To start a thread about random acts of kindness

[AsIfIWish]

I was reading another thread about bad things that have happened to people and it's just really upset me and reminded me how horrible people can sometimes be (and have been, in my own past!).

But. I KNOW random acts of kindness happen all the time - will you tell me your stories as a tonic to me and anyone else struggling in any way?

I'll start... The other day a friend of mine was in A&E with her 18 month old who had had a temperature over 40. He was crying for literally 3.5 hours even though his temp had come down, as he was clearly still feeling grotty. She wasn't on her own but I guess looked like it as they had been put by themselves in a little side room (and her husband arrived much later and was sat in the main waiting room instead). A lady who had been sat in the main paediatric waiting room with her teenage son from before they arrived came up and offered to take my friend's DS for a bit to give her a break, since they had also been there about 4 hours already and weren't leaving any time soon. Friend didn't take the lady up on it as she could tell her DS was finally getting to the point where he might sleep, but she was so grateful for the offer and the fact that the lady wanted to let her know she wasn't alone. That lady had been there for hours too and was fed up, tired etc. too. She didn't have to offer and my friend was really touched by the gesture.

Not exactly random but my son's new headteacher met me on his first day at school and worked through every one of his worries and had them all addressed by midday that day. His previous school hadn't managed this in 2 years.

I came home and cried with relief. She was so so kind to us and continues to be.

I went to our local pet shop and got a selection of chews and some tins of puppy food. When I came to pay a bill had come out and I was now left short so I couldn't pay for the tins. The lady behind me paid for my tins (about £10). I did explain that I had tins left at home so he wouldn't starve but she said she'd had a bad day and it would make her so happy. I was so touched and grateful! I've done random acts of kindness myself, but to have it paid forward like this was amazing.

Waiting for a lift in John Lewis the other day and 2nd in the queue. When the lift finally came the people ahead of me turned to a lady who had just joined the queue and was a wheelchair user and offered her to go ahead. She recognised that my child is also in a wheelchair and turned to me and said "You first". Our wheelchair does look a bit like a sturdy buggy and people often don't realise what it is, a wheelchair, so we sometimes get abuse in blue badge spaces so her recognition meant a lot.

A silly one, but....a woman stopped me in the street the other day and said 'I've just got to tell you, you have the most amazing hair!'. I was well chuffed, we had a brief conversation and she said she'd decided to be positively positive and at least once a day say something nice that might make a small difference to someone (that sounds a bit sanctamonious writing it down but it didn't come across as that at all).
It really put a spring in my middle aged downtrodden step and I smiled for a good while after.

I'd gone to London on a work trip when I was 9 weeks pregnant, by the time I arrived at the hotel I felt oddly sore, an hour later I went to reception in agony feeling like I was being stabbed (turned out I had pregnancy related gall stones). I asked if they had any paracetamol but was sobbing by this point and they had to call an ambulance.

A lovely lady and her daughter sat with me and tried to calm me down, it was about half an hour for the ambulance and I was in agony and alone but they stayed and helped me feel much better and less alone.

They even offered to come to hospital with me which was absolutely above and beyond.

I obviously thanked them at the time (and did not make them come to the hospital) but wish I'd got their details to let them know that I was okay and it was twins!

I spent a few days in hospital but all was well but I think of them often as their kindness really helped.

I just remembered another one. I was a teenager and in the local town. I'd lost my purse and my reversed the charge to call my nan. She came to get me in a cab as she didn't drive. When we got back to her house, the black cab (outer London area) wouldn't take any money. Lovely of him.

@GeordieInGeordieland that made my eyes leak , such kindness, I hope you are in a better place now

My dd 11months had a extended seizure in a play centre we had visited whilst away from home, travelling by train.
An ambulance had been called and arrived quickly. We didn't know the local area/hospitals.

My mother, toddler ds and teen ds were with us, and were unsure how/where to follow us to the hospital. A lovely gentleman kindly offered to bring them as he explained they had a car with a car seat, he left his wife and children at the play centre and bought them to us. He even left his number in case we needed anything else.

It's only little but one thing that I really love is when you're in a p&d car park and someone runs at you behind the ticket wardens back to give you the leftovers on their ticket. These are really lovely to read.

My local community centre is putting on an OAPs Christmas lunch. They've asked for donations to pay forward £15 for the cost of the meal so they don't need to change the OAPs and have apparently raised ££££ with donations from all over the UK!

My Dad was in ICU and his life support was withdrawn, so we were all at the hospital with him. The dog had been alone all night so I went back to the house to sort her out. It was around 6 in the morning on a bank holiday morning. I got in a taxi outside and the driver asked if I had just finished work? I said no and explained about my Dad. When I got to the house he wouldn't take any money and said to buy my mum a coffee! Such a lovely man and a ray of sunshine during a few awful days!

Good thread. Mn is obsessed with what's the worst threads all the time. Why not the best?

We came across an elderly lady at the end of our road who's car had broken down. AA on the way. We offered her tea and use of our loo if she needed. She didn't but we told her our house number just in case she changed her mind.

A week later we got a beautiful postcard from her, saying Thankyou, telling us what was wrong with the car and just generally being lovely.

Nice all round I think

Years ago, when I was living I London, I fainted whilst standing on the tube- it was the Picccadilly line to Heathrow (I lived in Hounslow) and full of people on their way to the airport. I went down like a sack of spuds!

Two lovely German blokes got me into one of their seats and fanned me until we reached my stop, then got off with me and made me sit on a bench in the fresh air for a while until they ensured I was fit to go on my way. I don't know what time their flight was (I hope they didn't miss it) but they even suggested putting me in a cab and wanted to pay for it so I wouldn't have to walk home.

Some of these are really lovely. Definitely makes you feel better about life! I hope people keep adding to them 😊

My husband heard a lady on the radio talking about how her son with ADHD would not be able to afford his sports classes over the winter because of the cost of living crisis. He contacted the radio station and asked to be put in contact with the sports coach and has paid for the lad's sessions over the winter so they can carry on. Our son has recently been diagnosed with ADHD so we know how important it is that sports are kept up for children with this condition. He hasn't told anyone about it other than me, he's just a lovely caring person and I am so proud of him.

I was recently waiting at an open bus stop, when the next bus came along the driver said he wasn't going to where l had asked, but that he could drop me off at another bus stop and pick up the bus l needed from there, he didn't charge me, the other bus stop was a proper enclosed shelter as l had a long wait, l thought that was kind of him.

I was unexpectedly admitted to hospital from a clinic appointment. I had nothing with me and nobody to bring me anything. I had one of those very fetching hospital nighties with no back in and soap and Toothpaste from the ward.
Another lady in the same ward asked her mum to go and get me pyjamas, knickers, slippers and shower gel etc without telling me. I had loads of cash to pay her back but they refused.
It was lovely and I have never been so grateful

My grandad and 2 of his lady friends were out to lunch the other day, all in their 80s. Still very fit and active and having a lovely time. A lovely couple of a seemingly similar age to who they did not know or recognised, approached their table and offered them the £40 they had already paid for their lunch. The lady said she wanted to pick up the bill but it had already been paid so would they accept the cash instead. They didn't take it but we're very taken aback and heart warmed at the sentiment of a complete stranger, for no apparent reason!

A random lady that had seen my son and I on the bus on a regular basis tapped my shoulder one day and told me “I think you’re a brilliant mom”
made me feel amazing

Many years ago I was sobbing in my car at a service station and someone offered to get me a cup of tea. I turned him down and have felt sorry ever since that I didn’t accept his act of kindness.

I once paid for a an older lady’s petrol because her card wasn’t working. It was only £10, thought nothing of it. I went into the petrol station 2 months later and she’d left the money behind the counter for me.

Such a small thing, but I stopped at a cafe this morning for a coffee and the young woman who served me told me how much she liked my jumper. I'm in my 70s and it made my day!