Someone was just very kind to me

[Sairelou]

I'm still feeling a bit emotional about it too!

I took DCs to Morrisons cafe as we needed a couple of bits on the way home from the park and they were getting hungry. I went to pay and my contactless card wasn't working I couldn't remember my PIN either and after a couple of tries I was getting really flustered and hoping the ground would swallow me up. Typically I had left my credit card at home and no cash on me. I went to get DS who was sitting down at a nearby table to leave (bracing myself for the inevitable tantrum, understandably!) and the gentleman behind me in the queue offered to pay for our lunch!

I've put something on my FB page and hoping to track him down so I can repay him and I will certainly do the same if I see anyone else in that situation (provided I can remember my sodding PIN).

I love threads like these, restores my faith in human kindness.

When I was pregnant with DC1, and prone to fainting a lot, I fainted on a tube train, I was very early stages so no pregnancy evident, but a very wonderful lady helped me off, gave me some water, then used my phone to ring DH and tell him what had happened, and she waited with me until I was sure I felt better. I probably made her very late for work but she was so wonderful.

I've left money in cash points half a dozen times. Every time, someone has called me back and given me the money - once this involved an older lady asking a young fit bloke to run after me as I'd got about 50 yards away.

The local GP receptionists are wonderful and help me fight through NHS bureaucracy to get care when I need it - a couple times in the last two years they've told me to just sit down and a doctor will see me in the next few minutes, saving me another trip to the A&E walk-in.

A friend lived with her violent partner. One night they were driving somewhere - he took her shoes to prevent her running away from the car. He stopped for petrol around 2am, long queue, and she legged it barefoot, with no idea where she was, eventually into residential streets. She met an elderly couple walking their dog, who took her home, gave her a bed, and she stayed about a week, as they helped her sort out admin and paid for new clothes and all sorts. They saved her life.

NotCitrus - thank you for posting as it has reminded me I'd forgotten all about my prescription and if I'd needed the medication without the new lot it wouldn't have been great.

I have three acts of kindness I'll never forget

One was simple my mil had chemo and was losing her hair. My hairdresser works in your own home and I asked would she mind doing my MIL's even though it's in an area she doesn't normally work. She immediately agreed and refused to accept payment as she won't take money off anyone for that cut. She's got a customer in me for life

The 2nd I was lucky enough to play a minor part in. Just after Christmas while working selling insurance I got a call from a lady who wanted to insure a brand new car, it was the first time she was getting insurance in her own policy and we had specific deals that meant I could get her a cheapish policy. She started crying down the phone to me explaining that her mum had died in the September but had arranged as one last christmas present that a new car be delivered to her door on Christmas eve with a bow on top. The car was a thank you for all the love and care she'd shown her mum when she was dying. I immediately started crying and applied every discount I could think of and my boss saw what was happening to me and came over to check when I explained what was happening she applied all her discounts. I still get a little weepy thinking of that woman on the phone.

The final one makes me so proud of my sister, She and her friends arranged for christmas presents to be under the tree of friends of hers whose mum had died just before Christmas. Nobody had anything prepared and instead of them having an empty living room on what was bound to be their worst christmas ever they came downstairs on Christmas eve to find presents under the tree. We found out from other people that she was the ringleader

I have one but it was kind of doing their job, however it stays with us and made me cry.

Our dd was around 14 month old and had gone from sofa surfing to flat out running within a day. We didn't realise she could suddenly run before she had grabbed my newly made black coffee and splashed it over herself. At the hospital we had called ahead and the receptionist in a&e took us straight to a side room to be seen immediately. We were so grateful. That's when dh realised that she was the same receptionist who had helped us 14 months earlier by taking us straight to a doctor when I started with pre eclampsia and had to be induced into labour. The midwives wouldn't see me and she went out of her way to make sure they took me in as I was 36.5 weeks pregnant. If it wasn't for her our baby may have died as the midwives didn't want me. Baby was born 2 days later at 37 weeks.

This thread is really lovely!

When I was at uni I got far too drunk on a night out, wandered off alone and got on the last bus home. I fell asleep and missed my stop. The bus driver woke me up at the end of the line and I was totally disorientated, no money left and no clue where I was. He asked me where I lived, drove me (in the bus) to my front door, woke me up again and waited while I found my key and let myself in!

Aged 20, I went back to uni to do my second year exams very shortly after my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I was so good at keeping on a happy act at home, but went back to my uni city and just fell apart. Went out for a walk around 1am on my own, ended up sitting against a wall in town and sobbing my heart out. A complete stranger, a few years older than me, walked past on his way home from the pub, then stopped and came back to me. Sat beside me, compared rubbish weekends, put his arm around me and just sat there. He gave me his number before I went home again. Save one other occasion in town, that was the only time I have ever met him in person. But we are still friends on FB 6 years later and it was so helpful that night.

On a very depressing note, just over two weeks ago I attempted to end my life in front of a train (or at least, very close to, I was around an inch away from the train). The driver sounded his horn and then stopped at the station, got out and came to find me. He said he couldn't let me just leave the station on my own, went back to the nearest carriage and asked to borrow a phone to call the police, begged me to let him call somebody to help. I was terrified that the train was delayed because of me, and he just told me he didn't care, it was late at night and there were very few people on the train anyway. He talked to me about having been a fireman and dealing with the aftermaths of suicides, and he was so compassionate and genuine, despite the trouble I had almost caused him. He managed to stall me there until almost when the police arrived, where I spent another two hours with two of the kindest, most caring and empathetic policemen I could have imagined.

This is such a depressing anecdote, so I do apologise! But the kindness from that train driver and from the two BTP officers was enough to save my life that night, and I do wish there was a way I could thank him.

Livness12 I'm so sorry to hear what you've been going through very recently in your life, and so glad that the kindness of strangers where there for you at your time of need. I hope you're in a better place and have the support you need
There are some true heros out there that don't even realise it.
Take good care of yourself xx

At Easter 2 years ago my DS was only a few months old and we'd had a difficult few weeks, with DS having been very suddenly taken poorly at 4 weeks old requiring emergency surgery and a hospital stay. I was exhausted and struggling to deal with everything that had gone on, as well as getting a hang of being a new mum. The sun was shining and I decided to take DS out for a little walk. I was singing 'You are my sunshine' to him as we walked along and he was happily gurgling away in his pram, as we passed a tiny church. A gentleman was taking a big box of daffodils into the church, presumably for the Easter service. He saw DS and I walking past, grabbed a little bunch of daffodils and gave them to me saying 'They are from the little one for you, to say thank you for being such a lovely mummy'. It was so unexpected and at a time I was feeling like I was on my knees with stress and exhaustion, and every time I looked at those flowers I got a real boost. Since then I have loved daffodils

I was back at work after the birth of my DS, first time away from him, he hadn't been taking expressed milk and I was desperately worried about him and just wanted to get home. I missed my flight and easyjet were making me pay £75 to change to the flight. I was in tears, exhausted and just wanted to get home to see my son. A lovely, lovely businessman was at the next desk, just handed over the cash to the counter girl and walked off, waving away my protests. I cried, a lot. I made it home for bedtime, and I've never forgotten his kindness.