On the Other Side... Anyone See Anything Genuinely Kind?

My husband has changed three tires this holiday season. He is a magnet for damsels in distress, myself included. :) He literally CANNOT drive past a car/person in need without offering his help year-round. Boy, do I love that man!

I was in not the nicest neighborhood, not the worst but on the edge of the city and someone found a bank card and was walking from store to store all around the shopping center trying to find the owner...

Well, it was only on TV, but this past weekend on the weather channel I saw a story about this older guy who raised all the money to replace a widow's home after it was destroyed in a storm. This was a little old lady who he was not related to, they weren't even friends but he found out about her plight, and just felt moved to action. I was so touched I almost cried!

You have to pay for your shopping carts ???

A few weeks ago, mom was shopping at a local thrift store. Mom was ready to check out and the lady in front of her had her $5 worth of items and went to grab her wallet from her purse. She couldn't find it. She flipped. She asked if they'd hold the items so she could come back later and buy them after she found her wallet. My mom was next in line and just said "I'll buy them for you." and like NO-ONE understood. They were amazed that some stranger would pay for someone elses items. It was just $5 worth of stuff and my mom figured it'd save her a trip BACK to the thrift store. Still, the cashier was confused and didn't understand what my mom wanted to do. I guess my mom was the 'crazy lady' who wants to buy other people's things.

@ NB: I found someone's credit card left at the grocery store a week or two ago. I told the cashier, handed it to him, but he did not immediately tell the manager so that the courtesy desk would know about it. So on my way out I told the manager that "Joe" had a credit card that was left. I'm sure someone called the store a few minutes later looking for it in a tizzy! I know I would have.

I had just learned to drive at the age of 27 when I came out to CA from NYC for business school. I was fumbling with a map while driving trying to find my way around as I did some apt hunting and I didn't realize that the light had turned red. Luckily I was going slow but I still bumped kinda hard into the truck stopped in front of me. The man got out of his truck and I apologized profusely but he was barely even looked at his truck before asking if I was OK. I said that I was but I think he could tell I was shaken and he kept asking if I was alright and I said yes. And I asked if his car was OK and he told me not to worry about that. He then told me to be careful and drove off. So kind of him! I know it doesn't sound like much but that was a rough week with me being in a brand new city/state, looking for apts as I drove for hte first time without an instructor next to me and that one act of kindness pulled me through. I still remember it years later!

This week there was a story on our local news about how someone who wanted to remain anonomous walked into our local Kmart and paid off $8800 worth of other people's layaways.

SO cool.

:)

I did a happy happy! I was shopping at Kohls last Saturday...just sort of aimless...had a 30% off and was browsing around and around the pots and pans and housewares area, looking at the holiday platters and fun dishes trying to decide if I "needed" something new for my table!

I spotted a purse...full, well used, open topped type. I looked all around. People were all over, but no one seemed to be making that frantic look-about that comes with figuring out you put your purse down and can't find it now. I stayed there in place until I saw an employee (I didn't want to leave the spot in case someone DID come back for it). The employee was going to take it to the front but a bunch of people needed help with this and that so he was not making his way to the front. Looked funny..a tall man carrying this purse!

Then I spotted a Mom with a toddler in a stroller..that frantic searching about, she was crying and a little hysterical. I could still see the employee and the purse in sight...he was finally headed to the front when he got stopped yet again. I was still in that general area I found it. She stopped and I could hear her talking to the child about how "Mommy needed to find her purse or its going to be a bad Christmas", etc....venting to her limited audience I suppose?

I said "excuse me....did you lose your purse?" She said yes, she set it down over there, blah blah and must not have put it back in her cart..." I said I found one and gave it to that employee and hes been stopped by customers and is heading to the front of the store". She all but mauled me and gave me a hug then ran off with her child to catch the guy!

I actually found another one in the fitting room that same day!

But I am good for helping elderly people reach things in stores, giving my place in lines, etc.

I overheard a 40-ish fella trying to explain who Katy Perry was to a (must have been) 80+ year old gal at Target last night..and "why would my great grand daughter want this music thing...CD is that what you call it?" LMBO...but she said "well, its on her list here...so she must want it"...LOL

I was at a home improvement store recently... trying to find and figure out what I needed to get, to hang my daughters hammock, which is a Christmas gift. I was all bewildered and couldn't find any store employees in the aisles. Then, a man, came up to me and asked if I needed help. I told him what my conundrum was and what I am looking for.
He happened to be a handy-man by trade... and he TOTALLY stood there and listened to me ramble on about what I am trying to look for and for what purpose etc. And he got from the aisles, EVERYTHING I needed, to hang up the hammock. He even... tied the rope thing onto this ring I needed to hang it. It took like 1/2 hour... of him explaining things to me and what I need and why and what is the safest way to do this. He never even asked for anything in return. I was astonished. He helped me more than the store employees. And was so patient and answered ALL my dozens of questions and woman type "rambling" that we do.
He was a decent man. Not out to get something from it or me. Just trying to help. He could tell, I needed help. And not once did he ask anything personal about me nor was he nosy.
Amazing.
He just, helped. And wanted to.
I thanked him profusely etc. He said his "fault" is that he just likes to help people.

Well not between strangers, but I came home last night from a long, miserable day at work. Had a ton of stuff to do and wasn't feeling the holiday spirit. I had a surprise package in the mail - a friend (who has more than enough going on in her own life) had taken the time to buy me a memorial Willow Tree figurine, wrap it, and send it with a card letting me know that she was thinking of me and my family as we head into the first Christmas without my brother, who died in October. I cried and cried when I got it because I hadn't let myself acknowledge how much I miss him and how much that was adding to my feelings of stress and lack of Christmas spirit. It was so thoughtful and something I really, really needed. I will make more of an effort to do those sorts of little, unexpected things for others.

A few years ago I was out walking w/my hubby a few days before Christmas and I found a wallet on the ground FULL OF CASH - seriously a couple hundred dollars worth. I went up to the door of the house that was nearest where we found the wallet and knocked. It is a "dude house" full of younger guys - and they seemed reluctant to answer the door (pretty sure they were partying) but I said I was the neighbor and found someone's wallet. The dude was THRILLED and I was happy to help.

Otherwise - I always try to do small kindnesses whenever I can - like let people with a few items only ahead of me at the grocery store while I"m checking out the mother load.

Driving down a six lane highway in our city...on the center isle was a mother goose and about 6 or 7 babies getting ready to cross into oncoming traffic. I put the flashers on my car and stopped....then walked over to the other lane and put my hand out for the vehicles to stop. Everyone in their cars were so delighted to stop while they just took their time crossing.

I know of a man that is currently supporting and loving his X-wife's child from a previous marriage. He is supporting 5 kids and one of them isn't even his and he's not even with the kids mom! He's paying me to get her to and from school and paying for his son and helping his current girlfriend with her children. He's struggling and according to this child in question, even drinking and frustrated a lot. But in the midst of all their own issues, they brought me a sweet little gift for Christmas. He's a hero in my book. I only hope that I'm able to do enough to somehow lighten his load. I don't charge nearly what some would or what I could. But somehow my sacrifice seems to pale by the way he loves all those kids.

What about all of the people around the country paying off other peoples layaway's right now?

Yesterday they were showing some different people that went to pay off the things in layaway at the Wal Mart here in town and they were being told they were paid off! These people were stunned.

Another lady said when the cashier told her the total, the man behind her told her to "put away her money it was on him" and he paid for her whole cart! She said it was over $100. It was the groceries and the gifts for her children. She started crying and said no one had ever helped her this much.

Of course I see people helping people unload their items into their vehicles all of the time at Costco. These are not employees.

At some of the food trailers, they say people have been purchasing meals for the people in lines.

And the girl scouts at our daughters old elementary school just donated a specialized sanitizing dishwasher for a child here in town that has an autoimmune problem. It was valued at $1300. !

I also know some Santas helpers who decorated the yard of a new neighbor.. Lights, Ornaments in the tree,. Awesome.

My usually cranky boss paid a young moms insurance that just lost her job. That allowed her to have an extra $170 in her pocket at Christmas time.

Some lady handed me a $10 gift card at the mall. She made a return at the store and didn't want the money or to buy anything in that particular store so she just gave it to me.

Also, a friend came over today with some boxes of cereal for my kids. The sugary, expensive kind I usually don't buy, (I make my kids eat 'healthy' cereal), but these make yummy special occasion treats. I'm actually exited to have me a bowl of Count Chocula. This same lady is making gift baskets for several elderly widows she knows.

I have done lots of things like this, and have had it happen to me a lot too. One time, I had a lot of spare time in the morning and I just went and started scraping ice off of my neighbors car windows. Another time, I saw a homeless women and so I went and made her a gift basket of necessities and some treats and gave it to her. It is awesome to be the giver and receiver!

I have seen quite a lot of kindness actually. Nothing big. But smiles and swapped stories about the "madness" in check out lies is pretty common around here. I have let a few people go in front of me. I've had people let me go in front of them, too.
As far as vehicles, though... umm no. It doesn't seem to extend to that. Once you are separated from other people by a physical barrier (steel/plastic and glass) all the little courtesies just disappear and everyone seems out to get theirs again. But face to face? It's in a lot of places. You really have to look for it though. It's too easy to focus on the ones who are grouching or grumping if you aren't looking for the kindness.

Someone picking up my daughter's mitten that I didn't realize I had dropped.

Buying gifts for the kids that I work with we are given a set amount of money. Each kid gives us their list and we try to accommodate as much as we can however they only gift one of the kids wanted was a team jersey that cost over $100. After discussing with my assistant how we could possibly split the cost without showing favoritism (or getting in trouble) the store clerk gave us a discount card! Now I think we would have had to split like $5, super exciting right-then someone in line gave us the $5, walked off and said Merry Christmas

I teach high school, and yesterday I had a student from LAST year make a point to come by my room to bring me one of those giant candy bars, Hershey's w/almonds, for Christmas. It's my favorite candy, but I was so touched that she remembered that it is my favorite. I never ate candy in front of my students, so she just remembered that I said it in passing at some point last year. Also, as a high school teacher, I don't get a lot of gifts from students, a few gifts and cards here and there each year, and each one means so much, but this was my favorite this year. The fact that she took the time to think about what I would like, and then came by my room to give it to me and give me a hug and chat for a minute really made my day. I smiled all day long. I love my students. :)

Here's another one:

My husband is an internet director at a car dealership, and last week he sold a car to a guy who had surgery a month or so ago. He didn't have enough money to pay for the surgery, even with insurance, and was going to have to go into extreme debt to cover it. It wasn't elective surgery, the man had some sort of major illness (I don't remember the details). Anyway, when he was discharged from the hospital, his $35,000 bill had been anonymously paid under the condition that it not be revealed who had payed the bill. The man has no idea who paid his bill, but he extremely thankful, and is in good health now, too. My husband says he is a very nice man.

My mom-in-law greet her trash collectors with bottles of water every week!

Well, I do not go out much so my only references are my own acts. I sing in a community choir - the director is the musical director of her church and one of her member's mother is bed ridden and has been for quite a while. The Pastor comes to visit once a week and does communion and personal sermon(s) to keep her faith going and she was asked if members of the group would be able to come sing for his mother. We had a performance at one of our favorite nursing homes that day and only two of us made time aside from our director to go. It was great actually - we found out that the three of us sound really good together and brought joy to the woman and her caretakers. She actually cried and so did one of the caretakers it felt really good to do this for her. She had nothing in her home to remind her that it was Christmas, but she had us for a while.

Angel trees this time of the year make me cry. Then again, I tend to cry easily. I love how we can help families in time of need for children.

Over the summer, I fractured my foot, and the kindness of complete strangers when I was either on crutches or in my boot - oh my gosh. Kindness was given to me beyond belief. Kinda made me like people again. :)

At my husband's office, they have to rotate being on-call. When on call, you basically have to stay in town in case you have to go to the office and have to log on to computer anytime pager goes off (often!)

My husband was unlucky enough to get scheduled for Christmas this year. A coworker approached him and said since he has a young child and family out of town, they he would switch rotations with my hubby. This guy has teengaers and stays in town, but to initiate an offer like that is so generous!

This happened a while ago, but one time I was checking out at the grocery store and the cashier tells me that my card's been declined. Uh-oh, it's a debit card. That means there's not enough money in our checking account! All of a sudden, the lady waiting behind me very generously offers to pay my grocery bill. She said, well, it's the end of the month, and I've been short some months, too. But I just had to make a quick call to the bank and transfer some funds from savings. Very nice to offer, though... I had a lot of food, and she probably noticed a few small kids toys, too.

Also, one winter we had several inches of snow fall in a very short time. It was getting dark, and we had to go somewhere that evening. After a while, we hear this motor sound outside. What is that sound?.. it's kind of loud, like it's in front of our house... So we look outside, and our neighbor is snow-blowing our driveway for us. I think we're the only ones who don't have a snow blower on our street...

I know I'm late reading this but what a great post! when I have second I'm going to read thru these.