RE: Random Acts of Kindness (Full Version)

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VaguelyCurious -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 6:35:27 AM)

My $5 story? I was soaking wet and bedraggled and miserable waiting to catch a train home one day, so I went to get a hot chocolate. There was a super-duper special limited edition one advertised on the board in the shop, and I was grinning like crazy anticipating it. But when I got to the front and asked for it the barrista said they'd run out and he couldn't make it for me. I think my face must have fallen pretty badly, because he said 'it's ok, don't you worry' and ran around making me this amazing concoction with, like, *everything* in it - even choc chips, I think.

I was very, very grateful, and thanked him a lot. But it wasn't until I got on the train and glanced at the receipt that I realised he'd only charged me for a standard small hot chocolate, no extras.

And you know when something's so good that it distracts you from having wet feet? Which is quite something, because *nothing* disctracts me from having wet feet. Well, that's how good that hot chocolate was.

[:)]



pahunkboy -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 7:04:19 AM)

Not random- but -profound kindness:

In the 80s, When I was in essence homeless... a friends mom would pick me up- let me use her shower- do my laundry cook me a hamburger,  and send me on my way with $20.   She had to sneak to do this as her husband would have stopped it.
You have no idea how GOOD a hot shower felt- and hot food.  


I really miss her.  When I moved to PA,  I would send her $5-$10 here and there, as I then was working.  She said I did not have to- but I did have to.  I always felt like I never fully paid her back.  :-(



One Easter I surprised her, I showed up at her Church( Chicago) , she sang in the choir.  She was bubbling with happiness.

This was the mom of a guy I dated.   I still think about her.   She was truly an inspiration.    (RIP J.)



angelikaJ -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 7:17:12 AM)

In 1997 I was hired for a job but had no transportation.

So this guy who was close to 70 that I barely knew from an Al-Anon meeting I attended offered to give me a ride if I didn't have one.
Little did he know... .
Every day that I had work he would pick me up, take me to either the Al-Anon or open AA meeting, take me to lunch (he paid), drop me off at work and then pick me up at night when my shift ended. Every single day for over a year.



Phoenixpower -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 7:27:42 AM)

This wasnt a random act of kindness received but instead given....

2002 or 2003 a woman in her 60s or 70s drove into my car, when I left a parking place in front of the supermarket...she was very anxious and very apologetic as she (according to her) didn't see me coming, due to the way how the sun was in her way...

On her car was not much damage and it wasn't that much on mine either...because of which I did not bother to cause a fuss with letting her or my insurance know about it...even less as in my case my car was old and was known to be scrapped together in 2004 as it would not pass the tests anymore or it would be too expensive to do the necessary work, that it would pass those tests...so how much does it matter then to me if it received a few scratches and a little bump towards the end...so I told her that it is not a problem and she can just continue her journey...after all, shit happens at times....

I simply didn't see the point of raising any injurance fees for her when quite frankly it really didnt matter at that old car...my mum was astounished at my view but thats ok for me...I simply think it is important to stay realistic at times and not only look into "your rights"...



pahunkboy -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 7:33:28 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ

In 1997 I was hired for a job but had no transportation.

So this guy who was close to 70 that I barely knew from an Al-Anon meeting I attended offered to give me a ride if I didn't have one.
Little did he know... .
Every day that I had work he would pick me up, take me to either the Al-Anon or open AA meeting, take me to lunch (he paid), drop me off at work and then pick me up at night when my shift ended. Every single day for over a year.


A guardian angel here on earth- sounds like my post.   :-)



barelynangel -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 7:47:37 AM)

I have three stories to tell dealing with my car:

Okay, in all instances you have to remember that my Master taught me that dealing with the car is the "Man's Job" lol so i know NOTHING about cars not even how to change a tire. 

Anyway, my first story occured when i had just moved to Nashville area, didn't know anyone yet, and was driving home in the pooring rain in the cold (yes it sounds like a country song) around 830ish as i had to work late that night and my tire was making this awful noise so i pulled over on the express way and found my tire to be utterly flat.  I was standing in the rain in tears pretty much and was trying to call the tow people to help me when all of a sudden this car pulls up in front of mine and out jumps this guy and comes running over.  He took one look at the situation and asked me if i had a spare.  He started laughing at the panicked look i gave him and said -- open your trunk (which still had stuff in it i needed to bring in the house).  He UNLOADED my trunk and found i did have a spare and a jack!!  Wow, i didn't even know that.  He changed my tire for me, put the dead one in my trunk, gave me a number for a place to get a new one.  And when i tried to pay him, he said no, honey, if you had been my wife, i would have wanted someone to stop and help her.  I admit, i was amazed. 

The second story lol was about the police.  A girl hit my car and while we were making the report (AGAIN IN THE RAIN and a night i was working really late, AND it was a day i forgot my cell at home)  i inadvertently kept my foot on the brake in my car with it turned off.  So, when it was time to leave, i tried to start my car and it didn't start.  I had put my head on the steering wheel and just started crying (i was very tired and had one of my horrid headaches and was 2 miles from my house lol)  and as i was about to get out of my car and walk to the gas station to phone a friend, the cop who had taken the report was still there (which i didn't know).  I told him what was wrong and he said okay hold on.  Next thing i know, the CHIEF of Police was bringing out a jumpthingamobob lol to where we were.  He came on and they jumped my car with it.  I gave them all a smacking kiss on the cheek in gratitude and to this day send them cookies on the date of the accident.

Finally, the third story was again with my tire but this time regular work day, no rain lol.  I had pulled in to get gas at a gas station and when i was leaving someone pointed to my tire saying it was flat.  As i STILL can't change a tire, i went into the gas station to ask if anyone could help me change it.  No one at the gas station could but a woman said her husband would do it and he looked at my tire and said it wasn't just low on air probably had a leak.  They gave me the name of a place right up the street that they trusted and was really good and to tell them they sent me and to give me a discount on repairing the tire.  So i thanked them a lot and drove to this place.  15 minutes later the people pulled into the parking lot because they wanted to be sure i found it and got the discount.
Wow factor X3 for me.

angel



Phoenixpower -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 8:03:40 AM)

On the receiving end I do remember that my ex took over my life for a while in 2005...

I was low in mood for different reasons and was still far away from a stable life in the UK (stable meaning the right work balance between work and private life)...with his help in the background (if it would ever become necessary, though preferably not, if it can be avoided) I resigned my live-in job and survived mainly on escort work for the time being as well as some casual work for a different agency....which was a care job.

now...he realised at some point that I sleep rather long and then dont get that much done anymore....and for 8 or 9 weeks he called me every freaking morning (except sundays, where he gave me my peace) at 9am to check on me if I am up, how many applications did I do and if I received any response from my applications since the previous day when he called me...

jeeeesh did he get on my nerves with it...even when I knew that at the same time it felt nice that he cared about me getting back on track with my life, after having had a very bad year in 2004 which still didn't seem to leave me alone properly in 2005...due to - at that time - the economy being on its knees in Germany, which was my reason to return to the UK again for a while...I was just low low low...

Anyhow, after about 4-6 weeks he managed with his constant calling that my internal clock changed and that I woke up naturally early...not that I was pleased about that fact and that fact still haunts me these days....but its true...until now the last few days, I wasn't able to sleep long anymore since his permanent calling had started years ago...

Anyhow, I soon had my next job and my life kept improving for the years to come and whilst he and I didn't work out I was and remain grateful that I met him and that he is part of my life (no matter how much he does piss me off at times...) cause even when at times I felt that it would be ok to just stop to bother, at the same time I felt that there is no chance to stop to bother due to him keeping pulling me through that time...and him being as posh as he is, I never expected that he would have cared about me having been rather from the other end of the spectrum at that time....





slaveluci -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 8:23:53 AM)

I had ridden a Greyhound bus from WV to AR to visit Master right before Christmas (2006). I was on the bus back to WV and had everything carefully planned out as far as my nephew picking me up at the bus station at an approximate time, etc. Said bus station was between 1 and 1.5 hrs. from home so it's not like someone had to just come from down the street to get me. On top of that, I still had another connecting bus to get on about halfway there.

On the trip home, the bus driver stops at a station to pick up some folks and we should've been on our way quickly. I don't know what her problem was but we ended up sitting there for over an hour. There was no way we were going to get to the next station in time for me to make the connecting bus. I was traveling alone, upset about what I was going to do, sentimental due to the season and just having to leave Master and go 800 miles away and I was not doing well. I was on the verge of tears and basically a mess.

There was this 40'ish looking Mexican guy sitting beside me who really did not speak a lot of English. He spoke enough to understand what was wrong, though. He had been telling me earlier that he was riding from Florida to New York to get some immigration stuff settled. It's a long story but, basically, he was worried he was going to be deported. So here's this guy riding a bus from one end of the country to the other at Christmas, close to penniless, worried about being deported, sitting next to a tearful woman upset about missing the next bus. He gets off the bus when we stop at a gas station for a break, goes in the store and buys me a bottle of orange juice. He came back, presented it to me as the gift it was, and told me not to worry.

It brings tears to my eyes just typing it because it was so kind. He had all the problems in the world and was genuinely concerned about mine which - when compared to his - was nothing. I was so grateful for that. It really put things in perspective. I've never forgotten him all these years later and often wondered how he fared............luci



kiwisub12 -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 9:02:57 AM)

I have two to share - the first was many years ago, and i got word from New Zealand that my mum had a leaking cerebral aneurysm, and was going to require surgery. I am a nurse, and was well aware of the statistics regarding aneurysms and death and disability. My husband and i had just spent all our available cash in replacing plumbing in our house, and i was very upset because i couldn't afford to go home .

The ED where i worked knew what was going on, and behind my back they got the group of ED docs to agree to donate dollar for dollar the money they raised, to equal the money i would need to get me and my 7 month old to NZ for a month to care for my mum. I was completely overwhelmed and cried every day until i left . In one way, i hated the charity, but in another, i loved the care and concern they were expressing.

My second example is when my first Sir was dying of cancer, and we had to move back to my house, because i couldn't make two mortgage payments. The local bdsm group rallied around us, and helped me pack and move a whole house worth of stuff in a weekend. It was a godsend. There was no way I was going to be able to do it all by myself and they made a joyful job of it. I also had to clean my house - it was under five years of total neglect by my daughter and totally not fit to move a sick man into. The help I received from them was absolutely a gift of the goddess, and made a really hard move emotionally very easy.

Oh oh - i need to share a very easy act of kindness - today a lady I don't know told me i looked very pretty in my outfit. Made my day!




sunshinemiss -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 3:27:05 PM)

Wow.. This is a wonderful thread to read.  Thank you everybody!  Please keep sharing the goodness.... I've found that I'm remembering stuff as I read your words.

I was in 6th grade, and I had a rotten rotten day.  It was NOT raining.  (Wink)

But I was late for class - one building to the other, and I forgot my book and had to go to my locker and everything fell out, and I just sat down and cried.  I pulled it together, kind of scared to go to class.  I was a good girl, an even better student, and I was usually very serious.  My teacher was new - her first year teaching out of university.  I came in with red eyes I"m sure, and a load of books in my arms and asked her if I needed to go to the principal's office.  She took one look at me, and she sent me to my desk and told me to relax.  don't worry about it. 

It was one of the first truly kind things that happened to me, just to me, that made me feel visible.  I try to be that kind to my students and see them as the individuals they are. 

best,
sunshine



LinnaeaBorealis -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 4:05:41 PM)

After I moved to San Francisco all by myself, not knowing a soul there, I realized that the job I had accepted was the worst job I'd ever had in my whole life. So every day after work, I would take the bus to Ocean Beach & sit on the rocks & watch the waves & the sunset & the pelicans flying home for the night & cry until I couldn't cry anymore. And then I would walk a mile up the hill to my little apartment. I was filled with despair because I was all alone & had this really crappy job & couldn't figure out how to fix things. One evening I decided to treat myself to pizza & stopped at the pizza place on my way home. I ordered the pizza & sat at the one table to wait for it to be ready so I could carry it home. The man who owned the shop made the pizza & put it in the oven & turned around & saw me sitting dejectedly at the table, my face in my hands. He said, "It looks like you've had a pretty bad day." I replied, "The worst!" He then said, "Why don't you go home & put your feet up & relax & when your pizza's ready I'll bring it to you." That one act of kindness was enough to make me realize I was in the right place, I just had the wrong job & I started job hunting the next day, eventually getting the best job I've ever had in my life.

Back in 1979, my biker buddy was taking me up to a town north of Seattle to look at a bike he thought I might be interested in buying. Along the way, we had a blowout on the rear tire. He guided the bike safely to a stop on the shoulder & we proceeded to wait for someone to come along & help us. This man was the most even-tempered man I've ever met & we sat there on the side of the freeway for over 8 hours cracking jokes & making each other laugh. We talked about what we'd bring on our next trip & it got into the ridiculous. We had no food & there wasn't even a bush to pee behind. Several times during that 8 hours, police cars passed us by, not a one of them stopping to see if we needed help. At one point there was a cop on the overpass ahead of us having set up a radar trap. I actually went out into the freeway & jumped up & down & waved & hollered & danced because I figured that at least in jail there's a toilet.

Finally, as night was imminent, another biker stopped on his way home from work. He put some of that flat tire foam into Danny's tire & put me on the back of his bike & took us home with him. He introduced us to his wife, who set 2 more places at their dinner table, then they made us a pallet on the floor to sleep on. In the morning, they gave us coffee & breakfast & he took Danny into town to buy a new tire, helped him to put it on the bike & sent us on our way with a smile. I have no idea who those people were to this day, but I've never forgotten their kindness to us.



pahunkboy -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/3/2011 4:55:07 PM)

I have one in reverse..... so to speak.

The other day the neighbors were are the state park-- and in the creek they found (and ate) a freshly chilled water melon.

LMAO!!     I am sure it did not just fall there...



sunshinemiss -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/4/2011 2:01:38 AM)

Today, one of my students brought in some things for lunch for everybody!  There is only a ten minute break between classes, and a lot of students have no time for lunch.  I love that they are all so supportive of each other!



GreedyTop -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/4/2011 5:54:25 AM)

There have been quite a few from here on CM that have done extreme kindnesses for me.. you all know who you are.

There were the wonderful folks in Clyde, TX that could have taken advantage of me when my truck broke down (charging for and replacing my transmission, when all it needed was some torque bolts...  375.00 + labor, vs 75.00 total), and the lady who insisted on giving me $20.00 because I was the lady "whose truck was broke down".

Just yesterday, my former roomie (some of you may remember her from Orlando) called to discuss dates to come visit me... I missed her call because I was kinda trapped in the spare bedroom (digging through boxes trying to find the coin bank I had collected state quarters in, so that I could put gas in my car).  When I called her back I was laughing about being buried in all my stuff \, looking for those damned quarters.. next thing I know she's telling me to find a western  union.

a young teen, the other day, at the store saw my hands were full and just smiled and held the door open for me.  I was feeling pretty grumpy (for several reasons).. but that turned my day around.

I see homeless folks, and I try to remember to make eye contact and smile at them... ever since a lady thanked me and said it meant so much to feel like she had been SEEN.

I try to pay things forward as best I can.. financially is rarely an option, but if I am out and see someone who looks like they need a hand at doing something (i.e., the young mom at the grocery store pushing a cart with a toddler and an infant, an elder using a walker, cane or chair, trying to get through a push door, etc etc), I offer assistance, with a smile.

Sometimes, the offer is accepted, sometimes it isnt...but the SMILE I get back is ALWAYS there... 

It is amazing how something as little as an honest smile can make someone's day.



pahunkboy -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/4/2011 7:25:26 AM)

Sometimes I will clip roses from my garden,  put them in a jar that would be recycled and give them away when I am out and about.





sunshinemiss -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/4/2011 7:29:53 AM)

Oh PA, that's lovely!



pahunkboy -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/4/2011 7:44:38 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss

Oh PA, that's lovely!


Thanks Sunshine.   It also does not cost me a cent to do.    :-)  Unless I add an aspirin to the water.... 



Canaille -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/4/2011 7:46:28 AM)

I'd been taking every writing job that I could get for about a month, trying to save up enough for a brake job and summer camp for my daughter, on top of the regular bills. My ex noticed, and asked our daughter about it. When I got the regular check for child support, there was $200 extra, and a note telling me to spent what I'd saved up on something for myself.



pahunkboy -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/4/2011 8:34:17 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Canaille

I'd been taking every writing job that I could get for about a month, trying to save up enough for a brake job and summer camp for my daughter, on top of the regular bills. My ex noticed, and asked our daughter about it. When I got the regular check for child support, there was $200 extra, and a note telling me to spent what I'd saved up on something for myself.



That is sweet.   :-)



needlesandpins -> RE: Random Acts of Kindness (7/4/2011 9:59:38 AM)

when i first posted in here i hadn't really given the topic huge amounts of thought and posted something that just really sticks out. however, since thinking more about it i've had loads of people do amazing things for me surrounding my horses.

running a hosepipe for me to use their water instead of carting barrels.
asking for my number so they can call me if anything goes wrong, as they like to stroke them everyday as they pass by.
herding them back into the field after the bugga of a pony pushed the fencing down.
herding them back under a railway bridge in the middle of the night when the river threatened to flood and cut them off. it did flood and i could have lost them all.
in a different spot where the river flooded the first year i had the land (it hadn't flooded for decades) and while the mares were safe they didn't have much room. so the guy who owned the fishing ponds on the other side said we could put them there and made sure all people coming into fish closed the gates. he didn't charge me a penny and refused anything.
the railway board who closed two lines so that we could get machinery across to bury one of my mares who had suddenly callapsed in the field and had to be PTS. also the guy who arranged a digger for us, and the guy who owned the digger and wouldn't accept payment for it and his driver who also refused payment but gave up his sunday morning off to do the job.
at another field where one of my old girls laid down in the night and never got back up there was a guy digging footings out for a new house just down the road. he dropped everything and came straight away to bury her for us and wouldn't accept payment.
my friends who help me out when i'm stuck and need help.

the list is endless i guess. but where horses are concerned. well i'm well known for my work with horses who have serious issues as well as a show horse producer. some of the people who come to me for help do so but can't really afford to pay for help. they have usually bought the horse cheap because they have very little money and don't know any better. in those instances i don't charge for my time. i've loaded more horses at shows who refuse to go in than i can possibably remember. and where i can help others out i will do. i also held my friend's mare while she was PTS because both mum and daughter were too distraught to do it and would have upset the mare before anything else and the mare knew me very well. my friend was also with me when i lost my old stallion last year who i'd owned for 19 years and known from being concieved.

i think there are possibly loads of acts that are small but meaningful at the time that we actually forget after a time. hence why i do try and pass it forward be it something small or large.

needles



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