 days before Christmas two years ago. We were leaving the hospital after the colonoscopy and my results and we were both in pieces. We were trying to work out what money we needed for the car park payment and this lovely man gave us the money. I don’t know who he was but haven’t forgotten his kindness, actually getting quite emotional typing this out.
This is a lovely idea for a thread in a difficult year, thank you 😊

DH (though we wasn't married then) had lost his job and the benefits office just kept saying I needed to support him on my wage. I had a 19 hour part time job at tesco, I did overtime when it became available but there wasn't much at the time. I was on around £650 a month, we lived together, renting a tiny one bedroom Council flat. Literally the only income was my £650.
I started my shifts at 6pm as I did the evening shift and so grabbed a few reduced bits of food before I started as it was all I could afford. Got to the till and my card was declined, I was so embarrassed, and obviously I was in my place of employment so couldn't cause I scene, I just said "really sorry, my card isn't working, I'll put it back before I start my shift," and the lovely lady who was standing behind me paid for it for me!
I'm still so grateful, it was only about £6 because I picked the cheapest things I could find, but still nice. I'll admit I cried.

When I was a student I went drinking in London and then took the national express back to Canterbury but fell asleep. Woke up in Dover at 3am with no idea what to do. Two women who were also on the bus took me back to their flat and fed me and looked up taxi numbers for me. I dread to think what would have happened if they hadn't done that, I was far too drunk to think of calling a taxi.

In the airport with my then toddler DD, queuing for our gate and she was tantrumming and I was struggling with our carry on bags and our winter coats that were too warm to wear in the airport and I just started crying because I was exhausted. A woman in front of me in the queue took DD and carried her for me, not minding DD's continuing tantrum.

When I was a naive new driver about 27 years ago, I ran out of petrol while driving through Richmond Park in South London. Someone stopped and asked if I'd run out of petrol and got a tank of petrol out of his car and poured it into my car. Kind man.

When my DD was about 6 months old (and in 12-18month clothing, so looked older) she didn't sleep. I was surviving on about 3 hours broken sleep per night and a 20 minute nap in the afternoon. I was beyond exhausted.

After a particularly bad night I was in a cafe breastfeeding DD and the delightful bitches on the next table were being vile and commenting on how breastfeeding was disgusting, shouldn't be allowed in public etc.

An old man as he was leaving stopped at the counter and had a long conversation with the staff, gesturing towards me and obviously making a point. By now I was in tears and just trying to get DD fed and get out of there.

The woman behind the counter came over and told the 2 women to shut up or leave. Then returned with a cup of tea, big slab of cake and a note from the gentleman which basically said what a brilliant job I was doing, how he hoped he hadn't upset me but seeing babies being fed took him back to when his children were small, how his now deceased wife would often stop and chat to young mums to encourage them and he hoped I enjoyed the tea and cake. The lady at the counter said he'd made a huge fuss about how the women had upset him and been rude before he left.

I often think kindly of him and try to do similar when I see mums struggling.

Cycling to work one day in the middle of winter,I hit some black ice and came off my bike.I struggled to get up,as my hip was badly bruised. Traffic carried on past me until a white van stopped and two youngish blokes got out. They asked where I was going,literally picked me up,bundled both me and my bike into their van and took me to work.
They wanted to take me home,such lovely lads.
Boss took one look at me and promptly took me home himself.

@FenellaMaxwell I don't know why but your co-workers going through their bags and desks to put together a care package for you really touched me. You have some great colleagues

I was going through the menopause and on the train home one day was very ill in a horrible dirty cramped toilet - huge period, cramps, throwing up, dizzy and head pounding. I managed to stay on to my home station and then just sat on a bench crying and unable to move. The lovely owner of the station cafe (which was closed - she was cashing up) brought me a bottle of water and a pack of tissues, sat with me and offered to call an ambulance. In the end I got myself together enough to drive home but her kindness was really welcome.

When I was 14 I made a really stupid decision to train hop to London from Leeds with my best friend. My Dad lived in London so we both figured we’d surprise him one weekend but we didn’t have £100 to cover the train fare so figured we’d train hop and hopefully get away with it. We stood in the doorway near the toilet for the whole journey and this rather eccentric middle aged woman joined us for most of the journey and started talking to us. She was doing yoga on the floor in the doorway of the train, it was rather weird. She wouldn’t tell us her name because she said she was ‘into some dodgy things’, she just looked like a 1960s hippy tbh.

Anyway when the conductor came and we didn’t have tickets he obviously fined us £100. We panicked a bit thinking fuck, how are we going to pay this. She gave us the £100, telling us to pass the favour on to someone one day. I still think back to her, we named her Annette for whatever reason.

All these stories are really making me feel happy, except of course the posters with sad stories, I'm so so sorry for everyone who had to go through hell. but I'm happy someone noticed and helped.
and @ im really really sorry about your daughter,

@ParkheadParadise
I’m so sorry for your dreadful loss and salute that gentleman for the dignified way he conducted himself .
God bless you and your family.

Also love the username 🍀

MadameBlobby

No not me on that occasion (especially with the lifeboat) but thank you to your husband, that must have been terrifying for her.

Park head paradise, I am so sorry for what happened to your daughter and subsequently your family. 💐

Just after I had my first baby and breastfeeding was failing badly

I asked dh to bring some bottles (they wouldn’t release us until they had seen me make a bottle) and dh didn’t have the money to buy them (we got paid the next day)

A woman on the bus over heard and gave dh £5 to buy a a two set of bottles.

Because of her kindness, I got to go home that day

When I was fourteen I was on a summer school in London alone and had my purse stolen on the third day of the two week course, with all my money in it. My parents up North didn't have a phone, so I was stuck. A woman overheard me being upset about it and gave me £30 which was enough to see me through the two weeks. It was so kind of her. I still remember her name, 30 years later.

@FestiveChristmasLights mine also, in SCBU 🖤.

Donated toys to a Christmas appeal. I was on the bones of my arse, with 3 littlies. Someone, who, I've no idea, contacted a local charity and they appeared at my door to drop off presents so my 3DC had something to open on Christmas morning. It's been over 20 years and I've never forgotten the kindness of those strangers and make a point of donating to Christmas charity appeals every year to help someone who's now in the situation I was then.

This thread has proved to me that in a world seemingly full of shit cunts, there are many many good uns as well....

Too many to count. At the worst time of my life, all my friends rallied round. I couldn't have asked for more.

@Justmuddlingalong
Aw that's a lovely Post
I've also been on the bones of my arse in the past when Dd1 was a baby.

I had a very sick child on a ship once, can't remember all of it as I've blocked it out but I remember a lovely Irish lady wiping my tears and hugging me. I felt so supported in that moment, when I'd felt so totally alone.
She was the only one to stop and ask. I'm so glad she did.

I was alone, travelling in a foreign country and due to an issue with my bank card was unable to access my money and was facing the prospect of a night on the streets until I could sort it out next day when banks opened. I was sat on a bench worrying and must have looked a bit upset. A nice lady sat down beside me and just said something like “are you ok?” - I told her what had happened and we had a long chat and at the end she said she wanted to pay for a nights accommodation for me - she walked me to an ATM and withdrew enough for me to stay at a hostel. I insisted she gave me her address so I could repay. She told me I didn’t need to and to just “pay it forward” if I met anyone in need in future. I was very touched by that but did send her a card after and included the cash!

Also a woman helped me pack my shopping when I had a newborn strapped to my chest. A small gesture but meant the world

I took my baby down to meet my mother and some friends in London once Lockdown 1 was lifted.

Went out to meet a friend at a cafe. Crossed the main road and said hi to the woman and her young son who I passed. A minute later I managed to fall over my feet and landed on the floor. My baby was in a front carrier but was absolutely fine. I had bleeding knees, a sore ankle and was incredibly embarrassed.

The lady I'd said hi to came running up and offered me a hand up (I refused as I could do it, but it was a lovely gesture considering Covid was still around). She tried to persuade me to let her take me to her home where she could patch me up but I refused as I was running late. She then made me sit down on a wall til I got my breath back, then insisted on walking down the road with me, all the while her son kept chatting to me telling me all about his brother. She checked where I was going and said she'd be along shortly. She then turned up with a bag of stuff from the pharmacy (gauze, sterile wash, sticky tape) so I could sort myself out, and wouldn't let me give her any money for it.

Such a lovely woman. I hope she has a great Christmas, she deserves it!