Ransom Riggs
The Kindness of Strangers
by Ransom Riggs - June 14, 2010 - 12:35 PM

I was out of town at a wedding last weekend, and when I got back, I found a strange thing on my doorstep — a bag with a bottle of wine in it, on which was written:

Leaving aside the fact that I wasn’t around to be annoyed by whatever driveway-blocking may have taken place over the weekend, I’d say that’s pretty much the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for me. A bottle of wine? I have to assume that the three other apartments in my building, who all share my driveway, found similar goodie bags on their doorsteps. What a gentleman (or woman)!

Let’s start the week off with some feel-good vibes: what’s the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

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Comments (234)

  1. One day a couple of months ago, I decided to stop by a Starbucks for a morning cup of coffee. When I go to the drive-thru window to pay, the lady said that they are having a Pass-It-On relay. The person in front of me paid for my drink and I would pay for the person behind me. Well I didn’t have a cheap order and all I paid for was the person’s order behind which came out to $2.50. I thought that was a great idea and it made my day.

    posted by Colene on 6-14-2010 at 12:43 pm

  2. One year for Valentine’s Day my then-boyfriend and I went to a pretty nice French restaurant. It was our first time in such a nice place and I’m sure we looked it. We were sitting next to a much older couple for most of the meal, and when it came time to pay, we learned that the other couple had payed for our main dishes and left. We were so touched that they would make that day even more special for a couple of broke high schoolers.

    posted by Gina on 6-14-2010 at 12:44 pm

  3. Colene: I haven’t heard pass-it-on, but I’ve had the person in front of me at a drivethru at Starbucks pay for my coffee. It has since become something I try to do at least once a month.

    posted by Susannah on 6-14-2010 at 12:49 pm

  4. When I was 8 or so, I got lost at a sand castle festival at the beach. I had been following close behind my mom, who was holding my younger sister’s hand, and just got separated from them. I promptly forgot everything I was supposed to do if I got lost (stay in one place, or find a policeman, etc) and took off running down the boardwalk to try to find them. I knew there was a Lost Kids booth, but I didn’t know where it was and I never asked anyone for help because I was afraid to talk to strangers.

    After half an hour, I was completely panicked and had no idea where I was. I sat down on the curb and started crying. A few minutes later, a woman and her husband stopped and asked me if was ok. They calmed me down and said they would help me find the lost kids area. Running toward my mom when we finally got there is the most vivid memory of my childhood.

    I have no idea who the people were, but I’ll always be grateful to them for helping me during the most terrifying hour of my life!

    posted by Christina on 6-14-2010 at 12:54 pm

  5. While honeymooning in Disneyworld, my husband and I ducked into a “pub” in the England park at Epcot to avoid the rain. We sat at the only empty table in the place, but noticed an older couple and their granddaughter come in from the rain looking for a place to sit. I offered to share our little table with them, and we had a really great conversation (funny thing was–they were actually from England.)The couple was very kind and bought my husband and I a drink to toast our marriage. It was one of the highlights of the whole trip.

    posted by Emilee on 6-14-2010 at 12:58 pm

  6. At 11 I was standing in the hallway of a hospital outside the ICU unti where my grandfather was. He had been on a ventalator and couldn’t talk but he kept mouthing the words ‘I want to go home’ I was so upset I had to leave his room. As I walked out in the hall I saw a group of 3 women and a man who had obviously just come from church. I didn’t want them to see me upset so I hurried past and hid behind a wall pillar. It didn’t work and before long the 3 women were huddled around me hugging me and letting me cry on their shoulders. I’m always moved to tears when I remember how concerned they were about a little girl crying in a hallway.

    posted by Rachel on 6-14-2010 at 1:03 pm

  7. I was at Sesame Place a few weeks ago. While searching for a place on the character parade route, I could hear someone behind me screaming, “Excuse me! Sir! Excuse me!” I assumed I wasn’t his target, but all of a sudden, he was right there in front of me, handing me my wallet. “It fell out of your pants way back there,” he said.

    I didn’t have even a dollar in it to thank him, so I tried to find an ATM to give him a reward. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Maybe one day when I lose my wallet, someone will track me down, too.” I sure hope so.

    It makes me want to go looking for lost wallets to pay it forward.

    posted by Jason English on 6-14-2010 at 1:05 pm

  8. Several years ago my husband and I went to a popular mexican restaurant for dinner with another couple. We had never been there before and were very impressed with both the food and the staff. After my husband asked to see the manager to tell him what a great time we were having, our server came back with a bill for just our drinks! She said the manager was so impressed that we took the time to comment and seemed to be having so much fun, he decided to pick up our tab. What a wonderful evening, and a memory we will always have.

    posted by Shane on 6-14-2010 at 1:06 pm

  9. Someone parked in my driveway this weekend.. I cussed him out.

    Its funny to read this story now.

    I think if it wasn’t a douche bro truck in my parking spot and a bottle of wine instead, I would have behaved differently.

    posted by Chrystani on 6-14-2010 at 1:09 pm

  10. When I was about 16, I had missed my train at Grand Central Station in New York. I had maybe 50 cents on me and was incredibly hungry. A man saw me looking at bagels in a display and asked me what looked good that morning. I can’t recall my reply, but after thinking he had ordered for himself, he handed me a bagel with cream cheese and a lemonade. He told me his name was Nico and that he hoped the rest of my day was better. I’ve never forgotten how kind he was.

    posted by Jen on 6-14-2010 at 1:13 pm

  11. In college I was driving home to Seattle from my school in San Francisco, either at Christmas or summer break. The drive required one toll bridge crossing and the lady in front of me paid my bridge toll. As a poor college student, and even now almost 10 years later, that’s one of the nicest things a stranger has done for me.

    posted by k on 6-14-2010 at 1:17 pm

  12. He probably stole the wine from the wedding. ;)

    posted by dan1101 on 6-14-2010 at 1:19 pm

  13. I was on vacation in NY in October 1998 and wanted to see a Yankees playoff game. I didn’t have a ticket and there was no one anywhere scalping tickets. I wrote on a cardboard sign “Need 1 ticket” and then this guy came up to me and gave me his spare ticket – for free. I sat right next to him and his sons and we all enjoyed a great game. Only in New York…

    posted by Marcel on 6-14-2010 at 1:22 pm

  14. @Jen: I’m glad to hear your story in particular. I’m from the south and I didn’t make it to NYC until my early 20′s. Down here, most people speak very poorly of those “damn yankees”. (It’s true, some South Carolinians still use that term, I swear). I had always heard horror stories about how rude New Yorkers were and the first time I went to the city, I was very surprised at their politeness. Some of you may disagree, but I’ve been there countless times since then and have always found New Yorkers to be polite, courteous, and well mannered. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I have several memories of being in NY and getting very unexpected kindness from strangers.

    posted by Eric on 6-14-2010 at 1:31 pm

  15. During a vacation weekend to a very busy state park in southern OK. 2 of my children were swept off a rock and into deep water by a swift current. I had to look away to watch my step trying to reach them as fast as possible, when I got to the water, they were nowhere to be seen. A flash of orange caught my attention from the corner of my eye and when I turned around I noticed a lifeguard pulling my children onto a rock. I know it’s their job, but that kid (no older than 16 or 17) will probably never understand he impact that he had in my life.

    posted by Jenn on 6-14-2010 at 1:32 pm

  16. Marcel, I made my comment before I got a chance to read yours. Just goes to prove my point a little more. Weird.

    posted by Eric on 6-14-2010 at 1:33 pm

  17. I was in London for a study abroad theatre program. I needed to get to the West End to see a show (my grade depended on it!) But I had wandered way far out of the tube zone that my pass was good for.

    I think I had little money on me, and as I sat in the underground station staring at the map, trying to find out how to walk to the West End, a stranger came up to me and said “Take my pass, I’m done with it.” and gave me his all zone pass.

    I made the show in time.

    posted by Kevin on 6-14-2010 at 1:38 pm

  18. @eric: I’m glad to hear of others having positive experiences in NYC. I am a New Yorker myself these days and I find that living amongst so many either makes one significantly kinder to strangers or significantly nastier.

    Not to toot my own horn, but I’m still feeling energized from having jumped in front of a moving car in Chinatown to save a baby in a stroller from being killed on Saturday. Of course, I was the one who got yelled at, but the sincere thank you from the father will keep me going for a long time to come.

    posted by Jen on 6-14-2010 at 1:39 pm

  19. My kindness of strangers story is also set in NYC. It was my first time there in 2007 and late at night, after seeing a Broadway show, I walked to the Waldorf Astoria because I love grand hotels and I’ve always wanted to see it.

    I peeked into the bar and sat down for a bit and I fell into conversation with two gentlemen next to me. When they heard it was my first time in the city and in the hotel, they bought me a drink to toast my first (and hopefully) not my last time in the city.

    It’s still one of my favourite memories of that holiday!

    posted by Loulou on 6-14-2010 at 1:40 pm

  20. Christmas before last was financially draining. I am widowed and have 3 elementary school age children. There was no money for Christmas. I used the utility and heat money to buy Christmas for the kids. I figured we would somehow get through the short fall. It was 10 PM and I had just finished “playing” Santa Claus when the door bell rang. Kind of scary – I looked through the door – a petite woman was standing outside. She handed me an envelope, said Merry Christmas and left in a van waiting at the curb. I had never seen her in my life and haven’t since. The envelope was empty except for 3 crisp 100 dollar bills! My own Christmas miracle.

    posted by Hummer on 6-14-2010 at 1:42 pm

  21. earlier this year, I let a guy in our apartmet complex borrow a shovel to dig his car out of the foot of snow surrounding it. when i got home from work later in the day, i found a six pack of really good beer and a thank you note. it was defintely too much for letting someone in need use a shovel.

    posted by mike on 6-14-2010 at 1:44 pm

  22. When my daughter was young, I worked to instill in her patriotism and respect. During our specially recognized veterans day during our county fair about 6 years ago, my daughter (then age 6) hunted for people wearing those special ribbons marked “Veteran.” Each one she found, she offered them a sincere thank for protecting us. Unknown to us at the time, a local reporter was chatting with one of the veterans she found. A short mention of her and her thank yous were placed in the paper… which lead to some of the most amazing letters I have ever read. My daughter received some letters from veterans-many that brought tears to my eyes. She received a $100 check from one of these veterans for her college fund. These letters are proudly displayed in her scrapbook and show me just how amazing people can be.

    posted by Lynne on 6-14-2010 at 1:47 pm

  23. On my first big trip alone to San Francisco I was having doubts about the trip and thought for sure I would just turn around after passing the Golden Gate Bridge and drive home. When I drove up to pay for the bridge toll the car in front of me had paid for my toll! After that I headed into the city for a great day. When I see college kids or younger in a car, I make sure to pay for them into SF.

    posted by Diane on 6-14-2010 at 1:53 pm

  24. I feel like I am a very fortunate person and have had a fair share of random, kind acts directed toward me. One that stands out from recent memory was when my husband and I were busing around Ireland last year. The bus left us off in Athlone but unbeknownst to us, our bed and breakfast was miles outside of town. We attempted to walk with our luggage, but we didn’t know exactly where we were going and it was starting to rain. So we trekked back to town, ate lunch at a cafe and then asked the owner if she knew where we could hail a taxi. A customer spoke up and said, “If you can wait until I’m done with my lunch, I’d be happy to drive you out there.” He wouldn’t take money for gas or anything. He was just a kind and warmhearted fellow who left us with a very happy memory.

    I love this article, by the way!

    posted by Renee on 6-14-2010 at 1:58 pm

  25. i was at bonnaroo this weekend and lost my wallet. i didnt have any cash at all and both my credit cards were inside, thus, if i didnt find it i was going to have to beg for money to get home.

    i went to lost and found the next morning and found my wallet with a note inside from the founder wishing me a happy rest of bonnaroo and that he hoped that i would get my wallet back. he also let me a dollar bill (i think may be he thought someone had taken money out of it but there wasnt any in there to start with). i was so happy that such a nice person had found my wallet and other bonnarooers were happy to hear such a charitable story totally in keeping with the goal of the festival.

    posted by englishbreakfast on 6-14-2010 at 2:03 pm

  26. My dog Bartlet started to break out of yard a few months back. Poor guy was suffering from separation anxiety. He would get out and try to find us. Luckily we have some great neighbors who called to tell us they had him. One couple was on their way to the hospital for some procedures and they grabbed him when he was running into a pretty heavy traffic area. I’m so grateful to them. I would be lost without my little friend. (Incidentally we got him a little friend to keep him company, Bartlet and Leo now spend their time when we’re not home eating our couch).

    posted by Brit on 6-14-2010 at 2:11 pm

  27. @hummer: youre story made me choke up a bit. THAT is what the holidays are about. no matter if you are religious or not, i think that having a season to recognize your love for your family and neighbors is v important. i would love for it to happen all year but if just a couple months make people remember those around them, ill take it.

    posted by englishbreakfast on 6-14-2010 at 2:12 pm

  28. @Renee

    The nicest people I’ve ever met were in Ireland. I had more random conversations with strangers in my two weeks there than I’ve ever had here in the states.
    I had a great night in a pub with two old ladies named Helen and Peg! Cheers ladies!

    posted by Brit on 6-14-2010 at 2:15 pm

  29. Once I did a very very bad thing which was only noticed by one person afterwards.

    Instead of making my behaviour public and ridicule me in front of everyone he later talked to me about what was wrong with what I did.

    I’m a better person thanks to his kind ways of handling a potentially delicate situation.

    posted by Jim on 6-14-2010 at 2:16 pm

  30. @Brit
    You are a West Wing fan, I’m assuming

    posted by Tini on 6-14-2010 at 2:23 pm

  31. When I was in college, I had gone out in Portland, Maine to a concert one night. A couple of days later, I opened my mailbox and there was an envelope. In the envelope was my ATM card with a note saying they could have had a fun night with this but instead will be my angel instead. I never found out who found it or how they got my mailing address but I was super grateful.

    posted by Susan on 6-14-2010 at 2:30 pm

  32. We were camping at Stone Mountain for Spring Break in 2002 and the alternator in my car went out. Thankflly I had AAA but had to find a way to get to the shop to pick it up. The father of the very nice family across from my sons and I drove me to the repair shop and wouldn’t even take any gas money. I remember he worked for Fedex, so if I am shipping anything, that is who I use.

    posted by Mary on 6-14-2010 at 2:37 pm

  33. I was stuck in a hotel room outside of Dallas with my family for over a month after Katrina.
    One of the janitors we came to know by name gave used two of his vacation days to pay for our room one weekend.
    We later found out he only gets two vacation days per year and he gave them both to us.
    The kitchen staff also wouldn’t let us pay for breakfast on several occasions.

    posted by Steve on 6-14-2010 at 2:44 pm

  34. When I was a college student back in the late ’70′s, I was taking a train to get home for Christmas from New England. I had to change trains in Philadelphia and was waiting on the track for my train. I wasn’t feeling very well, so I was huddled on a bench half asleep. After a while, I started wondering why my train wasn’t there yet. I found a railroad employee who told me I was on the wrong track. My train was several tracks over and almost ready to leave. He grabbed my luggage and told me to follow him. He got me to the train just as it was leaving and I got on. If he hadn’t carried my luggage I never could have gotten there in time. That was so nice of him!

    posted by jean on 6-14-2010 at 2:49 pm

  35. Many strangers have been kind to me (and vice versa, I hope!), but this memory sticks out:

    My best friend and I were studying abroad in France and we went down to Nice for my 21st birthday. I didn’t want a lot of fanfare, just a little sunshine! We went to dinner and were seated next to an older British couple; upon discovering our shared language, we had a delightful conversation that lasted throughout our respective meals.

    At one point, the waiter came out carrying two glasses of champagne. The couple wanted treated me on my birthday “just because” and made my day that much more memorable!

    posted by Beth on 6-14-2010 at 2:56 pm

  36. Once I was at Steak’n'Shake with my cast-mates after a play. There were at least 12 of us there, and we all ordered full meals, even thought it was late at night. When we got our food we noticed someone driving by our window very slowly and nodding his head. It was kind of scary, but then the waitress came and told us he’d paid for every single one of our orders! He ended up coming back in later and we were able to thank him and had a long conversation with him. He said his grandfather would always pay for someone else’s meal, and he was carrying on the tradition. Definitely one of the most memorable nights of my life!

    posted by Grobanite33 on 6-14-2010 at 2:58 pm

  37. I was driving back home from college for winter break. I was almost home when I noticed my car started to stall out and putter for lack of gas. Of course I had no cash, only checks (and no ATM or credit/debit card- old school!). I was holding up the line pleading with the cashier to let me pay with a check, showed him 8 forms of ID, and was almost in tears. A man behind me handed the cashier a $20, asked him to fill my tank up, and wished me Merry Christmas.

    posted by A on 6-14-2010 at 3:01 pm

  38. One evening around Christmas time, I apparently had dropped my wallet in the Walmart parking lot and didn’t even know it. I got home and about an hour later there was a knock on my door. It turned out that a lady found my wallet, looked up my address, and personally returned it to me. It was the nicest thing ever, esp since I was flying out of town the next day. I was so shocked that i never offered her a reward and I regret it to this day.

    posted by kaisharif on 6-14-2010 at 3:06 pm

  39. In 1995, I was walking outside the NAU library and my heel got caught in the heating grate. Two burly men bent down and gently pulled it out. I almost cried. It was so tender.
    As little as it sounds, it restored a lot of faith in humanity at the time. I pray they are both blessed today.

    posted by Helenann on 6-14-2010 at 3:12 pm

  40. My mother often told me a story from when I was baby: my family was driving through upstate New York at night in a snowstorm, when the car slid off the road and into a ditch. My parents found themselves stranded in a rural area with a three year old and a baby, and didn’t know what to do. Fortunately they were able to hike to a nearby house and knocked on the door. An older couple opened the door and promptly took us in and fed us all hot milk and coffee and Oreo cookies, then let us spend the night. In the morning, the husband helped my father dig the car out and got us on our way. To this day my mother loves Oreos because they remind her of the kindness of strangers.

    She also has fond memories of our next door neighbor from that time. While she was pregnant with me, she was worrying about how she would get the snow shoveled off the driveway before my father came home, when she heard a noise coming from outside. When she looked outside, she saw our neighbor (a retired postman) using his snow blower to shovel our driveway for her.

    posted by Jina on 6-14-2010 at 3:28 pm

  41. That is what I call a “God Test”. Last Christmas I found a women’s purse in the shopping cart in the parking lot. Looked around but didn’t see anyone in a panic. The voice in my head said “This is a God Test”. Took the purse to the service desk & told the employees where I had found it. They looked at me like I was from a different planet. I slept good that night.

    posted by DL on 6-14-2010 at 3:29 pm

  42. I’m a server at a nice restaurant in California and whenever I get a big BIG tip (over 20%) I always feel so humbled and grateful for their generosity.
    There was one night in particular I was serving a a large party that were loud Italian/New Yorkers and they kept apologizing for how loud they were being, but I told them not to worry about it, it was so fun serving them because they were so loud it made it easier to be my real self around them (not my “staged” server self). I even had a few tables leave because of how loud they were…but at the end of the evening their bill had an automatic gratuity of $200, and they left me with an extra $200! A $400 tip! I wanted to cry I was so grateful!

    posted by Caterina on 6-14-2010 at 3:37 pm

  43. When I was in my early 20s, I flew out to the Bay area for a wedding, arriving a day ahead of my family. I was on my own for dinner, and went to the restaurant next door to my hotel. I was still on East Coast time, and starving at 4:30 p.m. The restaurant didn’t open until 5:00, but the waitress who met me at the door seated me anyway and got me some bread. I had never eaten in a restaurant by myself, and had never felt so alone in public. The waitress, whose name was Kelly, chatted with me and asked me questions about New England, and made sure I felt comfortable. She even comped me a glass of wine. I was so grateful that I left her a $20 for a $14 tab, and she chased after me to tell me I had tipped her too much. I assured her that the overtipping was intentional, because she had been so awesome – and even more deserved since she tried to give it back.

    posted by Christina on 6-14-2010 at 3:38 pm

  44. Back in 1991, My father, Grandfather, and I were all going on a long motorcycle ride. We stopped at Mcdonalds to get cofee and we were all arguing who would pay. Ya know”It’s on me, no it’s on me” The cashier, said “No it’s on me” Knowing what they make, that was just very nice of him!

    posted by Jesse on 6-14-2010 at 3:41 pm

  45. I studied abroad for a semester in college. Although I enjoyed the experience I was very homesick by the time the term was over. While ariving at the airport and checking my baggage, my bags were overweight (I had been gone 16 weeks of course I had a lot to bring back). The charges would have cost $50. The woman working the counter told me to have a nice day and to forget the charges. As a homesick, broke college student I could not have been more grateful. I broke down in tears at the counter and thanked her for making my day!

    posted by Lauren B on 6-14-2010 at 3:45 pm

  46. Is anyone else getting teared up reading all of these? :) I concur with an earlier comment: what a great way to start the week, Ransom!

    posted by Helenann on 6-14-2010 at 3:48 pm

  47. @Helenann: I am! Tears are running down my cheeks. Best. Thread. Ever.

    posted by loripop on 6-14-2010 at 4:04 pm

  48. This past Christmas was very hard on my family, my husband out of a job and I on a meager salary. We could not afford presents for our children or each other. Through our church, we were able to sign up for a Christmas Angels program, where we filled out what ages our children were and what toys or other things interested them. We were also able to say one thing for my spouse and I. When we were handed those gifts, my heart was so full! I have vowed that this coming Christmas we will buy a family the presents it needs, to pass on the gift.

    posted by Jessica on 6-14-2010 at 4:05 pm

  49. I was buying some books at the local bookstore a few years ago and once I got to the till, the cashier informed me that my books are free. When I asked why, she told me of an old man that had just died and he used part of his estate to buy strangers books. I had never met him but when I see those books on my bookshelf I think of him.

    posted by Matt on 6-14-2010 at 4:16 pm

  50. I was sick and the meds they gave me caused a reaction that made me cry about everything! I had a follow up Dr. appt and went out to my car to go, and the car wouldn’t start. I was sitting there with my head on the steering wheel crying when my neighbor (that I didn’t know all that well) came out to ask what was wrong. She then offered to take me to the dr. And insisted on waiting for me even though my sister would have come to get me. She believed in doing at least one good deed every day. I need to do that.

    posted by Hyacinth on 6-14-2010 at 4:16 pm

  51. Last summer, my wife, my infant daughter & I were at the Detroit Zoo. If you’ve ever been there you’ll know it is a LOOOONG hike from the back to the front, which is why they have the train.

    We waited in line in the hot sun for 30 minutes with a crying, hungry baby to buy our tickets, only to find out it was CASH ONLY. Not having more then $3 or $4 on me, we quickly got out of line and began the long trek back to our car. The family behind us would hear none of it, and spent $15 on the tickets for us. Probably one of the nicest things a stranger has done for me ever.

    posted by Joe from the D on 6-14-2010 at 4:18 pm

  52. In the middle of winter after a big snow storm I was driving to work when some jerk ran me off the road (HATE people who cannot stay on their side of the road) This left me stuck in a big mound of snow. I called everyone I knew and not one person answered their phone – it was 7am on a Sunday. AAA said it would be four hours before a tow truck could get to me. After twenty minutes of freaking out, someone finally drove down the road. They drove past, backed up and got out. Two men went right to the back of my truck, lifted up the back end (yes, lifted) and got me back onto the road. I never got to thank them or found out who they were and will forever be grateful.

    posted by Christina on 6-14-2010 at 4:20 pm

  53. My college roommate and I took a day trip to New Orleans back in the early 90′s. On our way, we spun out on a wet on-ramp getting on the interstate. We missed hitting the yield sign by inches, but ended up in a ditch. Some great guys ran over from a convenience store parking lot and pushed us out of the ditch.
    Later, when we were in the Quarter at a lunch counter trying to figure out what we could afford to eat, another customer bought us two po’ boys.
    Then, as we were walking down Decatur toward the car, a bartender just leaving work started a conversation with us. When we told him where we had parked (kind of sketchy area), he insisted he walk with us to make sure we got to the car safely. We tried to turn his offer down–we were a little afraid that he didn’t have such chivalrous intentions. But he walked us just to the perimeter of the lot and watched us to make sure we got on the road safely.
    New Orleans is a great city.

    posted by Christry on 6-14-2010 at 4:22 pm

  54. I was stationed in Germany in the 1970′s. Upon returning from leave I got on the wrong train and ended up back in Frankfort. I found a conductor, who spoke a little English, and explained my situation. I did not have enough cash for another ticket. He took me to the office, spoke to a supervisor, printed a new ticket, and walked me to the right train. He then told me to stay on until my destination, as I did not have to change trains this time.

    posted by gus on 6-14-2010 at 4:24 pm

  55. I was in a bar one night waiting for my friend to show up to celebrate her birthday. It was an unfamiliar place in a town I had never been in and so I sat at the bar by myself and ordered a drink. My friend ended up being over an hour late, and as time ticked past and I sat there by myself, all the single guys in the bar ignoring me, I will admit I started to feel sorry for myself and lonely. An older gentleman from across the bar got up to leave and walked towards me. All he said to me was: “You are a beautiful woman and I hope you have a wonderful night.” That was it, and he left. He wanted nothing else, and it made me feel so happy even though it wasn’t “some young guy”.

    posted by Gussiebuns on 6-14-2010 at 4:33 pm

  56. In May 2001, I traveled by myself to Tubingen, Germany by myself to meet a friend who was studying abroad there. After I met my friend, we went to the local grocery to get food. While there, the stress of traveling that day caught up with me and I got a stomach ache, insisting that I needed to go back to her apt stat! She was in the middle of shopping and I left my money and ID with her and took her apt keys, claiming that I knew how to get back to her apt. (Yes, in retrospect, this was a horrible idea, but I was 19 at the time and didn’t know better.)

    Of course, I got lost going back to her apt and had no address. Being an exchange student, she wasn’t listed. It was the INCREDIBLE kindness of several strangers who took me back to their apt and spent several hours calming me down and helping me find her. I didn’t get their names and don’t know if I could ever thank them enough for their generosity. (Looking back, I should have made sure I did more to thank them.)

    They did show me how powerful the simple kindness of strangers can be and I’ve tried to pay it forward. (And yes, within 48 hours I made sure I knew how to get from the train station and town square to the friend’s apt.)

    posted by Christi on 6-14-2010 at 4:36 pm

  57. This is such a little thing, but this discussion makes me stop, think of this person, and say a little prayer for her… on a flight to Tacoma 20 or more years ago, this flight attendent noticed I was looking a little shakey — I’m afraid of flying and any amount of turbulance wakes up my stomach — and she brough me a cold, wet towel to wrap around my neck. With that, I managed not to toss my cookies.

    posted by Alix on 6-14-2010 at 4:42 pm

  58. I have had my wallet and purse returned to me countless times. Once I somehow dropped my wallet at the Greenmarket in Union Square in NYC. I had already bought some things, but suddenly had no money to get home. I approached several of the vendors to ask if I could return my items & get the money back just so I could get subway fare home. All of them gave me my money back & told me to keep the item. I was so touched! My wallet was found by an architect who returned it with everything intact.

    Another time I lost it at a Long Island Railroad station. A plant worker found it, called me & returned it with everything in it.

    A third time I had driven off after a wedding in Baltimore and left my clutch purse on the roof of my car, where of course it promptly slid off. I didn’t notice until I was halfway back to New York. A woman called me on the phone and mailed the entire purse to me, again with everything intact. I was young and poor, but I did send her $15 for her trouble.

    I have been very fortunate in the kindness of strangers!

    posted by Lady G on 6-14-2010 at 4:43 pm

  59. I took some friends up to Vancouver one Sunday, and after a day of fun we got back to my car to realize I had locked my keys in it. All the car places and towing companies were closed and we didn’t know what to do! We finally wandered down to a motorcycle shop that was a about to close and a guy there said he would help us out. He called his insurance company and told them I was his cousin, and they came and got my keys out for free. The nice guy waited with us and got us bottled water. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers in Canada!

    posted by Suzanne on 6-14-2010 at 4:43 pm

  60. I have another, I lost my wallet and wrote if off, along with $14. About a week later a small box arrived in the , with no return address. Of course, it contained my wallet and the $14.

    As to the Christmas stories, when I was a kid, with a single mom, we got presents from several organizations. In 1968 my Mom was crying because the pile was rather sparse, even for us. On Christmas Eve the local Methodist preacher came to our door with bags of gifts. We did not attend his church, but he said he heard we were in need. Due to that I try to help out at Christmas. I fell very strongly about the Salvation Army Angel Tree program. I urge everyone who can to help out. You pica a tag from the tree and buy far a specific child. I tend to buy for boys who want some type of tech.

    posted by gus on 6-14-2010 at 4:43 pm

  61. @ Ransom, this is byfar your best article!!

    posted by gus on 6-14-2010 at 4:46 pm

  62. Sorry this is so long, but it’s actually the short version.

    In 2001, myself and my boyfriend at the time were traveling across the United States in a cargo van we had converted. About 2 months into the trip, we were visiting the Navajo reservation to see the Canyon de Chelly. Many miles from anything, the universal joint broke and the entire drive shaft of the van was laying on the road. After only 5 minutes, a man named Davin stopped for us. No mechanics were open that late on a Sunday, so he towed us to his home and the next day sent a friend to Gallup to get the part we needed. He fixed the van for $11, the cost of the part, and replaced our broken stereo with the one from his own truck. He taught at the local elementary school and we stayed with him and his daughters for more than two weeks. He said the only way we could possibly offend him was if we did not make ourselves completely at home. He treated us like family from the moment we met. Never in my life have I encountered a more generous, selfless human being. He taught me more than I can ever put into words. This, without question, was the single most amazing experience of my life.

    We also had the van repaired in the Columbia River valley for a six-pack of Miller tall boys! There are amazing people everywhere.

    posted by Jen on 6-14-2010 at 5:08 pm

  63. As an Army family, we move every few years and thus are constantly relying on the kindness of strangers. From borrowing a cup of flour, to some blankets, to a quick playdate for the kids, we have been blessed by some remarkable neighbors who have often gone on to be remarkable friends.

    Probably the best instance of this is when we moved to Germany several years ago. In the military, you always get a “sponsor” when you move, to help orient you to the new area and get you through any official business. It’s even more important when you move overseas, as they can help you acclimate to the new culture. Our sponsors picked us and two cats up at the airport (which was almost 2 hours away), found a hotel for us, and drove us onto post almost every day until we were able to pick up our own car. All they had were our names and email before we met them, but they are now our best friends.

    posted by Emily on 6-14-2010 at 5:09 pm

  64. One morning, I found back window broken out. I was late for class (and it wasn’t raining yet) so I drove to school and parked. It started raining while in class & I just dreaded the mess I would face when I left. Someone had taped a plastic bag over the window.

    posted by Jenna on 6-14-2010 at 5:10 pm

  65. I had heard of the ‘pass it on’ at coffee drive-ups, and I noticed a much younger girl behind me that I recognized from work. I bought her coffee, and we eventually became great friends. She was killed in a car accident recently and I am always glad I did that.

    posted by lt on 6-14-2010 at 5:16 pm

  66. Last year I went to a baseball game in Minneapolis. After a trip to the restroom I immediately discovered my wallett missing. After searching the floor of the ladies room on my hands and knees, I did not find it. Almost in tears, I asked a woman working the gate where I could find the lost and found. After hearing my story she gave me $5 of her own money to make sure I could take the train back to my car. Someone had found my wallet, and turned it into security – completely intact and nothing missing. I found the gate worker and returned the $5, begging her to please pay it forward again. Restores your faith in humanity!

    posted by Anne on 6-14-2010 at 5:21 pm

  67. Wow. Some of these stories are amazing, some are just a person going a bit out of their way to make somebody’s day. I’m going to do my best to be that somebody when the opportunity arises.

    What a great thread!

    posted by Elly Vortex on 6-14-2010 at 5:29 pm

  68. I remember when I was 10, I was on my electric scooter, and I fell and broke my arm, And it had fallen on me so I couldn’t get up. I remember I was crying and yelling for help. This nice lady helped me up and home. I never figured out who she was, I really wanted to thank her, so I said a prayer.

    posted by Haley on 6-14-2010 at 5:31 pm

  69. As a college student, I was driving home (7 hours to Florida) when I got caught in wicked downpour. I topped a hill and in a little depression on the other side there was a rather large amount of standing water. My car hydroplaned and I did a complete 360 and I ended up in the median stuck in the grass. A man in a suit saw the whole thing, stopped, got out of his car (in the pouring rain) and helped me get my car out of the median. He then followed me to a gas station because he saw how shaken up I was. Sadly he left before I realized it so I never got to thank him.

    posted by Clarence on 6-14-2010 at 5:58 pm

  70. I was in college and running late for class, searching for a parking spot in front of the school. I happened to find one right in front of where I needed to be but I had to parallel park, which I am terrible at! After trying for almost 10 minutes and only a moment before class, an ambulance stopped behind me, an EMT got out, and parked my car perfectly. I couldn’t believe it! I was so impressed and thankful that they would take the time to stop the car and help a poor college kid out. That is now one of my favorite stories to tell people =)

    posted by ry on 6-14-2010 at 5:59 pm

  71. The Toronto Star publishes stories called Little Acts of Kindness everyday. (Link in my name!) The collections are heartwarming and I always turn to them when I’m feeling particularly down. There are years and years of archives up.

    posted by Kat on 6-14-2010 at 6:49 pm

  72. I remember once when my and my parents were struck in a snow ditch. A person stopped by to inquire regarding our well being. Later on two military personnel arrived and pulled our car from the ditch. It was a wonderful feeling.

    posted by ABC on 6-14-2010 at 7:20 pm

  73. 2 days ago i was on a toll road. Came to an automated gate, exact change only. I only had $1′s, and digging around the car turned up nothing. I saw a truck pull up behind me and instead of making him wait I pulled out the envelope to send in payment. He got out, tossed in the 25 cents waved and jumped back in the truck. Such a little thing, but totally made my day.

    Last year my dad and I were out running around, and got the car towed. It looked like a vacant lot, the sign and box to deposit money were not very conspicuous. We got back, realized our mistake and tried to call the number for the towing service. My phone battery died. Then it started to rain. Florida rain, so we were drenched in 2 seconds flat. These people that had parked in the same lot asked us if we were ok, ended up letting us use their phone and hung out while we waited to find out where the car was (about 20 minutes), they drove us to the towing yard, and even offered us bong hits. Dropped us off, we said thanks, they took off and never saw ‘em again. They were so soooper cool, it ended up being a real fun afternoon.

    posted by ashley on 6-14-2010 at 7:22 pm

  74. I know that I’ve probably experienced more random acts of kindness than this, but there are 2 that stick out in my mind.
    For 3 years during college I worked at a small family run coffee shop. In my last few weeks after graduation before moving, my boss’s father gave me a $100! I had only met him a few times and I doubt he knew my name. I was broke and about to move to San Francisco without a job so it really meant a lot.
    While working at my first job in San Francisco, I moved to a new apartment and no longer had a couch. A woman that worked on my floor gave us her couch (which was very nice), all we had to do was pick it up. I know it took her months to find a replacement. Later when I was laid off from that job, the same woman offered me a job at her company and paid me under the table until I found something more stable. I never would have been able to stay in this city if it wasn’t for her.

    posted by eryn on 6-14-2010 at 7:37 pm

  75. This past Friday I was pretty lit up and at the mercy of another friend who drove me to the bar. He was very drunk and was insiting on staying longer so I figured I’d walk the 1.5 miles home. I got out to the intersection and realized how far 1.5 miles looked late at night when drunk. Not one second after I finished that thought some dude pulled up and offered a ride. I can take care of myself so I wasn’t worried about my safety and so I hopped in. Have no idea who he was but I have to figure he saw me at the bar trying to get my friend to leave and since he was leaving at the same time and going the same way… Not the ideal thing to hitch a ride but where I live it can’t be all bad. I feel very grateful to him and will try to pay it forward soon.

    posted by Hurricane on 6-14-2010 at 7:53 pm

  76. I’ve had several pretty amazing experiences, but one stands out – it twentieth birthday, while I was an exchange student in Israel. My parents sent me a care package but I was having the hardest time finding the post office, so I finally hailed a cab. The driver, who was in his sixties or seventies, upon hearing I had no family with me for my birthday, turned off the meter when we got back to my dormitory and then drove around the corner to a bakery – came out with a pastry with a lighted candle! Sang me happy birthday and told me he would be my family for today.

    Back in the late thirties, my great-grandfather, who owned a dress factory, took his entire staff off of work one day to make clothing, sheets, curtains, etc. for a gentile family, strangers, who had lost everything in a Nazi bombing and were moving to Amsterdam to start over. Several years later, when my great grandparents were taken to the concentration camps, that same family took in my grandmother, hid her and saved her life, at great risk to themselves. Just goes to show that you never know where an act of kindness will lead you.

    posted by Bekka on 6-14-2010 at 8:12 pm

  77. a few years ago, my car got broken into and my wallet was stolen. it had my drivers license, and i was bummed about having to go to the DOL to replace it. about a week later, i got a letter in the mail with my drivers license and a note saying “found this while walking, i figured you would like to know where it is”
    that’s the nicest thing a stranger has done for me =]

    posted by beth on 6-14-2010 at 8:26 pm

  78. This involves multiple strangers, actually. About three years ago I was in a bad crash. No other cars were involved, but I crashed through the guardrails on interstate – my car was totaled, but I escaped with nothing more than some cuts and whiplash.

    Within no time of my car stopping there were about seven cars that had already pulled off the road to help. I was trapped in the car and in shock, so a couple guys pulled the driver’s side door off so I could get out. I don’t remember how many people were there, but they stayed with me until the police – and my family – got to the site. When they finally left, several said I’d be in their prayers.

    I don’t remember their faces but I will never, ever forget their kindness to a very scared and shaken girl.

    posted by ST on 6-14-2010 at 9:24 pm

  79. When I was a kid we went to Orlando with my family. I was obsessed with baseball and when we got to our hotel my parents let me call every minor league team in the phone book to ask if any players were around (which was quite indulgent as well, looking back at it). Anyways, it wasn’t baseball season or spring training time, so nobody answered anywhere, until I called the Orlando Twins. A man answered and invited us down to the ballpark. He turned out to be a man named Bob Willis, the general manager of the team. He let us in and let us run around the bases and take a bunch of pictures.

    That was kind enough. But soon after we got back home we got a big package from him in the mail, filled with Twins baseball bats, balls, hats, shirts, and other promotional stuff. I’ll never forget that.

    posted by Easy on 6-14-2010 at 9:30 pm

  80. One evening near Christmas, my husband and I had tickets to see a production of The Nutcracker. This was a special treat for us – my husband was in a wheelchair, and our “nights on the town” were limited. It was a bitterly cold night and we thought a bite to eat before the ballet would warm us. But every restaurant we went to was filled, and most had nothing that we could maneuver a wheelchair to. At the last spot we tried, we joked with the hostess that we were much like Mary and Joseph – there was no room at the inn. At that point, a man in a cashmere overcoat snapped his fingers and told us to wait. He directed the waiters to shove several tables (complete with diners) aside and made a small nook for us with a tiny table at the front of the restaurant. We had a delicious meal, and when we finished, he sent an apertif to our table. He did not own the restaurant, but ate there frequently and just took things into his own hands to make an accomodation no one else was willing to do.

    posted by Abi on 6-14-2010 at 9:48 pm

  81. A few years ago, my town and the town across the river held a joint 4th of July party, complete with free bus service to both towns. I parked in my town and went over to the opposite town…just to learn after the fireworks were over that the bus service hadn’t been planned to last that long, leaving me stuck in the wrong town. Thankfully, a very nice woman with her two kids (sons I think) were waiting nearby for her husband to get their car and pick them up. We started chatting and I told her my predicament. When her husband arrived, she told him the story and they offered to drive me back to my town, and to my car.

    Also years before that, when I still had my previous car, I stalled out while driving in nasty rainy weather and couldn’t get the car started again. I think I was still in high school at the time, well before I had a cell phone. But while I was panicking in my car, a van pulled up behind me, and a guy got out, found out what the problem was, and let me use his cellphone to call for help. To a scared young driver, he was a angel.

    posted by Amanda on 6-14-2010 at 10:05 pm

  82. My husband’s in the army. We decided to go out to eat one day, but he got home later than he expected so he didn’t change out of his uniform before we left for the restaurant. A lady at another table, on her way out, gave us 2 gift cards to the restaurant to pay for our meal. They added up to $70. That paid for our meal, and the next time we went out too. :) She wanted us to know how thankful she was that he was serving. I’ll always remember her kindness.

    posted by Sandi on 6-14-2010 at 10:59 pm

  83. While visiting Rome in July last summer, my husband and I were exhausted, hot, sweaty, and desperately in need of a Coke with ice. We stopped in a McDonald’s on a corner in hopes of a quick break. While he went to buy our drinks, I went looking for a table. The place was packed, with a line just to sit down. I found a family about ready to leave and asked if I could have their seats when they were finished. They told me they had seen the staff kick other people out of tables if they didn’t have food, so they sat with me for 30 minutes while I waited on my husband. We compared notes on our respective trips and what we did back home. It wasn’t a big thing, but I really, really appreciated it!

    posted by Amber on 6-14-2010 at 11:05 pm

  84. @Bekka

    Wow! What a great family legacy!

    posted by Amber on 6-14-2010 at 11:08 pm

  85. I drove to PA to pick up my friend from school and bring her home for a weekend. I got terribly lost on the way down and on the way back. I pulled off the highway into this town that I didn’t know and while I was driving around to find our way back I blew out my tire. I felt so bad for my friend because it was so late at night and we had no idea where we were. Fortunately we pulled into a driveway of a car workshop and a guy walked out. He said that his boss said he could unscrew and tighten the screws from the bad tire but nothing else or he’d have to charge us. It was winter and freezing but he stayed while we fitted the spare on and then tightened the screws for us. I was only 18 and now wish I would’ve given him something for it.

    Also the same night my older sister drove all the way out to help us…at least an hour out. She had us follow her at 55mph with my hazards on all the way home. The only reason she knew where we were was because her friend had gone to school where we were!!

    :o)

    posted by Lindsey on 6-14-2010 at 11:09 pm

  86. All of these stories really inspire me to do something meaningful for someone else. Does anyone have any good ways to help people/families on a personal level? (I don’t really like large faceless charity organizations)

    posted by Alan on 6-14-2010 at 11:14 pm

  87. This isn’t so much a random act, but one of kindness nonetheless.
    When I was in college, I was driving back from te Thanksgiving holiday on a Sunday night. I got into a car accident on the highway and had to have someone come pick me up (and the carload of crap I was driving) since my car had to be towed.
    Not one of my friends or dormmates was willing to come get me, so in desperation, I called one of my professors.
    In the middle of dinnertime, on a Sunday night, this man drove out to some ridiculous highway, loaded up his tiny car with my SUC’s worth of stuff, and drove me to my dorm. He then proceeded to help me talk to my parents AND unpack all of my things into the lobby of my building.
    I can never thank that man enough.
    I am a teacher now, and always try to pay it forward with my own students.

    posted by LadyG612 on 6-14-2010 at 11:18 pm

  88. A couple of years ago, I traveled to Germany to meet my husband, who was there for military training. The town he was in was a couple of hours from the Frankfurt airport, and he couldn’t get off duty to pick me up. I decided to take the train, which would involve 3 transfers to get there. At the 2nd transfer, I missed my train. I got on the next train to the same destination, not realizing that it would take a much more circuitous route to get there and would result in me missing the last train of the day from there to my final destination. When the conductor looked at my ticket, he went away and came back with his timetable book. He sat down next to me and figured out what to do. He said I should get off at a different stop and then take a different train, and told me how many stops it would be. Then at every stop, he checked back in with me and told me how many more stops. When we reached my new stop, he scribbled something on my ticket, walked me off the train and to the correct track, and told me to take the very next train that arrived and how many stops before I needed to get off that one. I have no idea how I would have made it to my final destination without his help.

    posted by Jenn on 6-14-2010 at 11:25 pm

  89. A few weeks ago, I was on my first date with a guy whom I had recently met. It was nice outside, so we decided to go for a walk in the park before we got dinner. We walked along a trail in a very dense patch of woods. After we had walked for about 45 minutes, it was nearing dusk. So, I suggested that we turn around and head back to the car. “No,” he insisted, “the trail goes in a circle. We’ll be back where we started in no time.”

    Guess what…the trail wasn’t a circle. Just as night fell, we were on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, completely lost. I tried to use the GPS on my BlackBerry to figure out where we were, but no service. We happened upon a lady out for a walk with her 12-year-old son, and we asked her how to get back to the park entrance. “I’m not letting you guys walk there by yourselves,” she said. “Follow us back to our house and I’ll give you a ride back to your car.”

    The kind stranger gave us a ride back to my date’s car. After this incidence of getting lost, I was pretty pissed off. I demanded that the guy drive me back to my apartment immediately. I have not spoken to him since, but I am thankful that the stranger lady helped us out. Too bad I wasn’t on a date with her…

    posted by Sandy on 6-15-2010 at 12:24 am

  90. A couple of years ago I went to Home Depot to buy some wood for a project at my house. I don’t have a truck or SUV, but I thought it would fit into the trunk of my car. After trying to get it into the car for several minutes I stood there realizing that it wasn’t going to fit. My friend (who has a truck) wasn’t answering her phone. Then the nicest couple pulled up to me in their truck and asked me if they could take the wood somewhere for me. I live about 12 miles from the Home Depot. I was so grateful. I didn’t have any money so I gave them a gift card that I had to a local restaurant. It is probably the nicest thing that a stranger has ever done for me.

    posted by sumgrl on 6-15-2010 at 12:57 am

  91. Several years ago I had my wallet stolen on my way to work. Along with the cash and a couple of credit cards, I was carrying my national ID and my social security card. Getting new credit cards is easy, but replacing the ID’s implies having to deal with the local bureaucracy… I shudder at the thought! Anyway, I kept postponing it for at least two weeks; then when I was finally on my way to the ID office, Mom calls me saying my ID’s had been found.

    Now here’s the story… apparently the thief kept the valuables and tossed the ID’s away. A lady found them on the street in front of her workplace, and called the social security office to see if they could provide her with my contact info. The clerk at the SS office said they weren’t authorized to do so, due to security policies; however, he took her phone number and actually bothered to call my home and relay the information. The lady’s workplace turned out to be just 4 blocks away from my office; sadly, when I went to pick up my ID’s, I was told that she had been transferred to another site, so I never had the chance to thank her personally…

    posted by FlyingAce on 6-15-2010 at 4:30 am

  92. After reading all these stories I can only pledge to try to give at least one act of kindness a day , no matter how small, sometimes the smallest things are the ones with the greater impact

    posted by dennis on 6-15-2010 at 4:31 am

  93. My husband and I are both in the Army. A couple of months ago, we were still back at homestation working around the clock with last minute preparations for a year long deployment to Afghanistan. We got out of work one day at 8:30 pm, after being on the clock for over 14 hours, and went to a Chinese Buffet because we were too exhausted to cook, and most of our dishes were in storage. We were both in uniform, and some older woman paid for our meal. We didn’t even know it to thank her until after she had left! I was so tired and aggitated with work that the gesture meant a lot to me.

    posted by Niki on 6-15-2010 at 4:33 am

  94. In June of 2007, I met my husband in London for his 2 weeks of leave from Iraq. After a wonderful and amazing two weeks, we parted ways at the airport, his flight leaving 9 hours before mine. I bummed around the airport, trying to push the thought that my only chance to see my husband (and touch and speak to him without a 2 second delay) was over.

    I sat down at the bar of a TGI Friday’s to drown my sorrows with some Irish cider. The man next to me at the bar started chatting with me and I learned he was a chaplain in the Canadian Royal Army. He thanked my husband and I for our service (don’t get that one a lot! It’s usually just him!) and told me I was a strong, beautiful woman. He even insisted I eat something although I had no appetite and paid for my whole tab! He definitely made the day of a lonely Army wife in an airport far from home 1,000x better. I only wish I had been able to thank him more.

    posted by kate on 6-15-2010 at 5:39 am

  95. Once I was trying to get to Target to buy some necessities, and I got on the wrong bus and didn’t realize it until it was well off campus. My college is in the middle of nowhere and I don’t know the surrounding areas at all, so I thought I’d just have to stay on the bus for an hour until it got back to campus. I was the only person on the bus, so the driver made a detour to another stop and radioed another bus to make sure they they would wait for me so I could get where I needed to go. Bus drivers on our campus usually have a reputation for being grumpy and rude, but now I know different!

    posted by Jessica on 6-15-2010 at 8:06 am

  96. My wife and I were on our honeymoon driving through San Fransisco. A homeless man noticed our “Just Married” car and came up to us at a stoplight. He motioned for me to roll down my window. I did not want to, I also did not want to look like a jerk to my new wife. When I rolled down the window he searched through his pockets to find an old matchbook. He handed me that matchbook and said “Light her fire”. We wrote it on the underside of the matchbook and put it in our wedding scrapbook.

    posted by Dave on 6-15-2010 at 9:13 am

  97. This is an amazing thread.

    Three instances come to mind:

    When I was about 12, I was at a friend’s birthday party at a local lake. I’d been swimming way out in the middle of the lake, and when I started to go back to shore suddenly I couldn’t swim anymore and started to go under. My mom saw me and started heading in my direction, but before she reached me a young guy came out of nowhere, lifted me up, and swam with me to the shore. He set me down and swam off without a word. I never even got a chance to thank him. I remain convinced he saved my life.

    A few years ago when I was in Japan on a school trip, I got lost in Tokyo station. I could see the track where I needed to be, but couldn’t get there without buying a ticket, and I couldn’t find where to buy a ticket. I sat down against the wall and just started crying. Then a Japanese man came up to me, asked if I was okay in very limited English, then proceeded to find a station employee, explain my situation, and get me the right ticket, all though a language barrier. He made such a difference to a lost and confused foreigner.

    Finally, after I graduated college I had this old clunker of a car that was constantly sliding off the road and into ditches. I got stuck in my driveway nearly every day. It was horrible. But every time I got stuck, someone would come by and tow me out. By the end of that winter, I seriously considered putting an ad in the paper saying thank you to the hundreds of people who towed me out of the ditch that year.

    posted by BlueAloe on 6-15-2010 at 9:54 am

  98. I love these stories!

    I was about to graduate college and on my way to an interview when I got my first ever flat tire. I maneuvered over four lanes to the side and then for some reason chose to exit the highway and pull into a creepy, abandoned gas station parking lot. Right as I was getting out to inspect the damage, a sketchy looking van pulled up and an equally sketchy looking man got out. This was when cell phones were still pretty new technology and I did not yet have one. I was thinking the worst of the situation (young girl, abandoned gas station, sketchy guy & van), but the stranger changed my tire in record time while he let me use his cell phone to call ahead to the interview and let them know I’d be late. Even after all that, I didn’t get the job but my parents did make sure I got a cell phone ASAP. I definitely learned a lesson about prejudging people that day!

    posted by Morgan on 6-15-2010 at 10:09 am

  99. I was going to post one of many stories of extreme kindness I received while I lived in Japan, but then I read one story that seemed rather familiar. I’m pretty sure that I was the benefactor (though it could have been another person doing the same nice thing.) So: as of right now, the nicest thing anyone’s done for me is to thank me and pass on what I did for someone… knowing that not only what I did was appreciated but that I’m now part of one person’s “folklore” makes me feel incredibly good about it.

    posted by CJ on 6-15-2010 at 10:19 am

  100. I loved all of these posts so much, I didn’t want the thread to end! Thank you to every one who wrote in something uplifting. I’m starting to think that I live in a grumpy area or that I don’t get out much, because I can’t think of any acts of kindness bestowed on me :(

    @Bekka, your story gave me chills!

    posted by Elissa on 6-15-2010 at 11:13 am

  101. I have been incredibly easily moved to tears during this season of life, and many many beautiful things move me to tears. I also work in a small public school in Kansas–and our students are great. :) I am often moved to tears just to see small actions of kindness students do to each other–especially older ones to younger ones. I especially enjoy going to our high school concerts and tear up frequently when our kids sing beautifully.

    All of that for this: This story thread is one of the most beautiful symphonies I have ever heard.

    Yeah–many tears. ;)

    posted by sappymom on 6-15-2010 at 11:27 am

  102. Many years ago I was waitressing and having a tough time with a table full of rowdy guys who were drinking a lot and having a fun time teasing me and making extra work for me. I was young and new to the job, so I didn’t want to go to the manager. When the guys finally left, I blinked back tears when I saw that they hadn’t left me a tip. Moments later, the elderly couple at the next table handed me $10 and said, “No one should have to put up with what you just did.” Then I REALLY had to hold back the tears!

    posted by Karen on 6-15-2010 at 11:39 am

  103. On a honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean, our first excursion (booked on-island) on Aruba was rained out. We’d been a bit taken advantage of by the booking guy, so we consoled ourselves at the bar where we were stuck. While drinking down a couple Balashi we met an American expat who lives in St. Thomas. He offered to show us the island when our ship docked in a few days.

    He gave us a royal tour, and he and his family have since given us the best vacation of our married lives when we visited a second time. We’ll be friends for life.

    And to think it all started with a shifty character being, well, shifty.

    posted by Ben on 6-15-2010 at 11:40 am

  104. Whilst holidaying in NYC, a guy gave me and my friend this warming note as we got off the L-Train in Brooklyn – http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3599/3449588251_c6363530be_o.jpg

    posted by Ewan on 6-15-2010 at 11:46 am

  105. Two stories come to mind:

    A few Decembers ago on a cold rainy night my kitten fell out my bedroom window two floors onto the laundry room roof below. Being in an apartment building, none of my neighbors had a ladder. Several of them spent about 30 minutes (in the rain!) helping me coax him down, but it didn’t work. Finally, a passing stranger pointed out that a truck parked on the next street had a ladder and suggested I talk to the homeowner. I did, and the man, his wife, and son went out of their way to help me get the cat down. They even tried to give me cat food out of their own stash to get him. A few days later, I left a large box of chocolate on their front door.

    Last night, I was having dinner with a friend in a very empty restaurant to celebrate my birthday. Our server was 16, tops, and very friendly and attentive. For most of our meal we were the only customers. My friend paid, and left him a 25% tip ($12 on a $48 tab). This is about 6 times what that kid earns per hour as a waiter in Virginia. Even though it didn’t affect me directly, I think of it as one of the nicest birthday presents I could have received.

    posted by maggie on 6-15-2010 at 11:48 am

  106. About six years ago, I was fresh out of college and driving a crap-tastic old car around. I’d been up to a town about three hours north of me visiting friends and was driving back home. Well, first I got a flat tire. I had AAA, so I made the call, and while I was waiting a nice man stopped and helped me put the donut on. It was all country roads, no interstates, so I could drive a bit slower and be OK. I called off the AAA.

    Well, then, about 45 minutes north of my destination, my battery light came on. Being a dumb girl, I ignored it, thinking that if I just kept driving I’d make it home. Nope. Alternator died, and I was stranded, the daylight fading, with no lights, no power, on the side of a rural US highway, waiting an hour for AAA.

    First, a very nice elderly man stopped his car behind mine with the lights on to wait for the tow truck, so I wouldn’t get hit, sitting there on the shoulder.

    Then, the tow truck driver drove me to AutoZone in the little nearby town and, after confirming it was the alternator, PUT THE NEW ONE IN FOR ME, insisting the whole while that he would help me get home even if it meant towing me across the Ohio River.

    Those three men were my guardian angels that day, especially the tow truck driver, and I’m so sorry to this day that I did not get his name.

    posted by that_girl on 6-15-2010 at 11:48 am

  107. On one of my first ever business trips, age 22, to NYC I had a free day to explore the city. My trek carried me all over the city, and an unexpected and very long detour through Central Park. I basically wandered around lost for nearly 2 hours. By the time I found my way out I had no idea where I was or how to get back to my hotel and the shoes I was wearing had given me such bad blisters on my feet that they were bleeding. Sitting on a park bench with tears streaming down my face I tried to figure out what I was going to do to get back to the hotel with no cash. The next thing I know a man is standing beside me asking if I’m ok and if I need help. Between my sobs he managed to figure out where my hotel was. He asked me to wait on the bench, and he went and bought me Band-Aids from the drug store on the corner. Like that’s not enough – he actually cleaned off my feet, put Band-Aids on them and then hailed a cab and paid for my fare back to my hotel. His name was John, I’ll never forget his face and the kindness he extended. Just goes to show, New Yorkers have good hearts too.

    posted by JulieM on 6-15-2010 at 11:48 am

  108. i had a similar wallet incident at a Phish show in indianapolis, IN Last summer. It was pouring the rain after the show and i could not find my car in the sea of vehicles and the blinding rain. After wandering aimlessly for about and hour and a half i finally found the car along with my 3 friends who had been standing there waiting for me to come unlock it so they could find some shelter from the storm. As i polpped down in the drivers seat i realized my wallet was not in my pocket! I knew i had had it inside the venue because i had bought a beer only 45 mins before the end of the show. Soaking wet and extremely depressed (I had 3 more shows to go to and now no cash or credit cards) To make a long story short i was able to take a small loan from a friend who was also traveling and had my girlfriend wire me cash the next day and i was able to salvage the rest of the trip from imminent disater. When i made it back to my apt in WV about a week later i had a certified mail slip in my mailbox. Not expecting a lettter i went to the bank to find a package containing my wallet, credit cards and the $450 that was in there when i lost it. It was caked with mud and there was a note in the package that said “I fouind your wallet in a mudhole @ deercreek after a Phish show. I saw your ticket stubs in there from the 3 shows you made it to before this one and felt like it was my duty to make sure you got everything back. I did take a $5 out of there to pay for shipping, hope you had a good vacation on Phish tour!” that guy really went out of his way to make sure i got it back, and i couldnt beleive that my cash and cards were still in there! It goes to show that the people and you meet (and also the ones you don’t meet) on the road feel a common commraderie with each other and look out for each other whenever they can!

    posted by Johnnychronic on 6-15-2010 at 11:52 am

  109. On a trip to Walt Disney World a few years back, just as myself, sister, mum and dad entered, three complete strangers came up and gave us all free ‘skip to the front of the queue’ tickets to all the rides.

    Made it the most memorable holiday we’ve ever taken.

    posted by Ryan on 6-15-2010 at 11:53 am

  110. Twice someone has stopped for me…

    I was leaving work one winter when I noticed the flat tire. I made it to the gas station, and they did have fix a flat, so I tried to get it going but was having a difficult time making it work right. It was early December here in Ohio, and of course I was in heels (had to go to a hearing) and the weather was awful freezing rain and getting colder fast. A man stopped and asked if he could help, he was a truck driver and had fixed this kind of problem before. He fixed the flat enough to get me home. He said he had two daughters just younger than me, and hoped that someone would stop to help them if they were in distress

    My daughter was born with a hemangioma (strawberry birthmark) on her lower lip. It was over half the lip and looked worse than it was (she still ate fine). We were at a bookstore cafe when she was 4-6 weeks old, when the woman in line in front of me notice Cassie. “Oh, she has a hemangioma” and told me about her neice who was in her late teens with the exact same birthmark in the exact same place. Now that she is grown, it is on the inside of her lip and noone ever notices it. I made up my mind that day we would do nothing until Cassie was grown unless the hemangioma became a problem. She doesn’t notice it at all now (9 years old), and almost none of her classmates do either. Sometimes one of her classmates will ask if she got hurt. To this day, I thank that woman for giving me the courage to tell all the well meaning physicians that we are doing nothing right now, we will wait to see what happens, when they are just itching to “fix” her “problem”.

    Thank you for reading….may we all be this kind as often as we can.

    posted by Laurel on 6-15-2010 at 11:58 am

  111. While standing in the parking lot of my gym talking to a friend after a workout, a nice, well-dressed man came up to us and asked if “this is one of yours” and in his hand, he had my cell phone which had fallen out of my pocket unbeknonst to me!

    And to think that it could’ve been run over, and since it is my only phone, I don’t know how I would’ve gone about going about calling to locate it!

    Thank you!

    posted by Marty on 6-15-2010 at 12:04 pm

  112. When I was very small my parents had a job that required them to drive across the country and since this was before I started school I would go with them. One trip took us through the desert in California. Before the trip my father made sure the van we traveled in was in good working order. Of course the van broke down in the middle of the desert. Apparently a hose from the radiator had somehow slipped off during our trip. This was definitely before cell phones and there wasn’t any home or business to walk to for help. We were stranded, and we hadn’t seen any other cars pass. Thankfully, after sitting there for about 2 hours trying to figure out what to do, another motorist approached. They happened to have several jugs of water in their car and they filled up the radiator for us. At the time I didn’t understand how bad the situation was because I was only about 4, but looking back I can see how terrifing the situation would have been for my parents.

    posted by Nicole T. on 6-15-2010 at 12:06 pm

  113. This Easter, we were heading to a local park to do family pictures, and I left the diaper bag (with my expensive camera) on top of the car, and didn’t realize until we reached the park. We retraced our steps back home, and found a guy standing on our front porch with the bag in his hand. He had seen it in the road, stopped to pick it up, looked in my wallet for my address, and brought it back to our house for me. So, so kind!

    posted by Louise on 6-15-2010 at 12:08 pm

  114. I was heading north to take the GREs on a saturday morning. I had brought enough money for one subway trip, and I stayed with a friend on the north side of town so I could arrive fresh for the exam in the morning. What I didn’t realize was that actually there were a few more subway stops to go between my friend’s apartment and where I needed to get to. My friend had left before I did, and the apartment had locked behind me. I had no choice but to try to bum $1.50 for the subway. People looked at me very much askance, and finally one fellow in a suit said “well, we can’t have you not get into *grad* *school*” and he paid my fare. Now I’m a professor. Thanks, dude!

    posted by Astroprof on 6-15-2010 at 12:16 pm

  115. thank you all for these wonderful stories of your angels! this was just what i needed today, so you have all given me a kindness! i have been blessed to have so many angels help me out randomly over the years, there’s not enough room to list all the tales. wouldn’t it be wonderful if the media focused on all the good things going on in the world instead of the bad? have a beautiful day!

    posted by hansen on 6-15-2010 at 12:22 pm

  116. I was alone and on my way home from my brother’s house one evening and, about 2 1/2 hours away from home, my tire went flat. It was about 45 minutes until nightfall. As I poked around trying to find all that I needed to try to change the tire (I’ve done it once in my life) I discovered I didn’t have a lug wrench. Immediately after making that discovery, I looked up and two young men were heading my way in the parking lot. They had seen my car from the other side of the highway and had made a u-turn to come help. Not only were they willing to help, they had a rolling jack and–a lug wrench!! Twenty minutes later I was on my way. A side note: I had encountered a detour on my way home and I realized later that the delay I experienced served to put me in the exact spot where I needed to be later in the trip.

    posted by Elaine on 6-15-2010 at 12:24 pm

  117. I have been lucky to have encountered many acts of kindness. ex. a bus-fare was paid when i didn’t have money on me. my little sister (years ago) had lost her little purse with play money in it and paperwork she had gathered throughout the house. Later in the evening a senior citizen had taken the bus just to return the purse (apparently it had a house bill as part of her collection in it haha)…. Many other things that are small to others, but have warmed my heart. Recently, i was donated a mere 10bux to Wildlife fund and i see a log stating that Katties critters from new york (non prof small animal shelter) donated 100 bux to Wildlife funds assisting the BP oil spill; when in fact this shelter is also in dire need of funds (this is a private home that is taking in small animals)! just opened my heart and I will be always thinking of Katties critters and how i can help them instead of buying personal junk :) THANKS UNIVERSE FOR CROSSING GOODNESS IN MY PATH :)

    posted by Crystal on 6-15-2010 at 12:24 pm

  118. When my mom was pregnant with me, she lived in California while my dad was in Vietnam. One day, John Wayne was in her area making public appearances. She managed to get close enough to ask for an autograph, but neither one of them had a pen. He fished around in his pockets, looking for some pre-autographed cards, but couldn’t find any. His people ushered him on down the line, leaving my mom rather disappointed. A few minutes later, she saw him running back toward her, shouting, “Honey! Hey, honey! I found ‘em! I found ‘em!” He pressed a handful of autographed cards into her hands, grinning and totally making her day.

    Different story: a few years ago, my husband and I were both out of work with bills coming due and Christmas approaching. We got some wonderful help from friends, but also received anonymous gifts – a $1500 cashier’s check and an envelope filled with $900 on christmas eve.

    posted by Dawn on 6-15-2010 at 12:26 pm

  119. Just wanted to say that this thread completely made my day. Possibly my month. And the fact that I keep hitting refresh and more and more stories appear makes it that much better. :)

    posted by Heather on 6-15-2010 at 12:40 pm

  120. My mother, son, and I were eating at a favorite restaurant when we noticed our dentist and his wife. We said hello and commented on how nice it must be to have a date night w/out their four kids. Later as they left, they said good-bye. Simply. At the end of our meal, the manager came to tell us our dentist had paid for our meal. My 70 year old mother said to me chuckling, “Of all the nights to order the most expensive meal!” He gets ALL my referals. (Dr. Majors/Wichita KS)

    Another day we were at brunch, and I noticed a table next to us with a mother, son, and daughter. They had the BEST manners. There was single elderly lady across the table from our two tables. The table next to us had paid for her meal. I often thought of doing that, but I wonder if a kinder gesture would be to invite a single elderly individual to have dinner with my family?

    posted by Mandela'sMom on 6-15-2010 at 12:41 pm

  121. While biking through a local park in 2005, I heard a woman screaming. I immediately biked over to see what was wrong and saw than an elderly woman’s old German Shepherd had swam out too far and was stuggling to stay above water. I pulled off my gloves and helmet and swam out to the dog and was able to tow it back in. The woman was extremely thankful and her dog was exhausted but fine. When I hoped back on my bike I realized in the process my wedding ring fell off. Several strangers helped me scour the beach for the ring for several days to know avail and I finally gave up.
    Two years later, I received an envelope in the mail with my ring inside and a not that simply said “I believe this belongs to you”. Evidently they were able to track me down from an inscription my wife put inside the ring. I still don’t know who found it and sent it to me, but thank you!

    posted by Spanky on 6-15-2010 at 12:43 pm

  122. When my wife was pregnant with our first child, we decided to take a roadtrip from our then-home in Milwaukee to my college town of Minneapolis. On the way back, my car died and we rolled into a gas station. It was cold and there was a ton of snow coming down. The station manager said he’d jump our car…but for $150. A bunch of skater kids (who I had mistakenly pre-judged), said “that’s BS, man” and offered to jump us.

    They continued to jump our car every 10-15 miles…from Sparta to Madison(where we left the car at a Sears store). On top of that, they gave us a ride to Milwaukee and even dropped us off at our house. They wanted no money and thought we were overly grateful.

    Well…12 years later, I’m still grateful for both their help and the lesson they taught us.

    posted by SouthTexGopher on 6-15-2010 at 12:52 pm

  123. I got out of work one day to see that my car was pretty well snowed in; it had been snowing all day. I set to work cleaning it off and clearing it out when I noticed a group of young teenagers walking up and down the street with shovels, brooms, and car scrapers. They asked if I wanted help and I accepted, thinking they were just a group of kids looking to make an honest buck. However, they steadfastly refused to take any money from me. I watched them continue up the street and clear every car that needed clearing. That was over ten years ago but it is still so fresh in my mind.

    posted by Lisa on 6-15-2010 at 12:55 pm

  124. A few years ago my husband called me and told me that his company shut down and he needed to look for a job. I had just quit my job to stay home with our daughter so I was terrified. Later that day my daughter cut huge chunks of her hair off and I could feel my stress level rising. At the grocery store my little girl was throwing an epic tantrum and I was almost in tears. An older lady walked up, put her hand on my shoulder and said “trust me, it all gets better. These days don’t last”. I looked up at her and she pulled me in for a hug and let me cry. I have no idea who she was, I don’t know if I even said thank you. But I think about her when days get rough.

    posted by amanda on 6-15-2010 at 12:59 pm

  125. I’ve been the recipient of kindness on several occasions. I took my three kids out to dinner at Shoney’s. We didn’t have a lot of money. We struck up conversation with a man and two women at nearby tables, and they were very entertained by my children. The two women paid for our meal.

    Another time my car broke down on the side of the road, and I was pregnant with the third and trying to walk up the interstate with the other two. I couldn’t reach my husband via cell, and his co-workers said he hadn’t arrived at work yet. A man pulled over to give me a ride to the gas station and had to be convinced to leave me!

    One night I was driving home with my daughter. It was raining, and I hit a slick patch of road going a little too fast probably and went into a ditch. My car was stuck fast, and I had no AAA. The people whose yard I drove into came out, very concerned. They called the police and some friends of theirs who came by and towed me out.

    One last story: I was about to get on the toll road, and I got in the wrong lane—the one for exact change. All I had was a dollar. I couldn’t get the attention of the toll booth operator no matter how many times I pressed the help button. The guy behind me was screaming obscenities and honking. I already felt foolish, and he was making it so much worse. I started crying, and scrounging around on the ground to see if there was any change anyone had dropped. I found some, but as I looked up, behind the screaming guy, I saw this kind woman walking toward me with change. I will never forget the look on her face. I waved her away because I found the change I needed, but it was nice to be reminded not everyone behind me hated me for making a stupid mistake.

    posted by Dana Huff on 6-15-2010 at 1:03 pm

  126. Despite the occasionally indifferent service, I’ve always been really impressed by the airline employees working the baggage desk. I went to college overseas, and coming home had way too much luggage. One time my flight was so horrendously delayed I missed my connection and, the woman compped all my baggage. Another time, they didn’t charge me for a third bag because it didn’t weigh very much and she let me take a slightly overweight carry-on onto the plane because I had a camera, laptop, and computer supplies in it I couldn’t check. I also missed an international flight from SFO once due to a horrible accident on the Bay Bridge, and the airline (whose codeshare I’d missed), not only tried to get me the first flight to my destination, which turned out to be two days later, but also offered to fly my into another airport in the relative region if that wasn’t soon enough. They didn’t charge me anything for this either. (I guess my hysterical sobbing helped? I was just worried I was going to fail my essay because I couldn’t be at school on time to turn it in!)

    Finally, the one time I flew with a broken foot, the airline AND airport employees couldn’t have been nicer and more helpful getting my bags checked and helping me to the gate. Other passengers on the plane practically fought each other for the right to help me with my crutches. It was really, really kind. That same day on the way to the airport, trying to drag my bag down the sidewalk while on crutches, a homeless man had also shouted from across the street that he hoped my leg got better soon!

    posted by B on 6-15-2010 at 1:04 pm

  127. My husband, a retired Navy sailor, was at an airport restaurant on business related travel. As he ate his dinner, he watched a Navy sailor, in uniform, dine with, what looked like, his new bride. My husband could see that he was a 3rd class, new to the service, probably splurging just eating there. Well, my husband remembers those days. He grabbed the waiter and told him that he wanted to pay for sailor and his wife’s meal, but anonymously. As the newlywed couple tried to pay their bill, the waiter shook his head. The sailor and his wife looked around and tried to figure out who paid for their meal to no avail. They slowly got up from their table and cautiously looked around as if it was some kind of joke. Hopefully, they will pay it forward. My husband enjoyed every minute of it.

    posted by Michele on 6-15-2010 at 1:07 pm

  128. Just this past month or so I got a random deposit into my paypal account for over $100. The email accompanying it said somethink like “with love from your friends at [private website I frequent]“.

    I’m a single mom, unemployed at the moment and having a tough time of it. I was so touched that they thought of me enough to do such a thing…. and I was equally surprised that depositing money into someone else’s paypal account without them knowing was even possible. Technology… it’s pretty cool, but not as cool as those kind people.

    posted by Sara on 6-15-2010 at 1:07 pm

  129. My father used to own a pool hall in the 60′s. In the 90′s, he found an envelope with an anonymous note on his desk.

    The author of the note explained that he had stolen $55 from the register at the pool hall 30 years earlier. There was an apology and a promise that he’d turned his life around.

    Inside the envelope was $55.

    posted by Steve D. on 6-15-2010 at 1:10 pm

  130. A few years ago two of my friends and I went to visit yet another friend living in the suburbs of Chicago. She hadn’t lived there long and rarely went to the city. We ended up somewhere downtown lost (in the rain) and couldn’t figure out how to get to the train station. We finally decided to ask a man walking by for directions. He thought for a moment, then said well, it’s pretty far away… Let me give you a ride. The four of us girls looked at eachother, thought we probably shouldn’t do this, shrugged and followed the guy to a decent looking sedan. We all stopped, but he kept going to the next car, which was a LIMO! We couldn’t believe out luck. I had never been in a limo before and haven’t been in one since. We did have the presence of mind to pay the guy. Thanks again Chicago Limo Driver!

    posted by Brandy on 6-15-2010 at 1:13 pm

  131. Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to mention that when I was kindergarten, the very first time my mother let me walk home from school alone, I of course got lost. I was yelling for my mother, when it occurred to me that a lot of women probably answered to that name, so I started calling out my mother’s name. A woman called me into her house, asked if I was lost, and I said yes. She found my contact information on an ID bracelet I was wearing and called my mom. Right before the TV was due to start broadcasting missing child reports about me.

    posted by Dana Huff on 6-15-2010 at 1:15 pm

  132. I was visiting Italy as a student in 2004 and was to return to the US via a Sunday afternoon flight. My plan was to take the train to the airport, but when I arrived at the station the train was cancelled (or didn’t run on Sundays). I remember I had a giant red suitcase and in my panic I just sat on it and cried. All of my friends had already left, my flight took off in an hour, and I could not afford a cab fare, much less a hotel room or a new plane ticket. An older american couple, who I would later learn lived just blocks from me in New York City, approached me. They said that they, too, were running to catch their plane, and offered me and my big red suitcase a ride in their cab, free of charge. So we all packed in and I made it home. I still have no idea how I would have managed without their charity.

    posted by El on 6-15-2010 at 1:15 pm

  133. Last May, my sister moved from South Carolina to Seattle. She and her husband planned a weeklong drive out there and couldn’t take their animals. My parents took her cats to the airport a few weeks later, butthe airline didn’t fasten one of the cats cages. One worker saw him jumping out of the cargo bay and run off the runway into the woods. My sister flew home and she and my mom spent the next two weeks looking for him without success. She finally had to go back to Seattle. About a month later I got an email. I had a placed an ad on craigslist for the cat and she emailed that she had seen a posting for a found cat and wanted to make sure I’d seen it too. It was Jasper! It had been so long that I had stopped checking craigslist and probably wouldn’t have caught it. He flew back to Seattle on my sister’s lap!

    posted by spc on 6-15-2010 at 1:18 pm

  134. It was christmastime and I was six or seven years old. My mom had taken me shopping and I was so excited. I had my own little girly purse and a wallet with photos and a handwritten ID card it. I even had a little bit of money to buy presents with. Somewhere that day, I lost my purse. I was pretty sad about it and we tried to retrace our steps to see if it had been turned in at any of the stores we’d been in, but no luck. A few days later a package came in the mail. Inside was my purse, and everything else was still in it, along with a note from Santa and his reindeer!

    posted by Autumn on 6-15-2010 at 1:24 pm

  135. Recently I was driving a rural road in the rain, really having a hard time finding my destination. Trying to make a tight u-turn, I hit the muddy shoulder and was pulled into the ditch. Because my car only has front wheel drive, I was stuck, front tires in the mud, back tires in the road. Before I had time to even assess my situation, a big truck pulled up behind me. A middle aged woman got out barefoot in the pouring rain and without a word hooked a chain to my car and pulled me onto the road. It happened so fast and with such little fanfare that I would have sworn she was an apparition. It would have been so easy for her to pass me by because it was raining and she didn’t have shoes on, but she just jumped out and got right to it. People are wonderful sometimes. I definitely look forward to buying a 4-wheel drive vehicle and paying it forward when the opportunity presents itself.

    posted by El on 6-15-2010 at 1:34 pm

  136. Way back in the pre-cellphone era when I was in college, I was coming home from a very late night study session when my car broke down. Stranded on the highway, no idea where the nearest phone might be, my car blocking the lane, 18 years old and starting to panic. A couple of G.I.’s in a van came along, helped me move the car to a safe place, and then drove me home. I was very nervous about accepting help and a ride from two strangers, but they were perfect gentlemen. I’ve never forgotten how blessed I was that night.

    posted by Nancy on 6-15-2010 at 1:37 pm

  137. When I was 16, I briefly lost control of my car on a 2 lane highway and ended up looking into oncoming traffic. Not wanting to hit someone, I over-compensated in turning the steering wheel back and ended up in a 6′ ditch. My seatbelt didn’t catch, and I hit my head against the windshield 3x, breaking the rearview mirror and cracking the windshield.
    Immediately, I had at least 3 strangers stop to try and help. One let us use their car phone (before everyone had a cell phone), one was a retired firefighter that just talked to me calmly and asked me questions to keep me conscious, and lastly was the woman who was driving behind me who stayed to tell the police what happened (I was in shock and not really making a lot of sense).
    I have no idea who any of these people were, but each of them had part in my rescue and I will always remember their kindness.

    posted by Jen on 6-15-2010 at 1:50 pm

  138. A couple summers ago, my hubby and I were in Paris for a one day trip. Long hours in the hot sun and a LOT of walking had made us bleary eyed, sweaty and tired. We stopped to rest on a bench and set down all of our belongings while we tried to enjoy the shade. When we packed up to leave, neither of us grabbed our very expensive camera that was sitting on the bench. I assumed he had it, and he assumed I was going to pick it up. After 10 minutes of walking, we decided to stop for a bottle of water. Just as we reached the counter, I heard a female voice yelling in French. She spoke no English, but it was clear that she had sees our camera and had followed us down the street trying to catch us for those 10 minutes! I was so overjoyed that this woman would go to such heroic efforts to return our camera to us. Now, when I look at the pictures from that trip, I always think of that lovely French woman that saved the day for us. Truly amazing!

    posted by Amber on 6-15-2010 at 1:50 pm

  139. First kindness: Several years ago, my mom took a bus to visit her sister. She got stranded in a city about 90 minutes away and I couldn’t pick her up. She called an old friend she only saw at high school reunions, who invited her to her home for the night.

    Second: Next day, I had a tire blow on the way to pick her up. I pulled over in the WORST place possible–a small median between the freeway and a highway exit with no stop light. So cars were whizzing by at 70 mph on either side of me.

    A man stopped his car behind me, told me to stay in the car, changed my tire at a risk to his life, and sent me on my way. I, too, should have repaid him in some manner.

    posted by Laura T. on 6-15-2010 at 1:56 pm

  140. Way back in the pre-cell phone era, when I was in college, I was driving home from a late night study session when my car broke down on the highway. 2:30 a.m., 18 years old, car blocking traffic, no idea where the nearest payphone might be and starting to panic. A couple of G.I.’s in a van stopped to help me. They moved my car to a safe spot and offered me a ride home. I was very nervous about accepting their help, and had always been taught to NEVER get in a car with strangers. The entire way home, I kept thinking of horror stories about serial killers, but they were perfect gentlemen. I’ve never forgotton how blessed I was that night.

    posted by Nancy on 6-15-2010 at 1:57 pm

  141. Sorry, Ransom, but that was neither kindness nor consideration. Assuming that your driveway is easily visible, the driver knowingly parked there, thereby denying you the use of your property, and simply assumed that a bottle of wine would cover the value that you attach to access to your driveway. Say you weren’t home? No matter. The driver had no idea what your plans were (as a matter of fact, he assumed that you were home, or at least had knowledge of his rudeness, as evidenced by his gratitude that you chose not to tow him): What if you decided to return early, or someone was going to house-sit for you, or you were going to pick up sme extra cash by letting someone use the space your driveway affords? Such plans would be at best crimped and at worst dashed.

    This fails the “kind stranger” test as the driver willfully imposed on you and then dictated to you the cost of the imposition. It was a coward’s way out, and the driver is and remains a douche.

    posted by lmnop on 6-15-2010 at 2:06 pm

  142. Imnop, I don’t think many here care whether or not the wine was justified. I think we’re just encouraged by the kindness in a chaotic world.

    I don’t even know if anyone meant to be kind to me, but this morning I woke up later tired from moving over the weekend and when I went down to my car parked on the side of Main St. downtown only to realize that I should have had a ticket an hour earlier based on the signs posted. What a great way to start out the day by avoiding the consequences of a silly mistake!

    I personally love to pay for the people behind me in a fast food/coffee line. Typically people are so frustrated they’re probably mad, but a free meal may just change their whole day!

    posted by Megan on 6-15-2010 at 2:14 pm

  143. My family has a dog that is TERRIBLY frightened by loud noises. During a particularly violent storm a few winters ago she managed to escape, running down the road, most likely out of her mind with fear.
    At about 10:30 that night we got a phone call from a college student who had seen our dog running down the highway in the rain. She’d pulled over and managed to wrangle the smelly, wet beast into her car.
    When we went to pick her up she was hiding behind the couch, still wet, but cozy on their white carpet!
    We are forever indebted to the girl who could have very easily just kept driving instead of saving our beloved family member.

    posted by Dom on 6-15-2010 at 2:22 pm

  144. Four months after uprooting my life to take an advertising job in Birmingham, AL, I got unceremoniously fired. I cried all the next day, but on the third day, I pulled myself together and walked to the local coffee shop. Ahead of me in line was a new acquaintance with some coworkers of his and I blubbered my story to them. One of the coworkers invited me to brunch with them, saying there was someone there I should meet. The brunch led to meeting the man who would help me get hired at a competing ad agency a mere 10 days later. Which led to another agency a few years down the road, which led to the doors of mental_floss magazine a few years after that. I have an angel to thank for taking pity on the sniffling, red-eyed kid and making the rest of my life fall into place, but I’ve never seen her since, and I can’t remember her name. Hope she’s reading this!

    posted by Terri on 6-15-2010 at 2:22 pm

  145. One stranger gave me a $5 gift card for the bakery we were at because I said something about special needs kids at the PO the day before, in front of her mean neighbor who always picked on her own special needs son. I was flabbergasted–I do casual disability education to strangers who seem to have a need for that info.

    One of the co-owners of that bakery comped my birthday cake order on an especially hard birthday when I was deep in a depression cycle.

    I loved that bakery (Gayle’s Bakery in Capitola CA)–I moved away & only get there occasionally now.

    posted by A. Marina Fournier on 6-15-2010 at 2:27 pm

  146. My boyfriend (now my fiancé) and I had gone to see a movie at a theater several miles from my house. It was winter, late in the evening, and a Saturday night. On the way there, his car (never in the best shape) began veering, and we realized that the tire was busted and very quickly going flat. His answer was to turn around and drive back ten miles in the snow and ice, and I told him we’d never make it. We pulled off into the shopping center where the theater was, and dug out his car manual to figure out how to change his tire.

    I was directing him (as he’d never had to do it himself), and as he was using a regular jack to slowly ratchet the car up enough to change the tire, a guy about our age pulls over and offers to help us out. He has a hydraulic jack, and gets the tire changed very fast, telling us that had we kept on with the regular jack, the car would have fallen on my boyfriend, or we would have punched a hole in the car. We had no money to pay him, and I offered to buy him dinner with my debit card, but he declined. We never did go to see the movie, but are incredibly thankful for that guy’s help.

    I’ve also seen small acts of kindness that make up for the mean and nasty people; just last week, I was ringing up a woman in uniform – her beret said ‘air force’ and she was in fatigues. There was a guy hovering around behind her, but he didn’t need to purchase anything. He waited until she was done, and her items bagged and ready to go, stopped her, and shook her hand, and thanked her.

    posted by Day on 6-15-2010 at 2:27 pm

  147. A couple of years ago, I was asked to leave my parents house after not being able to provide for myself. The first few days were very hard on me. I felt as if nothing would ever be the same, let alone worth it.

    I had a few dollars to spare, and needed somewhere warm for the night, so I decided to hop into a Denny’s to get cozy and get something cheap. I ordered an English muffin and a coffee, as it was all I could afford.

    After I was done with my meal, I headed up to the register to pay, only to learn that the older couple sitting behind me had payed for my meal. I am forever grateful to those kind souls.

    posted by Lenny on 6-15-2010 at 2:30 pm

  148. I have two:

    One day I was coming back from vacation in a rental car and was cutting it close to make it to work that day. About an hour outside of town, in the middle of nowhere, the car slid off into a very muddy ditch. I couldn’t get the car back on the road and had no reception to call for help. After 20 minutes, a guy in a pickup came by and, after connecting a chain from his truck to my rental car, pulled the car back on the road. Thanks to him, I made it back home in time to go to work.

    I was moving to Columbia, SC from out of state and needed to put a deposit down on an apartment. All I had were checks (no ATM card) and the apartment complex would only take money orders or cashier’s checks. I went to the nearest bank (my bank did not have any branches in SC) and they would not cash a check for me. I was getting very upset because I needed to put down a deposit and had no way of getting access to my money. A nice gentleman (a lawyer as it turns out) overheard my problem, and offered to give me the cash ($150) if I wrote him a check. He had no way of knowing if I even had the money in my account, but he was willing to take the chance. Thanks to him, I got my apartment and had a warm welcome to my new state.

    posted by Tiffany on 6-15-2010 at 2:32 pm

  149. 3 years ago I was heart broken, homesick and in Oregon I had the worst experiences ever one of them… I was living with a terrible host family who will never apreciate what I use to do for them one day my friend and I (she was in the same situation as me) decided to go for a walk and we didn’t realize how far we were, maybe more than 12 miles, in the way back we ask for a ride and no body stop to pick us up, this day I lost all my faith on people, we decided to move to other state, I lost my best friend because we suppose to find new families and we found them but in different states. When I was at the airport one of my lugagges were overweight and I was ready to star throwing my belongings because I didn’t have enought money to pay for that…and the man in the counter let my lugagge go I will always remember him because is the only good memory that I have from Oregon.

    posted by Sandra on 6-15-2010 at 2:35 pm

  150. Many years ago, I was driving from NC to CT, just ahead of a major winter storm moving up the east coast (mid 90s). I was due to spend the night in DC at a friend’s house, and when I reached the city, it was 9pm on a sloppy, frigid night.

    As I exited 395 at the 12th St tunnel, I could see a huge pothole in front of me. There was a transport truck on my left and zero room between the driving lane and the cement guardwall on my right, so I hit the pothole and hoped for the best. But no luck; by the time I’d made it even halfway under the Mall, I knew I had a flat.

    If you’ve ever been to DC, you know there’s pretty much nothing downtown around the Mall, at least not until the past few years. Certainly no gas stations/repair shops! I pulled over between the IRS and EPA buildings on the far side of the Mall, and got out of my car to assess the damage.

    So here I am, middle of downtown DC, late at night, nobody around. This was before cell phones really became super-common, so I didn’t have one and didn’t see any pay phones anywhere in the area. Well-dressed businessmen kept walking past me, and I’d beg to borrow their cell phone for a moment or ask them if they knew how far a walk it might be to a gas station, and they all ignored me. (Keep in mind, I was a mid-20s girl, dressed decently but not flashy or trashy.) I had almost no cash on me, didn’t see an ATM around – not that it mattered; I had almost no money in my bank, either – and it was continuing to sleet around me. I was starting to feel a little panic, and was getting mad that not one of these people would show the kindness of a few moments or minutes to even let me make a phone call from their cell phone.

    I opened my trunk and yanked out my tire jack. My parents made sure there were certain things I knew how to do as a driver; fix a flat was high on the list. As I was getting ready to pull out the spare, this homeless guy who had been laying down on a bench nearby surprised me, saying, “Let me help you.”

    He refused to let me help him, pulling my spare out, and getting down in the dirty, slush-filled street to change my tire as sleet continued to fall.

    Afterwards, he offered me a “God bless” and prepared to walk away, not even trying to ask for anything in return.

    Of course I stopped him. I had almost nothing to offer him in thanks, except a few dollars in cash, and a bag full of food (fruit, snacks) I’d been carrying in the car. He seemed grateful and surprised that I would give him all this, but he had just selflessly done far more for me than any of the suits who kept walking past and ignoring us did.

    I never forgot that. Here was a guy who had nothing to give, helping me out in a miserable, scary moment in my life, when people with everything just kept passing by and ignoring me.

    posted by Meryddian on 6-15-2010 at 2:39 pm

  151. One time my car ran out of gas on the highway a couple of miles from the nearest exit with a gas station. My gas gage was broken, so I wasn’t expecting it to happen. I realized that I didn’t have a gas can in my trunk and I only had a couple of bucks, so I wouldn’t have been able to buy a gas can and gas. My plan was to get to a phone and hopefully get a hold of a friend to come get me and bring a gas can. I hadn’t even walked more than a hundred yards, when a car pulled of the highway ahead of me. They were an elderly couple and offered to drive me to the gas station. On the way, they asked if I had a gas can, then offered to let me use theirs when we got to the gas station. While I was pumping gas into the can, the elderly gentleman went inside and paid for my gas (without me even knowing) and bought another gas can for me to keep in my car and also filled that one up too. When I thanked him, he said that he couldn’t let me get back on the road without knowing that I would have that in case my car ran out of gas again in the future. When they dropped me off at my car, I offered what little money I had, but they refused and told me to pay it forward. That was ten years ago, and I still have that little gas can and have used it more than once.

    posted by Amy on 6-15-2010 at 2:43 pm

  152. We’ve taken to a new tradition at my workplace. During the holidays we used to buy everyone in the office a gift. Regardless of how little you spend, buying 15 people something can get expensive. So instead, we decided to draw names and perform random acts of kindness. Basically you did something nice in honor of the person you picked. Then we had a small party and presented our gifts to the whole group. There were gifts ranging from paying for someones tolls to donating money to the WWF. I’ve never had a more fufilling Christmas and there was not a dry eye in our office that day.

    posted by Cait on 6-15-2010 at 2:45 pm

  153. My sophomore year of college I had the most insane finals week right before Christmas break. I was extremely homesick, lonely, stressed beyond belief and living in the library. It was Thursday of finals week and I can’t actually remember the last time I had showered. But when I was deep in thought, cramming for a final that I had in two hours, a guy dropped a note in front of me as he exited the library. At first I was REALLY annoyed, but I opened it and all it said was, “You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, good luck on your finals. Don’t stress, you will do great!” There was no signature and I NEVER saw him again. I still have that note and look at it from time to time. It amazes me that someone wanted to give me such encouragement with no expected return. Lord knows I needed it! I wish I could thank him now!

    posted by McKinley on 6-15-2010 at 2:50 pm

  154. About a decade ago, I had just moved to New York City to start my first “real” job after college. I’d never spent more than a few weeks in the city before, and I’d moved there over the objections of my mother, who seemed to be convinced I’d be mugged and/or killed. So with all the changes and stress I was dealing with, I was feeling rather scared and unsure of whether I’d made the right decision. As I was walking to work one morning, about a week after I’d made the big move, I heard someone shouting behind me: “Miss! Miss!” I didn’t turn around, certain the voice wasn’t meant for me, and just kept up my brisk, city-girl pace. But then I felt someone tap my shoulder. “Miss!” I turned, and a woman was next to me, panting slightly. “This fell off your coat,” she said, and handed me a button. She’d chased me half a block to give it to me. That was when I knew I’d made the right decision after all.

    And a bonus story: Not quite a year after that, I met my two roommates for dinner on my birthday at an Irish bar in lower Manhattan. When we were nearly finished with our meals, our waitress told us our check had been taken care of by an elderly Irish gentleman, one of the bar’s regulars. He stopped by our table and accepted our thanks; he’d overheard it was my birthday and wanted to treat the three young ladies. “Just make sure you give your waitress a nice tip,” he said with a wink.

    No one will ever be able to convince me that New Yorkers are not some of the nicest people in the world.

    posted by Laura on 6-15-2010 at 2:52 pm

  155. A similar theme to other stories, but: when I was 16 my parents sent me to Paris to stay with a family for a couple weeks and work on my French. By the end of the trip, I was homesick, stressed out and exhausted from trying to understand a different language for the last two weeks. My host mother dropped me off at the airport a little late and by the time I got to the gate, the woman at the counter told me I didn’t have a seat and wouldn’t be able to fly out that day. I instantly panicked- I had nowhere to go, no one was home at my host family’s house and wouldn’t be for hours (this was pre-cellphones), and something complicated was happening with my parents- I think they were picking me up at the airport on their way home from a trip themselves. I must have had a horrible, close-to-tears look on my face because I didn’t even have a chance to say anything- she just looked up at me and then followed up with, “Let me work on it.” She sweetly sat me down nearby, and after much discussion with staffers and other passengers in French on my behalf, I had a seat on the plane and got home when I was supposed to. That attendant saved me (and my parents and my host family) so much worry and stress- ever since I’ve tried to be as polite and friendly as possible to people in travel and service industries, and I’m always amazed when people in increasingly thankless lines of work like that do things above and beyond the call of duty. I was so worried and tired of speaking French that I doubt I showed that attendant the level of gratitude she deserved, but now I always remember when my travel doesn’t go as planned that when I was helpless someone helped me, and I’m not helpless anymore!

    posted by Kelly on 6-15-2010 at 2:53 pm

  156. My uncle had just died in the AIDS unit and I was crying alone in the waiting room when a man who was on his way out from visiting a friend in the unit saw me and talked to me. He was very understanding.

    posted by Lisa on 6-15-2010 at 2:55 pm

  157. When I was growing up, it was just my mom and me. We were dirt poor, and my mom worked her butt off to make sure I didn’t know it. Then, one Christmas Eve, long after I was asleep, a stranger dropped off a box of gifts for us. Toys and clothes for me, much needed gloves and a sweater for my mom. She doesn’t know who did it, but even 30 years later she gets choked up thinking about the random act of kindness.

    In later, much more stable years, we were able to return the favor for some families in need. They never found out who was the sponsor of their Christmas either. I swear to you, if you ever get the chance, do this for someone. There is no better feeling.

    posted by Liz on 6-15-2010 at 3:01 pm

  158. Allen,
    If you go places where there are often a lot of people that are struggling to get by go, you can often see a lot of little opportunities to do something nice. Places like the laundry mat (in a non-college type neighborhood), you often see folks that you can tell a little might make a difference. Putting a couple bucks worth of quarters in the washing machine for a working family can really be a bigger help than you realize. Even helping a tired single mom tote her heavy laundry baskets to the car can really make her day. Also driving around the neighborhood, you can see opportunities left and right. Folks that are driving cars without air conditioning in the summer heat would LOVE a cold coke.

    If you’re in an all-night diner at night, be kind to the waitress and tip her a big ole’ tip. No one works the all-night shift at Denny’s because their life is awesome and they just do it for the love of it. They’re going to appreciate a little kindness and few extra bucks. While you’re at it, scan the rest of the room, especially around the counter, find one of the folks that’s just drinking a cup of coffee, buy his cup and sit next to him and strike up a conversation. They’re not there for the coffee. They’re there because they’re lonely.

    posted by Melissa on 6-15-2010 at 3:08 pm

  159. I was at a military hospital for a dr’s appointment, and after wards decided to get my daughter and I lunch in the cafeteria. I was struggling with my tray of food and drinks, trying to balance it on my stroller when a female soldier came up and asked if she could carry my tray for me. I said that would be great and she stood with me in line while I waited to pay. She then proceeded to pay for our lunches and walk us to our table and gathered napkins, ketchup, and utensils for us. It was so kind and I think about that all the time. p.s. all these stories are great!

    posted by sjlc on 6-15-2010 at 3:16 pm

  160. Last year, my boyfriend graduated from college. The night before the ceremony, we decided to go out for a nice (for us) dinner and then meet up in Indianapolis for swing dancing with another couple. Dinner was great but when we returned to his truck (which he was borrowing from his family) it wouldn’t start. A very nice family stopped and asked if we needed help. They tried to jump it, but when that didn’t work, they offered us a ride back to campus and wouldn’t accept anything but our thanks. We were able to borrow a friend’s car and made it to Indy for a couple hours of dancing – without them we wouldn’t have those amazing memories!
    Incidentally, my other “nice stranger” story involves a date, with the same guy. We went out for dinner at a little Italian place in our college town one night. We were a little early for dinner and thus were the only customers in there. The waitress was probably my mom’s age, and she gave us free appetizers because, “we looked like such a nice young couple” We didn’t get her name, but she was wonderful! Even though we’re poor college kids, she got a nice tip, because that made our day!

    posted by Anne on 6-15-2010 at 3:18 pm

  161. Two years ago, my boyfriend and I were flying to his parents’ house for Christmas. We left on Christmas Even, and our flight had two legs, one from Boston to Chicago, and one from Chicago to Omaha. When we got to Chicago, they told us that our flight to Omaha had been canceled, and that the only option we had was to sleep in the airport on Christmas Eve and catch a flight out on Christmas Day.

    We were at the customer service counter chatting with a couple of women in front of us, and we all agreed that we would split the cost of a rental car and drive from Chicago to Omaha. Not only did we get there in great time, but we had a lot of good fun too. When we arrived one of the women agreed to pay for the entire rental car herself, which was no small fee. I’m still grateful to both of those women for turning what was going to be a sad and frustrating experience into something that I can think on fondly and even sentimentally.

    posted by Becca on 6-15-2010 at 3:23 pm

  162. What a post! Mine might be a bit long so do bear with me.

    I live in Jakarta and buses here are not at all a favorite in the eye of other drivers. Bus drivers are rule breakers, speeders and reckless drivers, at best.

    When I first started working, my commute was 4 hours in total. Add to that my working hours which usually ended at 9 pm, it was not unusual for me to arrive home at 11 or later.

    On worse days, I might miss the last bus home on the second leg of my trip home. One night, when that happened, a bus conductor who had been talking to me, mentioned it to the driver and off we went, tearing down the street.

    I was like whoa, what the…? And then the bus executed this cut, skid and stop – and I noticed we stopped in front of smaller bus.

    As it turned out, the bus driver was trying to stop that smaller bus so I could catch it and continued my trip home.

    Afterward I never complained much when a bus speeds up or acting crazy. Maybe it’s dangerous but I am forever tainted by the memory of what that particular bus crew did for me.

    posted by Shirley Thomas on 6-15-2010 at 3:27 pm

  163. When I was 17 my dog of 13 years passed away. I went to bury her at one of her favorite parks – however, it was a state park. Halfway through digging a hole, my shovel broke – and a park ranger came up to ask me what I was doing. I explained, and even though it was illegal, he said he would keep an eye the area – including my dog wrapped in a blanket – until I returned with a new shovel. When I returned after borrowing one from a neighbor, he simply tipped his hat and said he was sorry for my loss.

    posted by James H on 6-15-2010 at 3:36 pm

  164. -when i was a kid i awoke to find that a family friend left a hunting bow on the front porch with a note. (i dont hunt, but i was so excited).

    -when i was a teenager i worked retail. a customer wrote a glowing letter on my behalf.

    -when i was out of college, a relative paid off my loans.

    i have been lucky, and i try to do these same things for others.

    posted by asdf on 6-15-2010 at 3:44 pm

  165. My maternal grandfather died recently. While on the way to take my mom to the airport one state over, my car turned off in the left hand lane while I was going 70 mph. I cut across the highway, got off the first exit, and managed to pull the car under an overpass before it finally gave up. I broke down in tears in my husband’s arms and called our friend to help us. She came, pushed our car out through the intersection with her car & into a Friendly’s parking lot. We had no choice but to leave it there overnight as she drove us to my mom’s car, so I could get back on the road and drop her off at the airport on time. The next morning I fully expected to find my car had been towed — we’d left it parked right in front of a big sign that said overnight parking was expressly prohibited & violators would be towed at owner’s expense. Imagine our relief when our car was still there! I called a tow truck company & they towed our car home. We were so grateful our car hadn’t been taken off the premises [and costing us double what we had] we had the driver keep the change as a tip, $15 worth. It isn’t much, but he was really thankful & it was the least we could do.

    posted by ladysavage on 6-15-2010 at 3:45 pm

  166. Once upon a time, long long ago, I was driving home with my (future) husband, when I noticed that there were interesting lights coming off the back of my car (it was a Bug, and oh – hey, the engine is back there). I stopped short, jumped out of the car to discover that – gee whiz, the *engine* was on fire. After attempts to beat the fire out were unsuccessful, we noticed a group of men getting nearer and nearer. Of course, we’re not in the best neighborhood (because, let’s face it, this crap never happens in a good neighborhood). The men finally get close enough to see, and they’re carrying a fire extinguisher. My broken Spanish and their broken English was good enough to express my heartfelt thanks for their being in the area. We waved goodbye to them… and they kept walking – not back to where they’d come from, but on past us – as though they always go walking at night with a fire extinguisher. I firmly believe to this day that my guardian angels (or what have you) are a bunch of illegals. I still get this odd combo of warm fuzzies and goosebumps when I think about it. Also, best party story ever (so much is lost in text).

    posted by leeshka on 6-15-2010 at 3:59 pm

  167. My boyfriend and I were visiting a friend in Jacksonville. We went out that night to dinner and several bars; and we were so tired at the end of the night that we decided to take grab a taxi for the 8 blocks home. The cabbie was a great guy, and didn’t charge us at all, because it wasn’t even a whole mile. I think we each tipped him $5. The next morning, my boyfriend realizes he can’t find his iPhone, and none of the restaurants or bars we visited had one turned in. We left that day to drive home, sans phone, and on the way my friend called. The cab driver from the night before found an iPhone in his cab while cleaning it out after his shift and thinks he remembered the guy he dropped off at her place round about 2:00 am had an iPhone. He VERY easily could have sold it for a quick couple hundred dollars, but instead followed his instinct to one home out of probably dozens that he went to that night!

    posted by theCurious on 6-15-2010 at 4:00 pm

  168. I was at an outdoor music festival several states away from home with a big group of people from my church. I had parked in tall grass all night and moisture got into my spark plugs. A random stranger from one of the neighboring camping spots took an hour out of his time to fix my car when it wouldn’t start in the morning. I tried to look him up by the phone number on his business truck but could never find him to thank him for saving the day and allowing me to drive home in peace.

    posted by Sherrie on 6-15-2010 at 4:02 pm

  169. More tidbits of good deeds:

    -Recently sent my daughter across the country to visit my mom, and my brother’s g/f flew with her. Due to a huuuuge mistake on my part, they were late getting on the plane. All the window seats were taken, and I’m guessing that they were lucky to have gotten two together. When the gentleman sitting in the window seat heard that it was my 6-year-old’s first flight ever, he gladly changed seats. D’awwww.

    -Many moons ago, a friend and I decided that a road trip to New Orleans was very much in order. This was during the days of IRC, and we had made friends with some college guys who were living in Lafayette. We drove out there one night (Albuquerque -> New Orleans), and stayed with the boys. It could have turned out horribly (tourists beaten to death by Ragin’ Cajuns), but instead we had the best time – got to see local things that we’d never have seen otherwise, and didn’t have to spend a dime on a hotel room. Kindness of strangers (or virtual strangers) for the massive win. My only regret for that trip was not realizing that Mississippi is *right there* and driving over the state line so I could check another state off the list.

    posted by leeshka on 6-15-2010 at 4:23 pm

  170. The summer after I graduated, I traveled cross-country and went to a bunch of music festivals. It was the last night of one of these festivals and I was almost out of cash, staring longingly at a Chinese food booth. Food at festivals is always way overpriced, so the two dollars in my pocket couldn’t even cover an egg roll. I must have looked really pitiful because the owner of the booth made me up a huge plate of food with a little of everything they offered. If he’d charged me full price, the meal probably would have cost 20 bucks, not 2. I will never forget the kind Chinese man who took pity on me!

    posted by Lex on 6-15-2010 at 4:31 pm

  171. @Johnnychronic
    My sister also lost her wallet at a Phish concert back in ’99. A couple of weeks later it showed up in the mail with everything still inside, along with a wooden wall hanging, hand painted by the girl who had found the wallet. My sister isn’t quite the same college hippie that she was back then, but that beautiful gift has moved with her 4 times and still hangs on the living room wall in her home in Denver.

    posted by Claire on 6-15-2010 at 4:53 pm

  172. Two weeks ago I moved in to a college campus I’m unfamiliar with for summer classes. The first day of class I had six dollars in my pocket: two bills, two dollar coins, and eight quarters. I was completely starving, since I’d moved in that morning and hadn’t had anything to eat. I found a little sandwich cart, and grabbed a roast beef sandwich for six dollars. The lady running the cart put my sandwich in the microwave to heat it up, and then asked for $6.27. I had completely forgotten sales tax. I apologized and was about to leave, when she grabbed 27 cents out of the tip jar and told me my sandwich would be ready soon. It was unbelievably nice of her, and the next day I put a few quarters in the tip jar for the next unlucky person.

    posted by Andrea on 6-15-2010 at 5:02 pm

  173. I go to UC Berkeley in California and we have a science center here called the Lawrence Hall of Science. It’s a pretty cool place; a lot of interactive exhibits and the like. Thing is, it is miles up this hill and the trek by foot is terribly exhausting.

    One day, my friend who works there forgets something and I volunteer to make the journey with her (then, not knowing just how FAR the place was). She usually takes the shuttle, but it’s closed that day so the only option is to walk.

    We’re about 1/4 of the way there, still with plenty of steepness to go and we are EXHAUSTED when my friend gets the idea to hitchhike. I’m of course skeptical. Who would want to stop for a couple of random college students? Amazingly though, a car does eventually pull up next to us.

    In it is an older man (who we find out later is a Berkeley alum) and his son. Though the LHS was kind of out of their way, they drive us all the way up.

    Acts of kindness by strangers never fail to restore my faith in humanity. :)

    posted by Allison on 6-15-2010 at 5:35 pm

  174. It was the most stressful day of my life. I walked into Target after picking up my nephew and a 13 hour shift at work tired as I could be. I only had to get toilet paper so I didn’t grab a cart. BIG mistake! I didn’t realize that a 2 year old could out run me! After sprinting across the fourth of fifth lane of target, picking up stuff he had knocked down along the way I caught him. Out of breath and about to let out the same high pitched scream he was screaming I sat down in a side aisle for a couple minutes with him, regained my composure and grabbed the toilet paper and soup I needed. When I dropped the tp and had to run after him again I thought I would lose it. Just then a very special lady swooped him in her arms and then gave me a coupon for my soup! It put a smile on my face and turned the rest of my night around.

    I have many more but the simple fact she had a coupon for the soup I was buying convinces me she was an angel of God.

    posted by Tara Thomas on 6-15-2010 at 6:08 pm

  175. @DL

    God test? I have always handed found money/wallets/anything in to the proper authorities. I’m an atheist; I do it because it’s the right way to behave toward my fellow humans, not because an invisible man in the sky might be judging my actions.

    posted by Kristin on 6-15-2010 at 6:19 pm

  176. A couple years ago when I was in Egypt my aunt and I were trying to cross a street in Cairo to go shopping with a few little old ladies in tow from our tour. The traffic there is CRAZY!! Speed limits and traffic laws are just implied. We must have stood on the side of the road waiting for a slight lull in traffic for 10 minutes before a guy across the street yelled “Just go! They will stop!” I laughed at him and yelled, “I dont feel like dying today! And these ladies cant exactly sprint!!” The guy then jumped in front of a speeding BUS and stopped 3 lanes of traffic so we could cross.

    posted by Immora on 6-15-2010 at 6:49 pm

  177. My husband is in the Canadian military, and was wearing his tan uniform (as they do in the weeks prior to deploying) – he had stopped at a gas station to fill up his truck – over $90 – to find out another patron had paid for his gas and a ‘thank you’ to pass along.

    posted by Julia on 6-15-2010 at 6:54 pm

  178. Once me and my friend were hiking to camp at trout pond in the Adirondacks. We didn’t bring fishing gear because it was a serious hike and our packs were heavy enough, but about half a mile before we reached the pond we encountered a guy who had just finished fishing for the day. He said the fish were bighting and it was too perfect for us not to fish, so he gave us his fishing pole and some tackle. We cooked trout on the fire that night, I’ll never forget that act of kindness!

    posted by Tony on 6-15-2010 at 7:36 pm

  179. I was student teaching and having a very tough time. The teacher I was assigned to was quite cruel and said I had to buy some suits so that the students would show me more respect. I was wearing the same kinds of things the teachers were wearing, you know, jumpers, casual slacks, business casual stuff — the kind of things teachers wear, but I was very obese and apparently she thought I needed to look extra professional because of it. I was crying telling the story to some of my fellow education students about it and the next day, two of my classmates presented me with a new wardrobe they had purchased for me at the local plus-size store. I never would have been able to afford the clothing myself. I still need to pay that forward.

    posted by Jeanette on 6-15-2010 at 9:03 pm

  180. When working at a large grocery store in college, I remember helping a nice man find something. Then several times after that, if I saw him in the store I would walk with him as he shopped. One day he was telling me about this special pizza he made and I told him that it sounded really good. He instantly openned his wallet and pulled out a $20! He said he understood what it was like being a college student eating bad food and having a low paying job. He just told me to use my $20 to make his pizza! I didn’t see him after that, but to me, he was a fantastic person!

    posted by Leslie on 6-15-2010 at 9:04 pm

  181. OH! OH! I went to NYC for the first time last summer with a friend for the weekend. I told her that we were going to be tourists. I never met nicer people than I did that weekend, and I’m from the MidWest! People were always noticing our lost, confused looks and guiding us to the subway or to the right one. In Harlem, we were lugging our suitcases towards a bus and a lady stopped and asked what bus. I swear to god, she acked like she was going take our hands and lead us like children to the right bus. Everyone was so nice in NYC!

    posted by Leslie on 6-15-2010 at 9:13 pm

  182. My wife and I were driving along the Oregon coast when we came to the hotel we were going to be staying at that night. We had gotten in late and we were in a very popular seaside resort. It turns out that a disgruntled employee had double-booked our room, so there was no where for us to stay. They also mentioned that no other hotels would have vacancies because it was so late and a weekend. The kind couple who ran the hotel felt terrible and offered us use of their 5th wheel, where we spent the night, free of charge. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for us. As a way of showing thanks, we sent them some deep dish pizza and Chicago cheesecake when we got back home after our trip.

    posted by Chris on 6-15-2010 at 9:19 pm

  183. When I was 16 someone in my dorm stole my wallet from my bag while I was working out. The next day they slipped the pictures, my driver’s license and social security card (I know now that I shouldn’t carry it with me), etc. under my door. They basically returned everything except the cash (less than $20) and the wallet itself.

    To this day I have mixed emotions about the indecent. He stole my wallet, yeah, but he could have thrown the rest of the stuff away. Instead he returned it to me…

    posted by NW on 6-15-2010 at 9:51 pm

  184. Three years ago, my identical twin sister committed suicide. It was a complete shock and I was devastated. Understandably, my friends didn’t know how to react and mostly kept their distance. Suicide is a very taboo subject and since people don’t know what to do, they do nothing. A woman I barely knew called me up one day soon after my sister’s death and asked if I wanted to go to McDonalds with our children. I said Yes and I was so relieved to be getting out of the house. She sat and listened for hours while I talked and talked. She and I spent many days talking about my sister’s death while our children played together. I worked through so many thoughts and feelings with her. She was there for me when even my other friends couldn’t. I will always be grateful for her and what she did for me.

    posted by CR on 6-15-2010 at 9:55 pm

  185. Just tonight we went to a Japanese hibachi restaurant. A man we know ended up being seated next to us. He is just an aquaintence – not someone who we know well. We enjoyed the conversation with him – getting to know him better. When it was over, he took our bill and paid for it. We protested as we had ordered quite expensive entree’s but he wouldn’t listen and paid for our meal. What a nice surprise and what a coincidence after I had been reading this thread today! This is one of the best mental floss articles and threads ever. Thank you for posting about it on Twitter so I could come read all these great comments! :)

    posted by Angie on 6-15-2010 at 10:21 pm

  186. I’m a mailman in a kind of small town,and one of the places I deliver is an elderly tennant housing development. Once, shortly after I took over my route, it started raining as I was out delivering that development. I don’t remember if I had my raincoat with me or not, but I wasn’t wearing one. When I got to unit #14 there was a good-sized envelope taped to the door that said “Mailman” on it. I opened the envelope and there was one of those emergency rain ponchos in it… the kind that come all folded and packaged to be no bigger than your wallet. That was over 6 years ago now. The tennant’s name turned out to be Sandra, and I say hi to her several times a week!

    posted by Jack Handler on 6-15-2010 at 11:21 pm

  187. A few weeks ago my father had a heart attack in the middle of the night and was rushed to hospital. After my lectures that day I had to catch a bus to the hospital to see him. I was all teary and fumbling with my purse. The bus driver asked me what was wrong and I blurted out my story. He let me on for free and even stopped between two stops right outside the hospital entrance just for me. When I got inside I was lost. An old man was volunteering at the hospital and he walked me to the cardiology ward. The doors were locked and there was a big sign on the doors to the ward saying that visitors weren’t allowed between 1-3pm. It was just after 1 and I wasn’t sure what to do. I wandered around to kill time and got lost. Then a very pregnant indian nurse came up to me and called me by my name. My Dad had told the nurses that I would be visiting around this time so she had been waiting for me. She had seen me walk away from the ward but had lost me. She had spent nearly half and hour scouring the hospital for me. She brought me back and let me in to visit my Dad. To all these people I am immensely grateful. You made a lost, worried 17 year old feel much better.

    posted by Jessica on 6-15-2010 at 11:28 pm

  188. I moved to Mexico about a year ago to teach. I had only been living here a couple of weeks when I got robbed right outside my house. A number of people heard me scream and ran out to help me. Not only did some nearby workers find the guy hiding and call the police but my roommate (who I barely knew at the time) and about 5 neighbors, who I’d never met before, stayed with me the whole time and even went to the police station with me to make sure I would be taken care or and that I was alright. I was so shaken up and barely spoke the language but they were all there to help translate for me and go through the entire process with me. Even though it was a terrible and scary thing to go through, it helped restore my faith in people and I actually felt safer afterwards knowing my neighbors were so willing to help someone they didn’t even know.

    posted by C on 6-16-2010 at 12:24 am

  189. @ Kristin:

    Yes, God test.

    posted by DL on 6-16-2010 at 2:33 am

  190. I don’t know if any of you are following the Year of Giving blog. An out of work guy in DC is giving away $10 a day and documenting the experience. Well – today was the Worldwide Day of Giving. The idea is to give someone $10 – no strings attached, try to find out something about the person, and ask what they are going to do with the money. It is fascinating and inspiring.

    posted by Karen on 6-16-2010 at 3:14 am

  191. I was standing in line with my 3 year old daughter to get in to the Maker Faire in Austin in 2008, and a guy walked up and handed me his extra ticket. He just said, “here, I have an extra,” and I barely had time to get out a “thanks!” before he was gone.

    I remember being alarmed when he walked up to me, assuming he was going to scam me somehow. When I realized he was just being nice, it was a really wonderful feeling.

    posted by Derek Kurth on 6-16-2010 at 9:20 am

  192. My wife and I recently had a preemie, needlessly to say we weren’t 100% prepared when we got to bring him home. He didn’t need to stay in the hospital any extra time so we didn’t have any time to prepare for a homecoming. A friend came over and helped us get set up, and helped my wife feed him. By the time she left we had everything organized and felt much more confident. She organized people to bring us meals and brought us some amazing gifts.
    She did all this for us on her birthday, which was a milestone birthday, with three kids of her own, and trying to pack her house to move out of town.

    Another friend went to a store and bought every preemie outfit they had since all of the clothes we had were too big.

    posted by Wes on 6-16-2010 at 12:42 pm

  193. I love these stories!! I’m sure I have some of my own that I’m just not remembering….what I do remember though is the feeling from doing something nice for someone else. I was part of my high school’s Rotary Club, and we collected donations to sponsor a family for Christmas. A few friends and I were the ones who went shopping and delivered the gifts. The recipient was a single mother with two young boys, living with her sister in a cramped apartment. I’ll never forget how happy those boys looked, getting their new Spongebob winter hats! And the mother when she saw the turkey. I’m not telling this to toot my own horn, just adding to the conversation, maybe encourage some acts of kindness. :)

    posted by Kate on 6-16-2010 at 1:43 pm

  194. Near Christmas 2008, there was a brutal snowstorm in Boston. Being a very public-transport-friendly town, I didn’t drive to work, instead taking a shuttle from the building I work in to Harvard Square.

    Because of the snowstorm, almost ALL businesses closed early, including mine. Also closed? The shuttle service.

    Someone I had never met pulled up to where I was waiting for the shuttle and let me know she had seen a sign saying that shuttle service was terminated for the day and asked if she could give me a ride.

    I found out it was in the exact OPPOSITE direction she was headed, and on a night when most peoples’ commutes were 4+ hours, it was an incredibly kind gesture for someone she’d never met.

    posted by Marcy on 6-16-2010 at 2:37 pm

  195. When I was in hi school, my family went to visit my sister at college for The Big Game. On the way down the stairs in her dorm, I hit the edge of the carpet wrong and sprained my ankle. So I was hopping, hobbling, being half-carried by my dad to the stadium, when a guy on a scooter with his girlfriend on the back rode up and offered me a ride to the stadium. The girlfriend hopped off, I hopped on, and he carried me to the first aid station at the stadium. They got me set up with an ace bandage and ice and a wheelchair, and the rest of my family caught up later. If it hadn’t been for that guy with the scooter (and his girlfriend giving up her seat) I’d have never made it from the dorm to the stadium on my busted ankle. Thanks, y’all.

    posted by Carol on 6-16-2010 at 5:40 pm

  196. This didn’t happen to me but rather an Australian friend I was with (I’m American).

    We live in Liberia, where GDP is a little over 100 USD per capita. It’s also a country where up until recently there were no credit cards, so all transactions had to be done in cash.

    My friend had tried to buy a return ticket to Australia, but the office had closed before she got there, so she had about 3000 USD (it’s true!) cash on her.

    After missing the office, we met for drinks, and eventually ended up in a nightclub… at the end of the night, after we had left the club, she realized she had forgotten her wallet behind with the money, her IDs, credit cards, etc.

    We went back, of course, and found the club just about to close, with only the sweeper left, who couldn’t have made more than 30 USD a month. We asked if there was a wallet… and he walked to the counter and took it out, totally intact, all the money there; he had hid it for safekeeping, but had taken my friend’s business card – there were multiples in the wallet so he figured that was the owner of the wallet – and was going to call her the next afternoon.

    Not only did this man not take money that would have represented 100 months of savings to him – probably more money than he will ever see in his life in one place again – he also refused any reward, and seemed insulted. “It’s the honorable thing to do”, he said. Now THAT’s the kindness of strangers.

    posted by Dan Honig on 6-17-2010 at 12:35 am

  197. Our experience—I was then with my wife and our 4-year old son at that time—happened in July 1998 along the autostrada in Florence, Italy. We were heading back to a our place in Loppiano from Alitalia in the city after having our plane tickets rescheduled, when, along the highway, the car I was driving burst a tire, so we had to pull over to the shoulder to change the flat tire. To my shock, I realized the jack would not work! After some time I gave up trying, and decided to seek the help of other motorists by flagging them down. Nobody would stop, as most were traveling over 75mph. After about 15 minutes, an 18-wheeler truck slowed down and pulled over in front of us. Being in Italy for just a little over 2 months, our Italian was so limited, nor could the man speak a word in English. So there we were gesturing with our hands, and somehow, I managed to tell him that my jack was busted. He brought out his truck’s jack, but it was just too big and too high for our old 1981 Ford Fiesta. He then gestured to hand him our jack, and after examining it, he exclaimed happily that it was just OK! You could just imagine the joy we all had! I remember our son jumping for joy. After showing me how it should work, I gestured that I would be able to manage, thanking him. We never knew his name, but from then on, we referred to that man as “our angel”.

    We excitedly narrated our wonderful experience to the families in Loppiano. We later learned from our Italian responsibles that pulling over to assist someone along the autostrada was a traffic violation, since there were the authorities that took care of road issues or accidents. Our “angel” practically risked being apprehended by helping us out off our predicament. It’s an experience we still vividly recall to this day, although this happened 12 years ago.

    posted by Manny on 6-17-2010 at 3:12 am

  198. A couple years ago I was on a business trip to Hartford, CT. I drove the three hours from my house that morning although I knew the weather report was calling for major snow later that evening. The meeting was a little delayed and I could see the snow starting to come down so we all tried to rush through it. I decided to drive two others to the airport in the hopes they could make their flight out and then I’d try to make it home through the snow myself. The roads were a sheet of ice and making the last turn into the airport we slid off the road hard. A car pulled over to offer assistance and I told them both to take the ride to the terminal. I was taken in the ambulance to be checked out. Because the hospital was so busy with other car wrecks I was left laying on a stretcher for two hours. I started to panic on how was I going to get home. I checked myself out and called car rental places – nothing available. Then the miracles started to occur. Something told me to take a bus to New York City and then catch one of the local commuters to my house in PA. I called taxis but was still waiting there for over an hour. There were two people in the hospital entrance – one young man that looked like he was just in a gang gun fight, and a woman in her 60′s starting to walk out of the hospital. Something again told me to approach her and ask for a ride to the bus station (which I had no idea where it was). She smiled and said yes. She never did say why she was there on such a snowy night but she did take me to the station. I gave her my card, said, “Thank you and God Bless and have a safe trip home.” At the bus station I went to the ticket window and the agent said all roads are closed. As my heart sank he pointed me across the hall and said, “Trains still runnin” with a smile I only ever saw on fictional tv. I went to the train ticket counter and as the agent gives me a ticket and says with a smile, “You have a little time. There a pizza place right over there.” It was the only thing I ate all day. Still panicking since I never took a train before I went up the platform early to wait. There was a young woman my age standing there. She looked at me, smiled, and said,”First time? Don’t worry I’ll show you how it’s done.” We talked a little on the train and made it to Penn Station. We said good bye and I said, “Thank you and God Bless you.” I quickly looked for the exit stairwell to get a taxi to Port Authority. When I surfaced the taxi line was fifty people deep. I just felt like collapsing right there in defeat when an old man walked up to me, smiled, and said, “Go back down and take the subway.’ I went back down and then faced the ticket machine. Not knowing what I was doing, I couldn’t get it to work when a scruffy looking man stood next to me, pressed the “English” button to get it started, then smiled, and said, “You can do it from here.” I took my ticket, gave him the last couple dollars I had and said, “Thank you. God Bless you.” I made it onto the last commute bus home. The bus driver said that all the earlier buses had such problems but the roads are cleared up now. I never knew the people that helped me. I never used the phrase “God Bless you” before, I wasn’t all the religious. I just put my trust in the Higher Power to guide me and He did, with smiles. And smiles like I’ve never seen before except for movie dramatics. Having gone through all that like I did, I always try to offer a little help, with that smile.

    posted by Ellie on 6-17-2010 at 2:16 pm

  199. A few years back my friend was celebrating his birthday at a local bar. The place was pretty much empty, but being the rowdy group we are, we livened it up quite a bit. The bartender was exceptionally helpful, and really went out of his way to make sure we kept having a good time, even providing us with food on the house. In addition, a stranger at the bar came up and asked what we were celebrating. Turned out he was a street magician, and ended up buying my friend a drink, and giving a mindblowing performance for us to boot. It turned a pretty ordinary celebration into one of the most memorable birthdays ever. I know it’s not the most amazing story, and you could even argue that both people had something to gain from their actions, but I think it was how sincerely good natured they were that really made it special.

    posted by Chris on 6-17-2010 at 2:37 pm

  200. My grandmother was very sick for much of freshman year. It was clear when I came back for the spring semester that it was only a matter of time before I’d have to come back for her funeral. I spent a few weeks just waiting, ready to leave whenever it was necessary. By the time February started, I decided that I would just go home. I booked tickets on the earliest Friday morning train ride out of DC to go home, because the rates would be cheaper and that was the soonest I could get away from school. My plan was to spend the night in Union Station, because the trip was too early for the shuttles and the Metro to be running and God forbid I wake my roommate.

    During this whole week, my mom had been calling me periodically to keep me abreast of her condition. When I hadn’t heard from her from a while on Thursday, I tried calling her when I got out of class. As soon as she picked up the phone, I knew it had happened. My bags were already packed, as I was going home already. Before I left, I decided to go eat in the college cafeteria. None of my friends were around, so I was just planning to go grab one of the quiet tables up in the terraces.

    I was eating at the table when a girl came and asked me if she could sit with me. She said I didn’t look well and asked me what was wrong. She sat with me for a while and we talked while I finished eating. After I finished, I thanked her and left to get my luggage and head to Union Station.

    I never got the girl’s name. I couldn’t tell you what she looked like or if I’d seen her before or since. I couldn’t tell you what we talked about. In fact, I would not be entirely surprised to find out that she hadn’t even been there to begin with. But that one small moment, that quiet conversation was exactly what I needed. I needed to talk to someone, to be with someone, not to be my gloomy old self. I wouldn’t say I thought it was a specifically religious experience or that she was sent to me by God or anything like that. It was just a profoundly comforting and rewarding conversation. But I will tell you that it was wonderful to know in that moment that I wasn’t alone.

    posted by wrestlingdog on 6-17-2010 at 6:11 pm

  201. The woman in line behind me at the grocery store paid my $75 grocery bill when I forgot my wallet. She gave me her name and address so I could pay her back and told me it happened to her once so she just wanted to help another forgetful soul…

    posted by Fred D. on 6-18-2010 at 9:50 am

  202. Years ago when I was taking my 3 children to a school event in a larger city 1 hour from our home, my van broke down in an area that wasn’t all that safe. I did not have a cell phone then, so I was stranded and at the mercy of passers-by. An older man stopped to offer assistance. I used his cell phone to call for help, but that wasn’t the nicest part. This man realized that I was in a somewhat vulnerable situation and he stayed with me (on the other side of the road in his car) until the tow truck arrived. I really appreciated his help and that next week I purchased a cell phone!

    posted by Jan on 6-18-2010 at 12:14 pm

  203. About a month ago I was driving in Tulsa during a heavy rainstorm – water was really high on the streets, and I accidentally “curbed” my front tire because I couldn’t see well. I kept going, and about a mile further, while stopped at a stoplight, someone pounded on my car window, and when I rolled it down, a gentleman was standing there, getting soaked in the rain, with my expensive hubcap in his hand – he had seen it fly off when I hit the curb and followed me till I stopped so he could get it to me. I didn’t get his name, but was very grateful to him and couldn’t believe he risked getting out in the storm to do such a nice thing for a stranger. I’m passing that good deed on………

    posted by Marilyn on 6-18-2010 at 12:42 pm

  204. Since the global financial meltdown, my family has been in difficult straits. We have received too many kindnesses in the past year and a half to name them all. I’ll describe a few:

    * A few people from our synagogue have taken care of our two small children when I’ve had to go out for an appointment or to work when my husband was also at work.

    * When we lost our health insurance, a doctor friend made arrangements to get me samples of my medication so I wouldn’t have to go without it.

    * When the baby’s stroller busted a wheel, several friends from the neighborhood offered me the use of their old strollers.

    * Another friend has paid tuition so I could continue in our spiritual direction group. Without her help, I could not afford to continue this important practice.

    I have a large debt to pay forward, and I relish every opportunity to do a kindness for others. I hope I will have many more opportunities to add some good to the world; so much has been added to mine.

    posted by Naomi on 6-18-2010 at 7:20 pm

  205. When I was leaving Boston (in 1997), I lost my purse. I had had JUST enough money for my bus ticket home (roughly $45; the ticket was just under $42).

    As I was telling a collector in South Station what had happened, a woman tapped me on the arm and asked if she could give me a little something, for lunch. It was $20. Another woman gave me $2. The collector asked how much my ticket was. I told him, and he gave me another $20.

    I bought my ticket, but kept calling lost and found, hoping my purse would turn up. It did. With all my money.

    The MTA allowed me to ride out to lost and found without paying so I could retrieve it, and refused to let me pay when I went back.

    12 1/2 years later, and I’m still grateful to those strangers.

    posted by MLD on 6-20-2010 at 1:50 am

  206. I’m a college student, and I have to take a 2-3 hour train ride home (with transfers) every two weeks or so for various doctors appoinments. As a typical college student, I’m fairly broke. One particular trip, I had bought my ticket, and gotten on the train only to find that my ticket had blown out of my jacket pocket and I had no cash to buy a new one. A man seated near me over heard me explaining, near tears, my situation to the ticket taker. Not only did he give me money to buy a ticket to get me to my transfer, he wouldn’t take the change I tried giving him.

    The part that really gets me is, when I thanked him, he told me not to mention it, since he remembered being a broke student, and wanted to THANK ME, for giving him the chance to help someone else. He had no idea how scared I was that I wasn’t going to be able to get back to campus in time for class, and how grateful I was, and he thanked me. I’ve never been much of an optimist, but not only did he help me get to class, he gave me some faith in humanity.

    To the kind man on the LIRR, thank you.

    posted by Liz on 6-20-2010 at 10:32 am

  207. I live in Louisiana, and my two kids and I had to evacuate during Hurricane Gustav, as it was predicted our power would be out for at least a week and my oldest child is dependent on medical equipment to survive. We drove to Tennessee, and while there my daughter needed a medication refill. We went to the local Walgreens, and Blue Cross refused to pay because we were out of our network. I couldn’t afford the medication and our hotel, and was nearly in tears. The man in line behind us heard what was happening and offered to pay for my daughter’s medication. I hope he knows what relief he brought to a desperate single parent that day.

    posted by Logan on 6-20-2010 at 11:27 am

  208. I was visiting my father’s grave a couple of weeks ago and was sobbing with my head down on his grave stone. Some gentleman walked by and just patted me on the shoulder and continued walking. I’m sure he didn’t think too much about what he did, but it really meant a lot to me. His small gesture let me know that I won’t always feel like that.

    posted by Jay on 6-20-2010 at 12:58 pm

  209. I’ve noticed that quite a few of the comments involve kindnesses that don’t cost a penny – following someone to return something they lost, helping someone who’s lost, taking time to talk to someone when they’re sad or upset. Just goes to show that you don’t have to have money to be able to help someone in a way that they will remember for a long time!

    posted by Marcia on 6-20-2010 at 1:05 pm

  210. I haven’t read them all, but I think Ashleys one about getting their car towed is by far my favorite. thanks for making my day MF!

    posted by Max on 6-20-2010 at 5:09 pm

  211. My family and I were planning on meeting in an airport for a week’s vacation. I live in the state that we were going to, but had to fly to the vacation destination. We were supposed to get there about 2 hours apart, but right before my plane took off, I got the message that they weren’t going to make it until 12 hours after I landed. I thought I was going to be stuck in the airport for 12 hours, and it was a very small one. I asked the stewardess what the airport was like, having never been there, and I believe I was visibly upset, just having learned about the delay. She was telling me that it was very small, when the people in front of me turned around and offered their help. It turned out they lived in the place I was going, and they helped me get the rental car sorted out, and the lady rode with me while I followed her husband to the place I was going. I couldn’t check into the condominium we were planning on staying at yet, so they sent me out on a dolphin watch boat trip, as it turns out they owned the business. Instead of being stuck in an airport for 12 hours, I was able to go see dolphins, get settled into the condo, get the groceries, and then go pick up my family when they landed. The fact that these nice people were willing to help a scared college student was awesome, and I will always be grateful. It changed the tone of my vacation from disappointment and panic back to the fun in the sun it was supposed to be.

    posted by xaviergirl on 6-20-2010 at 11:38 pm

  212. My friend, who lives in Japan, had a friend visiting from America who had never ridden the Japanese train system before. He got very lost and as he was about to give up hope, a stranger came up to him and asked him if he needed help. The lost man told the stranger where he was trying to get to. The stranger began to explain how to get there but, realizing that the very lost man was not getting it, offered to take him where he needed to go. He went a hour out of his way. This sort of thing happens a lot in Japan, but this story was especially great.

    posted by Mary on 6-21-2010 at 12:12 am

  213. My sister was riding her bike around and around our block when she had a terrible bike crash, breaking her forehead open to the skull. A woman came running out of the nearest house to help her, bringing her brand new white towels to keep pressure on the blood gushing from my sister’s head. Between the pain and understandable hysterics, my sister was having trouble describing where she was in relation to our house. (She was around a corner and several houses away, so this wasn’t a neighbor we knew.)

    Just then a passing driver pulled up and immediately hopped out with a cell phone. He ran to the nearest corner to get the street names, and coaxed our home phone number out of my sister so he could alert us to what had happened. In the meantime, he kept her calm and held her, even though it meant he was covered head-to-toe in her blood. His brand new suit was completely ruined, he missed the meeting he’d been on his way to attend, and we never did catch his name.

    We bought the biggest, fluffiest white towels we could find to replace the ones our kind neighbor had ruined to take care of my sister. A few months later, during my first week of high school, I told the story. A classmate recognized the man in the story as her dad! We looked him up in the school directory and bought him a new suit.

    On my way home from college at o’dark-thirty one weekend, my gas light came on. My new car had the same MPG as my old one and was the exact same size, but I hadn’t realized that the gas tank was smaller. The stretch of turnpike I was on when the light lit up is without stops of any kind, so I was desperate when I finally found an exit that said “GAS,” especially since I hadn’t seen another vehicle in almost an hour.

    The station was closed, lights out, and there were no street signs or ramps back onto the turnpike. My car was literally running on fumes at this point, shaking, and I had no way of telling AAA where I was. I started flying down the road at 90mph, just praying that I found a sign before my engine died, when a cop started chasing me. I kept my engine on when I pulled over, because I knew it wouldn’t start again if I didn’t, and prayed that I would be able to afford the ticket.

    When I explained about the closed station and getting lost (scared, at 2AM, with no gas and no signs!), the cop looked at the “E” light on my dash and just said “Follow me!” Not only did he give no ticket, but he lead me to the nearest gas station, and waited while I filled my tank. He then double-checked that I was okay, explained where we were about to go, and then led me all the way to the next on-ramp, which turned out to be over 15 minutes away. I’ve never thanked anyone so profusely in my life!

    posted by Valkyrie on 6-21-2010 at 3:56 am

  214. I was in London when the Berlin wall came down. I had been backpacking for three weeks, had very little money left and was going home in four days, but I knew that I was very close to something important.

    I spent most of my money on a return ticket to Berlin and took off; I would have about 24 hours in Berlin before turning around to go home. When I arrived in Berlin it was a wonderful crazy experience, lots of things happened, but the relevant story is this one: I had only enough money for a little food, transport back to Heathrow and then the subway back home in the States. I wandered around Berlin for hours then found a doorway to try to sleep for a little while. I wasn’t able to sleep – it was cold and a little scary.
    A couple in their 70s came up to me and said something in German. I apologized in English and told them I didn’t understand. In English they asked if I had a place to stay, then invited me to stay with them. They said that they would understand if I said no, but “in these days of celebration, no one should sleep on the street.” So I slept on their couch, they fed me and sent me home.
    They were very kind, clearly didn’t have much money (on the East Berlin side), but were so generous to a wanderer.
    I have since brought people into my home during storms, fed and sheltered them. They have always been kind.

    posted by Laura on 6-21-2010 at 11:14 am

  215. Over Memorial Day weekend, my husband, who is a veteran, and I were celebrating our one-year wedding anniversary at the same restaurant where we celebrated our one-year dating anniversary. When our hostess sat us at our table, she immediately guessed that my husband was military (the high and tight gave it away), and as we got to chatting, we let it slip we were there for our anniversary and she congratulated us. What we didn’t know was that the restaurant owner was seated behind us, overheard the entire conversation, and secretly comped our meal for both the anniversary and military service. We were both so overwhelmed by his generosity that we ate dinner in a stunned silence!

    posted by KW on 6-21-2010 at 12:26 pm

  216. I try to teach my children to do one good dead each day for someone who they do not know. It can be as simple as letting someone into traffic on a busy street. I start to get nevious if I am driving home and have not found an opportunity earlier in the day. I know they are going to hold me accountable for my own instructions.

    posted by Tom on 6-21-2010 at 1:28 pm

  217. My wife’s father died in Arkansas, and we were not only jobless, but living in North Carolina. I never found out how he knew, but a stranger from a church down the street showed up, and said that he was the pastor, and someone in his church had paid for a roundtrip ticket for my wife to go to the funeral. He refused to give the name of the person who did this, and just said, (years before the “Pay It Forward” movie, which I love), that “The donor doesn’t want you to know whom it was from. Just do the same for someone else some day”. I’ve done it many times in the last 25 years.

    posted by Al on 6-21-2010 at 4:43 pm

  218. this may not be the nicest thing you’ll ever here, but I thought it was interesting. My brother moved by himself to NYC about 2 years ago. Random people would give him a hard time every once in a while, probably because he is a pretty small guy. There was a “NYC thug” that sold drugs on his block and always told my brother that he ran that area. One day, my brother came home while it was raining and noticed this man huddling under a small canopy trying stay dry. So my brother, being the nice guy he is, gave him his umbrella and continued on his way inside. Since that day, no one has messed with my brother within the lower east side. you can’t read a book by its cover.

    posted by Mikey on 6-21-2010 at 5:03 pm

  219. a few years ago a friend called me to see if I could meet at dinner for his birthday. I told him I really needed to get back to college and I didn’t have much money to spend on dinner and he expressed to me how he really just wanted to get a few friends together and wanted me to be there. I decided I would fit him into my schedule. Near the end of dinner the birthday boy gets up to use the rest room and comes back and asks if we are ready to leave as he had just paid everyone’s tab.

    posted by jack on 6-21-2010 at 5:32 pm

  220. About 6 months ago I was driving to our new home in Las Vegas. Driving through Utah with my 6 week old baby in a snowstorm (my husband was driving the moving van)my phone died. I felt okay driving but knew my husband would really worry if he could not get a hold of me I decided to stop at a gas station and call him. I went in and asked if they had a pay phone, of course there are hardly any around these days. One of the young employees nicely offered to let me use her cell phone and I called my husband. Then as I was leaving another employee asked if I had a car charger, of course I did not. She looked at my phone and said she would be right back. She brought me the charger from her car and insisted I take it so I would have a phone to travel the dark and snowy night with. I was so grateful! Every time I use that car charger I think of the kindness of that stranger in Fillmore Utah.

    posted by Sara on 6-23-2010 at 12:44 pm

  221. Several years ago, my son and I made a quick trip to the grocery store for our vegetarian fajita supplies. While making our selections, a guy in the rice section comments on my handsome dude. It lead to the customary, ”He’s eight months old. Keeping me on my toes…haha…blah, blah, blah” after which, we parted ways.

    I make my way to the check out, and moments later, he’s behind me.

    The check out girl is about to ring up my 15 items or less when I realize I totally don’t have my debit card. No checks, certainly no cash, and nothing besides my good looks to get me out of there with dinner in hand. “Crap! I have no way to pay! Could you hold on to that stuff while I run out to my car to check for my card?”, I ask.

    I make my way out to the parking lot to search for the card and leave Kier in the cart right behind me. Moments later, I turn around to find in the cart not just my son, but our groceries as well.

    Across the parking lot, the man from the rice aisle is walking to his car. I stand, seriously on the verge of tears, watching him walk back toward me. “Are you kidding me? You SO didn’t have to do that. I want to pay you back.” As he hands me his card, he says, “It’s ok. If you really insist, you can send it to me.” I shake my head, and thank him for saving us.

    So yesterday, in an unmarked envelope, I sent back a check, a scratch off lottery ticket and this note…

    Dear Rodney,
    Thank you so much for going out of your way to help us out last night. You are our grocery store angel.

    May your kindness and generosity be returned to you 10 fold.
    sincerely,
    sara and kier.

    Now this should have been the end of the story. I’m left with a renewed faith in the goodness of others and patting myself on the back for in return, making him an instant gazillionaire.

    Instead, a few days later I get this note in my inbox on MYSPACE. For serious.

    Hi Sara,
    Seems everyone is on myspace. I got your letter and thank you for paying me back. It was enough to cover it. Sorry to say I did not win on the lottery ticket, but it was a great idea and fun. I appreciated it. Sorry I did not introduce myself or say much, I was in a rush to get back in the store.
    Anyhow, I hope all is well with you and your family. Interesting pics……people really bend like that? :)
    Take Care!
    Rodney – The Grocery Store Bandit

    Sometimes the internet ruins everything.

    posted by Sara on 6-24-2010 at 6:17 pm

  222. It always bugs me when people want to “repay” me for doing something nice. I think it goes back to when I was about 7 or 8. A lady had locked her keys in her car, but the window was open by about two inches. After I helped her unlock the car door with a coat hanger, she shook my hand and slipped in a five dollar bill. My parents saw and made me give it back, and told me that you shouldn’t expect payment for doing something nice. It’s funny how these little things stick with you.

    posted by PunKid on 6-24-2010 at 6:41 pm

  223. @Sandy
    So, the guy was wrong and you have never spoken to him again because you were “pissed.”
    Sounds like you need a little work in the pay-it-forward department.

    posted by Berbert on 6-25-2010 at 10:40 am

  224. My 10 year old daughter ran away from home, upset & overwhelmed at all kinds of things going on. I went to the park to look for her, then her school since those are the only two places she knew. Panic struck when I found she was not at either place. My husband and I split up, driving all over town, searching for her and calling out her name. After 3 hours of looking and darkness closing in, we were prepared to call the police (every parent’s worst nightmare coming true). Just then, someone called on my cell phone. My daughter was found 3 miles away, completely lost from home, sitting in the middle of a neighborhood crying. A dear woman stopped and got out to help her. She called me with directions, stayed with my child and even had the police on the phone just to make sure my daughter wasn’t running away for a really good reason. I have never been more grateful to a stranger: a woman who saw a child crying on the side of the road, who took the time to stay with her and make sure she was safe. I have never hugged a stranger so tight. I was so shaken, I couldn’t remember her name. My phone was soon replaced and I lost her number. I will always love that precious soul who cared for a child she’d never met because she knew no child should ever be alone like that.

    posted by Elizabeth on 6-25-2010 at 10:49 am

  225. does a story about somebody else count? When my mother went to college, which would have been around 1940, her mother gave her $100 that she had saved up from housecleaning jobs for my mother to register at college. It was quite a sum of money in those days. My mother lost her purse on the subway and was devastated — there went her entire future. When she got home her mother told her, ‘sorry. but that was all the money I had in the world. You won’t be able to go to college now.’

    Later that evening, my mother answered the doorbell. There were two boys on the doorstep and their mother further down the walk on the sidewalk. They found her purse and were returning it to her. My mother tried to give them a reward, but they said their mother told them, no–they weren’t to accept anything. And they left.

    The next day, my mother registered at college. Later, she met my father at the same school and they later had me. So, I guess it’s about me after all. If it hadn’t been for the kindness of strangers, I would never have been born.

    posted by equinox on 6-25-2010 at 11:15 pm

  226. I went to buy some gelatissimo one day, and the guy serving was about to take my order when another customer started to order, So I just waited and talked to my friend who was with me. After the customer had left, the guy apologised and gave me a free scoop of gelato without him needing to!

    posted by Susan on 6-27-2010 at 12:21 pm

  227. I was 19 and home from college for the funeral of a 10 year old neighbor girl. I was home for all of 24 hours and in that time, went to the funeral, broke up with my boyfriend, landed in the ER after stupidly punching a wall, and had a huge fight with my mom. When I got on the plane to go home I had the worst migraine of my life. The flight attendant brought me water and a large amount of Tylenol before we even took off. He then told me to put up the seat arms (the adjacent seats were empty) and rest. He let me sleep until we were parked at our gate. Maybe he was just trying to avoid dealing with a cranky teenager, but I’ll always appreciate it.

    Also, now that I’m a mom, I’m always really thankful when strangers compliment my kids’ behavior. As a parent, you spend so much time worried that you’re screwing it all up, and to have someone say that you did at least this one thing right – for this moment – is huge.

    posted by Tracey on 6-28-2010 at 6:32 pm

  228. I’ve experienced this sort of kindness many times, and it is truly amazing to see how many others have had similar experiences. As a young exchange student traveling around Europe, I was graciously and kindly fed by strangers on several occasions. I especially remember the lovely German women who comforted me as I wept in the train compartment and then, when it was time for lunch, kindly gave me some of their sandwiches and coffee as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    A few years later, I was driving to my first apartment, in a new city, with everything I owned packed into the car. Of course the car died just as I reached my exit. I pulled over and quickly figured out that the engine was flooded, so I settled in to wait — having nowhere to go and no way to call anyone and not wanting to leave the car. Within a few minutes a man stopped and asked me what was wrong. I explained and he offered to have a look. He confirmed what I’d thought and said he’d come back in a hour or so to see if I was okay. I was doubtful, but sure enough, he came by again an hour later to help me get the car started. Then he offered to follow me to make sure I made it to my destination. And of course, the car died again on the way there — in the middle of a busy intersection. While angry drivers yelled at me, this kind man calmly pulled around in front of my car, hitched my car to his truck, and towed me the rest of the way. I had tears in my eyes as I got out to shake his hand and thank him.

    Another time, I was flying back home on the day after one of the worst snowstorms of recent memory. It had been a long, stressful, and tiring day — four different flights, all kinds of cancellations and getting put on standby, and very little chance to eat anything. And when I finally reached the parking lot where I’d left my car, I realized I was in trouble. The snow was waist-deep and hadn’t been plowed, so my car was buried. As I walked up to my car, hip-deep in snow, and brushed off the license plate to make sure it was mine, I heard a voice behind me: “Do you need some help?” I turned to find a large SUV, with a guy and his two kids piling out with snow shovels. When I tried to thank him, he just told me to hop into his car to wait and enjoy the heated seats. He later said he’d picked up his wife earlier, realized others would need help, and brought his kids back to help. What a great guy.

    But perhaps the one that touched me the most deeply happened after a car accident. It was late, and dark, and I’d been run off the highway by an 18-wheeler. My car rolled over several times and spun around, and while I was lucky enough to be entirely unhurt, I was scared, shaken up, had lost my phone in the crash, and couldn’t get anyone to stop and help for a good thirty minutes. But the people who did stop were truly wonderful, a gift. They were a couple—she was driving him to work for his shift, but they still stopped to help. They called 911 to get help and then that lovely, kind woman put her arms around me and held me while I cried hysterically. I wish I knew who they were . . . but they were a gift from the universe.

    These stories give me hope.

    posted by Jane Eyre on 6-29-2010 at 2:56 pm

  229. The Irish always amaze me. On a trip to Dublin, my husband went into a pharmacy on busy Grafton Street to buy me headache pills. As the woman behind the counter handed them to my husband, she said: “Would you like a glass of water?” She thought he had the headache!
    Later, when I was trailing my husband around stores, another man – also in this 30s, also following a shopping wife/girlfriend – turned to my husband and jokingly said: “Fancy a pint?”
    Gotta love the Irish!

    posted by Jane on 6-30-2010 at 12:05 pm

  230. I’ve lived in southern climates almost all my life. So it was a bit of a shock when I got my first job in Wisconsin! One of the very first times we had a major snow storm, I was on my way to work. I thought I was going slow and being careful, but my tiny car really isn’t made for snow and I ended up skidding, spinning, and sliding right off the road and into a snow drift that was about as tall as my car. I was completely stuck, couldn’t make my car move no matter how many times I changed directions. I called a friend, got the number of the police, gave them a call, and they said they’d have someone out there within the hour. By this point, I was starting to panic because it was cold and I really didn’t have a car kit nor did I know what to do to not freeze during that hour.

    Then, from out of nowhere, this guy in a massive jeep who had passed a minute before, turned around and came back. With his help, we tied my car to his and managed to tow it out of the snow. I thanked him profusely and we both went on our way.

    A little later, after I had gotten to work, I found an email in my inbox. It turns out this guy worked at the same company as me, and he had looked me up, asking if my car had been okay after we’d pulled it out because he knew sometimes hitting the snow would throw the car out of allignment. I was so touched by his concern even after the fact. Every time I drive in the snow, I remember him and what he did. I wish I could pay it forward, but I’m afraid anyone I tried to help would just end up in two people being stuck in the snow!

    posted by Pranita on 6-30-2010 at 2:47 pm

  231. @ Hummer – I am so touched and cheered by these stories, but reading yours brought tears to my eyes. I hope I will remember this and every Christmas from now on to do the same for someone.

    posted by Noames on 7-30-2010 at 2:39 pm

  232. I’ve always thought my neighbourhood was particularly distant in terms of people acknowledging each other, because I certainly don’t know anyone aside from my immediate neighbours, but I was proven wrong a few years ago. One night, during a storm, a woman showed up on my doorstep and explained she was from the local pet shop. They’d found a little dog in the bad weather, and someone had mentioned to them that they thought I owned a little dog of similar description, giving them the house description so it could be checked.

    As it ended up, my dog was still safely curled up on the couch, but I’ve always been grateful to know that people are looking out for me, and that the pet shop staff were kind enough to drive up and check, even after-hours.

    posted by Vicky on 9-15-2010 at 10:48 am

  233. I have too many stories of kindnesses received to even choose one, but reading through these comments, the the thing that strikes me is how important our tiny gestures are. That nice thing you smile to yourself about doing, someone remembers that years later. Do it again, and then again tomorrow. Could we all agree to leave little treasures for one another all over the place? We can change the world, be subversives fighting for goodness, rogue good faeries. C’mon, you know you want to.

    posted by jeannie on 10-1-2010 at 1:38 pm

  234. When my family and I went on a trip to DC this summer, we decided to go to the International Spy Museum (which I highly suggest, it was great!). When we got there, a guy was holding the door open and telling people where to go for tickets. We kids simply said “thank you” when we went through the door and went to buy our tickets. At the counter, the guy from the door came up and bought our families tickets, which were about 70 bucks. He told us he was the manager and had been holding that door open all day (it was about 3-ish) and that no one had said a word to him. Our thank you made his day, and ours too!

    posted by josie on 4-27-2011 at 8:52 pm

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