Hey Pandas, What Was One Time A Stranger Was Kind To You Unexpectedly? (Closed)

I went to Spain with broken Spanish and little Catalan, I was on Montserrat when I got nervous climbing the mountain, from the steep seeming trails and height, it was also a bit windy. This guy who lived the village over on the next mountain made very friendly chat with me as we navigated some broken conversation and helped me hike up, and showed me some steps when it got steep. He was hiking like a pro, and went out of his way to take a little longer so I felt comfortable enough to follow him. Made it to the top with his help, and I'll never forget his kindness, it really made my trip!

I manhandled an armoire out of ikea and a random guy and his son saw me struggling to jam the beast into my toyota. There was room, it was just barking heavy. Three months after I, a single woman with a big a*s driveway, was trying to dig out of the snow that took out the Minneapolis Metrodome in 2010. I hadn't really bonded with the neighbors yet. Nod hello. Guy across the street had a scoop on his 4 wheeler and did the whole driveway. I gave him Christmas cookies.

I work at a dollar store, and people are usually pretty nice. But there's this one guy who comes in about twice a week and never speaks to anyone, he's always been kind of standoffish. I'd almost be convinced he was mute if not for the fact he whispers a thanks when I give him his change.
Well about two weeks ago, I had a very unhappy customer go off on me for not being able to give her a monetary return despite it saying we only do exchanges on the bottom of her receipt. She blew up at me. Called me a stupid incompetent b*tch and demanded I get someone who could give her what she wanted. It all ended very quickly when that guy walked into the store and overheard her. He walked up to us and looked this woman dead in the eyes and spoke in the calmest voice I have ever heard someone use while looking so incredibly angry.
He basically told this lady she should be ashamed of her's not only for causing a scene and holding up the line, but for "taking your completely unjustified anger out on this girl who has done nothing to you except her job. Shes one of the kindest and most competent people working in this store. You have no right to talk to anyone like that, let alone her."
He asked if I was okay and wen I said yes he walked away. He bought his stuff and didn't say another word outside of his usual whispered thanks. It was so odd to hear him speak properly for the first time only for him to go back to one word whispers. Although the other day, he actually asked me how I was. Which is a first. Maybe I'm finally breaking past his walls?

My 12&1/2 year old shih tzu (my first dog&love, that helped me when i was struggling with depression) had been growing steadily worse - he suffered seizures, and his heart murmur had developed into full blown chf. He had a seizure during a regular checkup and the attending vet (our regular one was off) told me to come pick my pumpkin up immediately - and take him to an emergency vet.
i panicked the whole way over, picked him up from the vet, and rushed to the er. It was when covid was just starting and the lobby was closed, I had to call in. I was frantic to begin with and pretty incoherent at that point. I was told they wouldn’t even see him without getting payment up front, and I had to run to the bank to withdraw the $$. So I was even more out of sorts when I returned, and the girl I was talking to kept telling me to calm down - which just distressed me more.

After an hour, the ‘emergency’ vet finally took snix in. I waited another half hour out in the parking lot only for them to tell me snickie had chf and it would be about $3000 for them to run tests and figure out a treatment plan to keep him alive. It was Friday and would have taken me until Tuesday to get the $$. So they told me to just go home and be prepared for him to pass away that weekend.

A guy a car over - waiting for his own pet - had overheard the whole thing. He came over while i was clutching my snickie and sobbing, and very quietly offered to pay for the tests on the spot. He said he had lost a dog, too, and he could tell how much my snickie was loved. It absolutely floored me - we were complete strangers, but he looked so heartbroken. I couldn’t accept the $$, of course, but babbled like an idiot thanking him. He said he understood, petted my baby, told him he was a good boy, then gave me a hug. I mean, there were tears in his eyes. That hug - when social distancing was pretty much law - meant the world to me.

His overwhelming kindness and sympathy calmed me down and allowed me to get home, where I cuddled snickie all weekend, waiting for his last breath. I sure wish I could see that guy again. And I sure hope the fur baby he was waiting on is still with him, is alive and healthy and happy, chasing balls, catching frisbees, and getting belly rubs.

When I scraped my knee, a stranger helped me. I was six/7

Ok so once I was carrying all my groceries home (I didn’t live too far away from the shop so I walked). Anyway I dropped at shopping and all the stuff spilt everywhere. No one helped me except this old lady (BACKGROUND INFO: sometimes I help this old lady with her shopping, so not a total stranger). She had no groceries on her so she helped me carry my groceries.

And yes, I still help her with her groceries.

I was crying on the bus, as I had a terrible day. The bus driver (I didn’t know her name) saw this and she sat next to me. She gave me a hug and some smarties. Everyone got two that day, but I got 4. I was very grateful for what she did. Nobody liked me back then, and it was reassuring to know that someone cared. I was in 3rd grade. God bless her.

I don’t remember this but apparently when I was four on our trip to London and Paris. I fell asleep on a stranger’s shoulder and my parents were going to move me but he told them it was fine so I slept on a stranger’s shoulder.

Some man on the street told me my shoelaces were untied. I did them and a couple of days later somebody standing on the same escalator as me got the shoelace stuck and broke their foot/ankle. I've been doing double knots since then. Thank you stranger on the street.

Went on my own to see Much Ado About Nothing in an outdoor theatre in the evening. Young 20-odd year old me only bought a light jacket, and it got pretty cold for the time of year. The lady next to me had a blanket over her legs and she shared it with me through the second half. Such a simple, kind gesture I've never forgotten.

In 2004 when I was 21 years old, I moved to Gainesville, GA and ended up moving in with a 35 year old mother named Kim and her pregnant 15 year old daughter. Right after moving in the mother lost her job so I worked two jobs to support them both because I felt it only right given that a pregnant teen needed food and vitamins and baby necessities and her mother had opened up her home to me after my (immediately afterwards ex) boyfriend had put his hands on me when I had only known this woman for a couple of weeks and was new to town.

I bought a changing table and dresser and TV and DVD player and bottles and bibs and maternity clothes and all the things her daughter would need to welcome a baby to the world along with spending $150 on a "coming home outfit" for the baby because I knew it was something that she would keep forever and she deserved to have something to feel proud of and not ashamed of as a teenage mother and her mother couldn't afford to get her anything while struggling to just make sure her car payment and insurance got paid so she could take her high risk pregnancy daughter to doctors' visits.

So one day a couple of months later while at work at my nighttime bartending job, I was introduced to a guy about my age who was the nephew of one of my regular customers. He quickly learned I was 21 and working 2 jobs to support a pregnant teenager and from that day forward, even though I refused his offer to help every week, he would drop $100-$150 in my tip jar every Saturday night so that according to him I "didn't have to work 7 days a week and so there were always groceries in the house".

So I guess in a way the kindness of strangers all around led to friendships that are cherished memories since Kim introduced me to my husband who I am still married to after 18 years.

Sadly Kim passed away in a four wheeler accident but her daughter is doing well with her family.

We were about 17-18 years old on a school trip in Scotland, staying in a youth hostel in the early 2000's, none of us had a smartphone. We asked a random older couple for directions to a McDonalds. They drove us there, paid for our meal (there were 3 or 4 of us), and drove us back. Still thankful as it was a very nice thing to do for some random kids

After moving to a new home our much loved cat, Jinx, escaped and we were unable to find him. We walked the streets calling to him, put flyers with his photo in letterboxes, did whatever to find him. After two weeks a lady phoned to say she thought she'd seen him. I went to her place (about a couple of kilometres away) and she and her children showed me where they thought they'd seen him, in the bush behind their house. I called for a while but no luck. Four weeks later she called again and I went back. This time when I called he hoarsely meowed back and came running to me. Although skinny after six weeks in the bush he was fine. The lady told me her kids had insisted on keeping the flyer with his photo on their fridge because they were so sure it was our cat and wanted us to have him home. You can bet I went back and gave them a whole lot of chocolate to say thanks.

Decades ago. First trip to France, first morning after Paris landing. Went outside our hotel to get our airport-leased car, and there it sat at the curb, flat tire and all. While my husband and I pondered, up to us came two young Frenchmen who offered to change our tire. And voila', they did!

I vomited on a fairly short plane ride when I was maybe 12? And the woman in our aisle seat (I was with a cousin) offered to help clean, carried my bag, and led us to the restroom when we landed. Super thankful.

I was travelling to place I was never before and I got lost. I started panicking, becouse I picked a wrong train and was far away from my destination and in a place I didn't know. A lot of stangers helped me step by step arrive to my destination. They where asking if I was ok, if they should call somebody, if I needed a hug or if they can buy me ticket. All of them where so sweet and supportive, and the fact that there always be somebody who would stop and help me is the best thing that cheer me up to these days

I noticed that in a lot of these stories the nice person is "older" or
"70-80". Those people are boomers and the next time you say something negative about them, I hope you remember this article and understand that they did not ruin your life and many are actually very nice.

My first job was working at the local YMCA. At the time I didn't have a car, but my dad (an attorney) worked nearby, and I'd walk to his office or he'd would come pick me up if the weather was bad.

One day I got off work at 6, but the weather was bad, very cold, so I waited in the lobby of the Y. My stomach was already growling, but I thought we were going home for dinner soon. Additionally, I was cramping badly, and craving chocolate. I waited half an hour; noticing the boxed meals from the cold bar by the checkout were gone, and that most of the vending machines were empty. An hour passed. My dad still hadn't come.

A second hour passed and I realized I was staring at the small swim club that gathered in the lobby around that time; they were celebrating the coach's birthday and had chocolate cake-- exactly what I was craving.

Perhaps another half hour passed and still no sign from my dad; sometimes he has to stay late at work, and doesn't have time to communicate. I was wondering if he had got all of my texts and calls, and near the point of tears, when a lady from the swim club approached with a large slice of cake on a plate. "Excuse me, we had extra cake. You looked hungry." I had to restrain myself from actually crying, since I had had a bad day, as I thanked her sincerely, and told her to tell the coach happy birthday for me.

I don't know if I've ever had chocolate cake that tasted so good. Thankfully my dad arrived soon, and we went home. I'll never forget that one lady who gave me leftover chocolate cake.

During a difficult time in my teenage years, many years ago, I was waiting at a bus stop, unsure of the next bus to take me home. The weather was horrible and wet. I then realised that I didn’t have enough cash to take me home. This kindly bus driver stopped and asked me where I would like to go. And after telling him and finding out that I didn’t have enough money, he told me that he’s not having me standing in the cold rain. And he drove me home without a single request for payment. Thank you sir wherever you are. God bless you.

I am wheelchair-bound. Was checking out of a Target store and about to pay. Suddenly, a man came up to me and offered to pay for my items. I told him it wasn't necessary but thanked him. I was thinking he felt sorry for my being disabled and was taken a bit aback. Instead he told me that I looked exactly like his mother whom he adored and who had died the year before and that it would make him very happy to pay in honor of his mom. I acquiesced and he paid. I hugged and thanked him profusely and then told him that it was my birthday. Don't think I ever had a nicer birthday present.