The kindness of strangers

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  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
    small, but still a RAOK.

    I randomly saw an ex-boyfriend yesterday at my work place. I haven't seen him in months, and we don't exactly talk anymore. There isn't any animosity, we've just both moved on.

    I texted him last night just to say "Hey. Just thought I'd let you know that you looked really nice today. smile :)"
  • StrengthIDidntKnow
    StrengthIDidntKnow Posts: 543 Member
    Thought of 3 more last night...

    Years ago, I was in South Carolina When we stopped for gas, the wrong button was hit and the trunk got popped instead of the gas tank (without us realizing). As we pulled out of the station, the trunk opened and slammed shut, we didn't think anything of it and kept going, but my bag with my planner and some other things I brought to keep me busy on the plane fell out. We didn't realize it was missing until later. Anyway a couple of weeks later, it was mailed to my house in NJ. The people behind us got out, and sent it to me. I wrote them a letter, meaning to put some money in it to thank them but to this day I can't remember if I sent it and I still feel horrible.

    Once I was in the middle lane of a major highway and noticed the guy behind me was really close, so I moved to the right. He followed me in to the right lane and then back again in to the center lane. I got back in to the right lane again and I could see in my rear view mirror that he was laughing at me. I was scared and I had my then 3 year old with me. At this point, a big truck had gotten in front of me and another pulled up next to me, and there was a 3rd behind the other guy. The truck next to me gave me just enough room to get ahead of him and then they boxed the guy in long enough for me to get ahead and off at the exit.

    Finally, twice I have been helped with flat tires. The first time I was on my way to upstate NY, at some random gas station and I couldn't get the bolts off the tire. A truck pulled over, changed it quickly and refused any money, saying as someone else before me said, "I have a daughter, I would hope someone would do the same for her". The second time was on the NJ turnpike. Again, I was having trouble with the bolts, and someone pulled over to help. He couldn't get them off either but didn't want me waiting by myself so he waited with me for the tow truck to come.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    I recently offered my photography services to a couple who said they couldn't afford a nice wedding. They are a local couple to my community and I they had been through some health issues with two of their children in the past year. Had accumulated a lot of medical debt. When I heard they were getting married with no professional photographer I thought it would be nice to offer my services for free.
    I'm a certified professional photographer, I also hold a degree in photography and have won many awards. My services do not come cheap. I basically gave this couple a several thousand dollar gift. One would think they would be incredibly appreciative. But instead I was treated like ****, spoken to rudely and humiliated in front of the whole bridal party. I'll never offer my wedding photography services to anyone for free ever again but I will continue to help animal shelters.

    This is the second time I have tried to use my services to help others that normally could not afford such a luxury. The first time was with a family portrait. Those people were ungrateful in the end also.

    Reading everyone else's comments here help me to realize that not everyone is a *kitten* and there are appreciative people. I just don't seem to find them.

    I am sorry you were treated so shabbily after trying to do something so kind.
  • UncleMac
    UncleMac Posts: 13,725 Member
    Awesome thread!

    When I graduated from college in the 'big city', my mom and grandmother fly in to attend the grad ceremony. My grandmother had never been on an airplane before so it was quite the adventure. Upon arrival, they headed for the luggage area. Mom jumped onto the escalator down to where we were waiting. My grandmother 'froze' at the top; she had never been on an escalator. A stranger, seeing the situation, took her elbow and guided her on and stayed with her all the way down and off at the bottom.

    Fast forward 20 years and I'm at a different airport and find a very similar situation... someone's grandmother & grandfather at the top of an escalator ahead of the luggage claim so I got to be the guide/help. Not often you get to pay it forward with such similar circumstance!

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