Random Acts of Kindness

[May 20]

Today at the grocery store, a man approached me and offered me a Catalina coupon that was expiring today. It was for $6 off an $80 purchase. He said he couldn't use it but it looked like I could. And, yeah, I could. I accepted it and thanked him for it. What a blessing it was to receive!

So, what is the most recent or most significant random act of kindness that you have received?

 

[Cutter John]

Re: Randon Acts of Kindness

I tend to prefer random acts of madness myself.

 

[Plecostomus]

Re: Randon Acts of Kindness

I volunteer at the public library as a computer-assistant. Kid came in to print his homework here (10 page report with illustrations and a neat graph), not realizing that we changed the price from $.15 cents a page to $.25 cents a page for black and white, and $.50 for color.


I covered the cost out of my pocket and put a bigger sign up.

 

[Kestra]

This isn't really a random act of kindness in the sense of the other person being a stranger, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

I'm dealing with something difficult and the only people who know about it in RL are about two hours away from me, so I don't get to see them much. One of them knew her brother was going to be coming over here one evening though, so she sent a little gift and a card with him.

I don't need presents but the whole thing just reminded me that there are people thinking of me, and those that care about me, and I felt it was a very kind thing to do.

 

[JAG]

Many years ago, I took my wife and daughter to Hersheypark. I had gotten admission with my hotel package. I also had some buy one get one coupons,(that I did not need). I went to the line and found a family and gave it to them. Saved them a bunch of money.

Flash forward 3 years and I am at Universal Studios with my family. We were online debating whether to pay for the front of the line passes. Man walks by hearing us talks. He stops and hands us 3 of them as he and his family were leaving the park and they were only good for the day.

Karma is great!

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Last week my family and I were looking for a parking space in a very busy pay and display car park, when an elderly man who was only visiting for a few minutes handed us his parking ticket, which was paid for about 10 minutes ago but valid for 4 hours (everyone pays the flat fee of 4 hours parking, unfortunately), and said "Use it - I'm not needing it at all now" and even led us to his car so that we could use his parking space once he had left.

Technically transferring of parking tickets was illegal under local laws (i.e. the notice at the end of the car park), but we couldn't help but be touched by his gesture.

 

[Lindley]

One time when I was skiing, a guy who was leaving the resort offered to sell me his lift ticket at half of the face value. Since he had it attached to a key ring, he could do that without damaging it.

 

[judge alba]

well in our little street of ten houses if one of us gets a day rover bus ticket, these allow you to travel on the local buses for free. and we spot the other person in the bus Que we'd discreetly pass it to the one needing the ticket.

 

[jamestyler]

The last one as a little underwhelming, just a lady who let me jump ahead when I was shopping as she has a cartfull and I had one pack of pancakes...

...though a friend of mine said something odd, but falls into the category. Knowing I have a lot of legal fees to pay thats financially crushing me (as well as emotionally as it's all about custody etc) he came out with a surprising "We all love you... we've talked about it and we'd be happy to put on a fundraiser to help you get your kid back."

Not something I could accept.. and not something I'd imagine being suggested in any normal work environment... but it lifted my spirits to think they would even consider doing that.

On the flip side... last week a guy was shocked that when he dropped £30 without realising that I chased him up the stairs to give it back to him. He thanked me about a dozen times in shock.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

It was for $6 off an $80 purchase.

I wouldn't have bothered, that's a pretty crappy coupon. I'd have used it as toilet paper to wipe my bum on. I mean $6 and you HAVE to spend $80? what goes through their heads when they make these coupons!!

 

[Tiberius Jim]

^ Um, she was already buying $80+ of groceries.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

^ Um, she was already buying $80+ of groceries.

$6 off $80 is still a crap voucher. She could have used it to wipe her bum and saved $6 worth of toilet paper. Well, not really but it's still a shit voucher.

 

[May 20]

It was for $6 off an $80 purchase.

I wouldn't have bothered, that's a pretty crappy coupon. I'd have used it as toilet paper to wipe my bum on. I mean $6 and you HAVE to spend $80? what goes through their heads when they make these coupons!!

I don't know what goes through their heads when they make those coupons, but sometimes a shopper triggers certain coupons with his or her purchases. You don't have to use them. I don't use all the ones I trigger, though sometimes the machine spits out some really good ones. This man was kind enough to pass on what he couldn't use to someone who could use it rather than toss it in the trash or, um, use it for toilet paper.

^ Um, she was already buying $80+ of groceries.

I had that much in my cart already and I hadn't bought produce yet. Today was a heavy shop for me. But I wasn't going to turn down $6 just because it wasn't a lot. That was $6 that didn't have to come out of my pocket. So, yes, it was a blessing to me today.

But the thread really isn't about that coupon. It's about what we've received from the random acts of kindness from the strangers who have crossed our paths. What have you received and been thankful for as a result of a RAOK?

 

[RJDiogenes]

I always seem to meet older people in the supermarket who need help. Last week or the week before, there was this tiny lady staring up at the shelves; I asked her if she needed me to reach something for her and it turned out there were a few somethings. A couple of months ago, there was an old lady ahead of me in line who didn't have enough money; she was searching through her purse saying that she thought she had another five. So I dropped a five on the floor and pretended it was hers (yes, I picked it up for her ).

 

[Emher]

^It did something similar a bit back for some kids who was in the line in fornt of me, buying some candy and they were about a buck short (well not really but the equivelant in Swedish currency). I pulled out a buck and said "Here. Keep the change." Was worth it making the kids smile. They thanked me lots, payed, thanked me again, and where on their way. Then it was my turn and the cute girl in the register smiled and said "That's very sweet of you". I just said as it was, that I remembered how much a buck was when you where that age. So double score, was nice to some kids and made a cute girl think I was sweet

I can probably think of other things I try to. I try to be helpful towards people whenever I can. Brightening someones day is easy and worth doing.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ That reminds me of when a friend and I had a table at a convention in Boston back in the 80s (actually, it was the day we found out Wally Wood had killed himself so it was 1981). I was in front of the table, straightening the books, when I found a wad of money on the floor adding up to nearly a hundred dollars. About a half hour later, a young kid about twelve came by; he had been going table to table asking if anybody had found his money. You should have seen his face when I gave it to him.

 

[Emher]

^Damn a hundred bucks! That's a fortune when you're a kid!

 

[RandyS]

People are kind to each other? This is the first I've heard of it.

 

[An Officer]

The last time I was on the receiving end of a random act of kindness was on a plane. We were late getting on, so my friend and I were separated on different aisles, both of us stuck in those restricting middle seats between strangers. The guy sitting next to me, who had a nice window seat, offered to give up his seat so we could sit together. It was a lovely surprise. We gave him our desserts at the end. They disappeared pretty quickly, so it must have been appreciated.

As to when I last did something, it was probably giving up my seat on the underground to an elderly lady.

 

[Winged Victory]

Not to blow my own horn or anything, but the day before yesterday I helped out a visually impared person to cross the street.

It was kind of scary actually; I could see him about a quarter of a block ahead of me and as he started to cross with his cane, he drifted towards the center of the road into the lanes of traffic! I ran towards him, making sure the passing cars could see us, I was waving pretty good, and I used my voice to get him back on a straight line and to the curb. He was thankful. I was just scared out of my wits that he could have been hurt.

As I passed two people a bit further down the street, one man told me I was a very good samaritan. I just like to help people, karma and all that!