Once I got fired when I was living with my cousin... I was 18 and had been homeless for 2 years. I got a job at a horrible coffeehouse and they canned me for stupid, petty reasons. I was crying in the mall when these 3 old ladies came up, stroked my hand and said "God has a plan for you" (I'm atheist, but it was still sweet)... I even said "Oh, I'm not very religious" & one of them replied, "To tell you the truth? Religion stinks!" ...which made me laugh. Then they slipped like $50 into my hand and said I'd be okay. It was just a random, nice thing that I won't ever forget.
@ Tasty Loaf, people who are truly religious don't use words to make a point, they use actions. A 'good' Christian isn't someone who reads the bible, and goes to church, they are someone who lives as Christ did, loving, caring and not judging.
These days 'religion' is treated more like a club that you join, and much like in ye olden times, some people go absolutely BALLISTIC if you don't join their club or agree with ALL its ideas, which is NOT how you bring someone around to convincing/converting them. All acting like a spoiled bratty child accomplishes is telling them they're crazy, which makes it harder on the normal people to try and brings others to their religion later. It's not supposed to be like that. It's supposed to be a way of living, a way you want to be as a person. Yes, God is a huge, if not the center of it, but most of the time when God spoke to someone directly it was either a test of devotion, a dire warning that something BAD was about to happen and you either needed to GTFO or else clean up your act or there WOULD be BIG consequences, or a lesson that he was trying to teach. Yes, God is a judge, but I will always first and foremost see him as a sculptor, and a teacher. And maybe a very dedicated programmer. A sculptor (and programmer) for the time and dedication to build the reality we live in and make sure it works. A teacher (that I'm sure facepalms at all the stupid things we do,) that offers encouragement and sometimes gentle, sometimes firm instruction (or giving a kick in the pants when really necessary) on what he means for us as a person, and species, to be. Am I a loyal follower? I should be, but I'm not. I'm very flawed, I have an addiction to porn, my greatest character flaw I think would be my temper. Lately I seem to run on anger. I'm trying to improve on anger first, since that's probably what will be most harmful to those around me if it gets out of control. Regardless, hang in there. Yeah, life sucks, and you might not believe in God, but I still want you to make it through your struggles. Good luck.
When I was about 13, I was getting a haircut and I was talking to the barber about school and when she finished and my dad and I were going to the front desk to pay, they said that a kind stranger overheared me talking to the barber and he decided to pay for my haircut. The barber told us that he wanted her to tell me that he though I seemed like a really nice kid with a bright future and he wished for me to get good grades and school and stay on a good track in life. We never even saw him, but he was one of the nicest strangers that I have ever known.
I met a girl in Amsterdam, about 16 years ago, that i'm sure is/was an actual angel. It was my first time travelling alone to a big City in another country. I got lost, and this stranger girl came up to me and helped me find my way back. There was something very peaceful over her. Can't explain it, but i'm sure she lives in heaven! I will never forget her...
I got an unexpected diagnosis at the doctor's office. In the elevator,on the way down, I lost it and started bawling uncontrollably. A lady wearing colorful scrubs hugged me and prayed to her God for me. I couldn't even speak to say thank you. I had never seen her before, and I have never seen her since. But in those few minutes, she was an angel.
@James May Believe it or not , Angels sent me a message. When I became a Christian about 5 years ago, I mistakenly thought Angles were arrogant beings and I told people this. They didn't like that too much. They sent me a vision that allowed me to catch a glimpse of a persons' soul when I shook their hand. It was too much for me , as it was a good person and their bright soul caused me to weep. Quite embarrassing, I learned me lesson though. I now see Angels as they are, beings who take great joy in their positive work for our Heavenly Father.
I feel like I remember all of them. The confused woman who told me I was a true lady. The guy with kind eyes who awkwardly chatted me up at the movie theater. The little girl who wanted to see my earrings. The guy who offered me gum on the plane. The teenager at the hibachi restaurant who chatted about competitive swimming with me. I could list them for hours. So many strangers that showed me kindness I didn't expect. I've loved all of them.
I was having a really hard week. Like the hardest week of my life, I still managed to go to work at a Supermarket every day despite the fact I'm almost always close to tears. I was facing the biscuits, trying not to cry and felt someone was behind me so I turned. It was a little girl 10 or 11 and she smiled at me and I couldn't help smile back. Then she nodded and skipped off. It gave me so much strength and I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Never, ever underestimate what a mere smile can do for a stranger.
I remember once i was very moody and exhausted, riding the overcrowded subway in Paris and i went out of the wagon, just before me was another woman close to my age that turned back for some reason and smiled. Honestly quite rare in this city and even more in the subway. It made me feel better and i thought that i just wanted to be more like her, not only for myself but others. I think about it from time to time. I'm not yet there regarding applying it but hope i won't forget about it.
One day when I was like 10, I was singing the National anthem from my second story apartment window, and there was a man standing on the ground and he listened to the whole thing and at the end clapped and cheered for me , idk who he was but it made me happy, also I’m p sure he was drunk but still
I was at the airport to see my sister off when she was leaving to go teach in the literal middle of nowhere in Alaska. (We live on the east coast so it’s 20 hours on and off planes just to get there, my sis is 7 years older than me and was like a 3rd parent to me my whole life). I was a wreck, we both held it together just kind of silently crying for the most part, as soon as she was down to the last minute when she had to leave to go through security, I hugged her and we said goodbye. I started walking all the way through the airport to get back to where my dad was waiting to drive me home, and I lost it. My best friend and protector, the best person in the entire world was moving over 2,900 miles away from me with minimal access to the outside world. I was sobbing walking through that airport, I never cry in public but for the first time in 28 years didn’t care about how I looked. I got about halfway back and there was a group of people blocking the path a bit waiting to check bags, so I was just slowly trying to make my way through, still crying profusely and sniffling- just a mess. This wonderful woman puts her hand on my shoulder and just goes “oh sweetheart, you ok?” I smiled at her and said “I’ll be ok” and she goes “are you sure? You look like you need a hug?” This total stranger let me sob on her shoulder and tell her everything about how much my sister means to me and how heartbroken I was, she hugged me a few times and let me just sob out everything I had been feeling but hadn’t vocalized, she offered for me to sit with her if I needed, even though everyone was rushing around she took time to make sure I was ok. I thanked her 100 times and told her I had to get back to my dad so he doesn’t get in trouble for waiting in the drop off zone, and I said goodbye to her while continuously hugging her. Ive always tried to be kind to everyone I meet regardless of any impression they give off with how they look or sound, Ive always tried to be what she was to me that morning. The kindness she showed me, I looked a mess (it was like 4:30am and I had been up for hours), her letting me cry on her shoulder and just being so caring for some random woman around her age that must’ve looked crazy, messy and crying, I will never forget that. She singlehandedly made me feel like everything was going to be ok and my sister would be safe. She gave me the reassurance to keep being kind even when people suck, even when people seem like they don’t deserve it, I keep actively being kind to anyone that seems they need it, and people that might need it but don’t seem like they do. Cece- if you’re out there, you have no idea what an impact you made on my life. I literally could thank you for that small act of kindness everyday for the rest of my life and would feel like it still wouldn’t be enough. If I could tell a stranger I loved them it would’ve been you, you’re a phenomenal person and please don’t ever change. The world needs so so many more of you in it. You are so precious and I think of your kindness often. I truly wish you every amazing thing this world has to offer because you deserve all of it.
I never met him but when my son smashed his head into a pole a man stopped and put his North Face jacket on him and put his friends in his truck with the heater on. He stayed with them until help arrived. Our son was on life support but home now. I am so grateful to this stranger. And I want to replace your expensive jacket you sacrificed for my son. Bless you.♥️💪🏻
My friend/date ditched me at a waterpark to hang out with my cousin instead. These four girls my age invited me to hang out with them and we went on some rides together and hung out in the wave pool. One of them introduced herself as Mallory Jane (Same initials, different names) and then said "but don't call me that, it's MJ." I asked if she meant it like the singer Michael Jackson. She said yes and we bonded over our shared obsession with his music and our disappointment when he turned out to be a sexual predator. The other three (Alicia, Tina and Bethany- Not their real names). We got ice cream (I offered to pay and they refused) took turns screaming weird stuff and jumping off the diving board and I had a better time than I was having with my date. I'll never forget them. Although they're not really strangers because MJ is my gf now.
I was in a math class in college. Pretty introverted, and failing. My math teacher, strict but caring, came up to me and started chatting with me. Ask something like 'So do you and your Girlfriend have going to the fair?" In which single me jokingly said "pffftt... All the girls picked up the more desirable men already" At this point this girl two seats on front of me slams her books on her desk, turned to face me, and practically shouted, " *Don't you dare say that about yourself. Don't you ever demean yourself. You know what girls like! Confidence. Don't sell yourself short!* ". She proceeded to sit down and everyone in class started just giving awkward glances. I dropped out of the class shortly after and never saw her since (didn't know her before) but dang that has always stuck with me.
I have a story just like the first one! When me and my parents were in Japan, we were looking for this ramen place with Google Maps (If you're curious, the ramen place was Ichiran). It kept on making us go in circles, and we asked a Japanese guy if he knew where the ramen place was. He said yes, and he lead us there! It turns out that the ramen place was super far, and it was in a really crowded place where we'd have never known it was there. He spent all that time away from where he was just to lead us there :) Japanese people are very kind. :)
I remember my encounter with a stranger, although I couldn’t remember most of it since I passed out after the drink he gave me, luckily he kept me in his van until I regained consciousness
My stranger meeting was when I was ~5 years old, had a small bicycle with assisted wheels, riding it right outside my home (apartment complex). The chain slipped off and I had no idea how to fix it, comes up a rather big man, like the stereotypical biker, tattoos, grayed beard, fat, and sleeveless shirt and all. Dude asked what was wrong, told me to hand on a second and slipped the chain back on the gear and just left. Never seen him before, never seen him since either.
hahahahahahha!!! Easily the most self centered post on this entire thread. Literally all about your little pretend 'broken' self. You forgot to mention your ADD medicine, or your alters, or any of the other trendy stuff. I guaran-fucking-tee they didn't give two fucks about your precious teenaged art and calming someone down in the psych ward involves shots of Ativan, not fakerooni hugs. What an active fantasy life and an incredibly selfish life. I imagine you are a miserable friend and horrid to be around. And before you get really, really dangerously edgy with a lame comment like "who peed in your Cheerrios?" no one. Just sick to death of the fake shit you idiots post for attention all over the place. YOU ARE THE PROBLEM with the world. Fake, lying, attention seeking and right down the line. But I bet you think you are perfect. Dye your hair green or purple yet? Do you get tics now and holler BEANS while throwing shit around? Do you spend your free time screeching about TRUMP!!! all the time? Do you blame your rotten life on everyone but you? The one who has complete control over their bullshit but does it anyway then caterwauls about being a victim instead of an idiot? That stupidly inane and self centered sentence you wrote says ALL of that about you. They write papers on the type of person you are because it's so friggin' common with you all. You are not even slightly, or remotely unique in any way. Just an attention seeking liar who can't make their life interesting so they take on trend-of-the=day from online bullshit. Pathetic, really.
Years ago my then-SO and I were in a department store and I saw this woman who was so strikingly beautiful shopping with who I assume were her children. Tall and slender, long, slightly frizzed wavy blond hair. Slim, angular face, minimal makeup. She was probably late 30's. Beautifully, elegantly dressed, probably just out of the office. Silvery long sleeved silky blouse, black slacks, heels. This lady almost glowed. The ex said I should go over and tell her how pretty she was, and it would probably make her whole day but I was afraid it would make her feel uncomfortable so I didn't. But twenty years later and I can still picture her almost perfectly. Just an absolutely stunning woman. Wherever she is, I hope she's living a good life.
I was 11 and my family had just moved out to the country, the only restaurant nearby was an old pizza place, unfortunately, I had a lot of food allergies at the time that I had yet to grow out of, so I busied myself at an old claw machine trying to get a kangaroo plushie while everyone ate. Eventually, the money my mom gave me ran out and I just kinda sat back at the table. I must've looked sad because a little while later an employee comes up to me, with not one, but TWO kangaroo plushies they got from the claw. I was such an embarrassed, thankful little kid that I refused the second one thinking I'd be too greedy if I accepted it. But I did take one. I feel bad because I think she was proud of herself that she got me two. I hope she's doing well and has a better job at a nice place with good pay. She made my day and seemed like such a nice person.
When I was very young, there was a Mexican restaurant near my moms work that we went to regularly. This old man would come in and give kids balloons for a few bucks. He didn’t know much English, and despite me being Hispanic I don’t know much Spanish, but he’ll always be close to my heart. I don’t know when it started, but at some point I started calling him grandpa. When he would come I would run up and say hi grandpa, but I never expected him to remember me tbh. At some point, he stopped coming. I would wait for him and hope he’d come, but I never saw him again. To the old man who gave me the best gifts I could ever ask for, I hope you’re resting well.
I had just gotten off of my shift and I purchased something at the grocery store and as I started to walk away I dropped some coins and this girl stops walking to the door and picks up every single coin that I dropped... and then she stood up looked me dead in the eyes at the same moment extending her hand with my change and in the sweetest voice I have ever heard said “here” she had the most gorgeous eyes that I have ever seen... her beautiful eyes complemented her wonderful long blonde hair... who ever you are thank you! You brightened the day of this Weis Market employee and over two months later It still makes me smile that you were so kind so thank you again!
So I went to a Christian university years ago. Near the college there was this area where multiple RVs were parked, most of them had driven many miles because their families had heard there were jobs to be had here. They had been misinformed. Being Thanksgiving holiday, a group of us got together and made some traditional food and 2 X 2 (for safety) were given a family to take the food to and show them some kindness and holiday warmth. The family that this girl and I ended up at acted really surprised when we brought food (all the families were contacted ahead of time) and said they thought that they were helping out poor college students during Thanksgiving and had, in fact, already made something. She and I looked at each other knowingly, because even though some of these families had fallen on hard times, they were too proud to show it. We declined to argue the point, figured there was more than enough food to be had by all (they refused to let us leave it with them and made us take any leftovers, in the most forcibly kind way ever), and just enjoyed the fellowship with them. Being close to Christmas, they had even discussed beforehand what gifts to give us, out of whatever they had. We knew we had to graciously accept whatever they gave us, because the mother and father were perpetually at the brink of tears the whole time, feeling their pride waining every minute. When someone is that far away from where they want to be, there's nothing you can really say to them that will help, you just have to be there for them. They had a teenage son and a young daughter, about 8. The little girl walks up to me in the ever crowded RV, all smiles and grins (she was too young to be prideful about the situation), and hands me this plastic fried egg on a keychain. I looked at this thing and my heart exclaimed, "This is the most precious gift you'll ever receive!" I have it to this day, hanging on a trophy, reminders of 2 of the most precious and important moments in my life. Strangers we are not, but essences of Love and Life from the same Being.
Back in the 80's, we were at the beach for some school-sponsored event (for us high school kids). Anyway, as we walked along, a girl about my age walked up to me and just gave me a hug for no reason. She then said, "You looked like you could use a hug." And then she walked off and I never saw her again.
I'm never going to forget the two lovely young couples who likely saved my life. One of them might have been a mom and a son, though. I remember that it was Labor Day weekend, I got pissed at my parents while we were camping after they told me to away, and, thinking I was going the town opposite the way I was going. I ended up walking 24 miles over the course of 18 hours. About three hours in, my blood sugar was running low (I'm a type one diabetic) and I swung into a campsite with two people who were just about where I was to ask if I could have some food and water. They, very politely, said yeah and gave me a gallon of water and some crackers. After a lot more walking, a couple, I think they said they were recently married, swung by and said, "Hey, kid, we've been driving up and down this road, and you're the only person we've seen for miles. Do you need a lift?" I said yes, though my paranoia was setting in, and I knew that, if they tried anything, I could at least mess them up a little. Thankfully, they were just a really sweet young couple, and they let me borrow a phone to call my family. Thank you kind strangers for saving my life, thank you to the kind people who fed me and gave me drink, thank you to the kind lady who gave me chips when I walked into her store, and sorry to the nice family I freaked out while I was walking- I hope that karma has treated you all very kindly, and I will always remember your kindness.
When I climbed the Monkeys bars at my old school this one kid was on the other side of the Monkey bars I think it was his last day but we crossed each other on the monkey bars and gave a best friend high five
I had a very pleasant patient that I took care of on the Oncology floor at the hospital. He was such a positive soul. Older man. I'll remember what he told me "The good thing about getting old..is that you didn't die young".
One time I was on a long bus ride. I was sitting next to a man on the bus who was playing scrabble on his iPad. He noticed me staring at the game so I said I liked scrabble. He invited me to a game. As we were playing he asked me about the scars on my arm. He asked me if I had done them myself. I replied yes. He showed me his and said me too. A while back he suffered a stroke that paralyzed half his body which makes talking and walking difficult. But even through all that he saw me and showed me kindness. I'll never forget that guy.
Love is magic. I'm glad these were happier stories! WHat a nice relief to hear some tales of interest and kindness from people who don't even know each other's names.
i've posted this story before on line but here goes. My mom was dying it was like 1994 or so. No cell phone. I flew from NY to FL to see her and say goodbye. I made arrangements with a guy to pick me up. Yeah he never showed. I ran out of coins and didn't have enough money on me to get home. I sat down on the curb at LGA and just sobbed. Some lovely security guard named camille came over to tell me i had to move. I was like oh im so sorry ok and got my luggage and was preparing to move. She said whats wrong. I blurted out the entire story and was just sobbing snot running whole deal to a stranger. She said wait here. She came back and gave 100$ bill to a cab driver and said get her home safe and sound. My jaw hit the floor i said omg i will repay you asap and she said if you can fine if not do it in the future for someone else. I was shocked to shit. I got home went to the bank got the 100 and drove back to airport and gave it to her. She was equally as shocked. I said why would you trust me and do that and she said you had a kind face and i have a gut feeling about folks. SHe took my face in her hands and said go on and be kind. This was so long ago and i think of her all the time. I wrote a letter to LGA security saying how kind she was blah blah but there was no internet or anything i was on then. I really will never ever forget her. She totally changed my life and saved me that day. A stranger and she just gave me money like i was her child. Im getting teary thinking of it. God bless you Camille
One time I ran away from home and this random guy convinced me to go into his vehicle. He then chatted with me while he drove me to his girlfriends house. His girlfriend told me to watch tv so I did. I thought this was my new life I was so happy but he secretly called the cops. I felt so betrayed at the time but it was probably for the better. I’ll never know who that guy was. He just entered in my life for that specific moment. I wonder how he felt about the whole situation
This video made me realize that I have many vivid memories of random people. The little kid that laughed at my glasses on the park. The old lady that chatted with me on the subway on my way home from school. The drunk guy that randomly gave me a pep talk and bought me some candy. The guy that helped me after I got mugged, calmed me down, walked me home and gave me this little woven bracelet to "Remind me that people care about me" I doubt I'll ever see any of them again, but I feel I will always remember them.
Those stories are the fuel of my life, I always try to be an actor and not a bystander because it makes life meaningful. I always carry bandages and I offered a couple of times one to girls that had a wound in their feet for wearing new shoes. One time I tried to protect another girl that had a man directly looking at her boobs and face with a dirty look, I couldn't get the courage, but I managed to make room in the bus for her to move back and I cursed at the man before getting down in my stop. I remember one time I was getting on the bus, I was smiling and a man told me that when I entered the whole bus lighted up. One of the most memorable things I have heard.
An aerial hoop dancer was spinning on her hoop, legs holding to the hoop while her torso spun around, and while looking at me upside-down, she gave me a wink as I leaned over the railing, grinning like a little kid at her. Just that simple little gesture of what she did for some random guy admiring her performance was so heart-warming. I wish I could kiss her cheek for that. Stuck in my mind forever.
I have been the kind stranger on a few occasions, but one really stands out. I was in the airport, going from one gate to the next, when I reached the escalator. At the top of the escalator was a mom holding a baby, diaper bag, purse and carry on. At the bottom was her 3 yr old who was too young to figure out how to get on. Mom is saying "You can do it. Come on." Two men, carrying just briefcases, had passed by just looking at the kid. I have my own carry on, tote and coat. But I just grabbed the boy by the arm, said "Come on, sweetie", and got him to the top of the escalator. Mom was so grateful. She had tears in her eyes. I said "It was a pleasure to help" and walked on to my gate.
I was just kinda walking around downtown pretty depressed. I was really lost in my head, feeling quite dead inside. Suddenly, a boy walked up to me, handed me a flower, gave me a hug, and told me that everything’s going to be okay, that life gets better. I genuinely believe I met my guardian angel.
Shoutout to the stranger who caught my still-in-training service dog after she took off about two weeks ago. We were walking in the park and doing some training on rough terrain (I'm prepping her to do some distance hiking so we were climbing the dirt bike hills since no one was over there), and I had to drop the leash to descend one of the jumps. She took off, her guide handle flopping wildly. Apparently, she dashed up to a restaurant I take her to sometimes and a stranger caught her, recognized something was up, heard me yelling and escorted her towards my voice. I figured I had no chance of catching my dumb butt husky so wasn't rushing... but she got less than three hundred feet apparently before heading for the smell of food. I apologized profusely and he was so gracious about the whole thing. Thankfully, she's SUPER friendly and heads straight for strangers to make friends, her tail wagging a mile a minute...
Whenever I would go to school, there would be a black old man in a training suit that would always stand at the same intersection for years. He would wave and greet cars that would pass by, often hoping everyone a good day. I'll never forget his bright smile.
For Me, it was a kid I met at a playground. He was really nice but didn't have any toys except a baseball, he said it was his only toy. I played with him and shared my toys, then he fell asleep and his parents picked him up and left. They left his baseball behind and I picked it up and spent time after that going to the park trying to find and return it, I never saw him again. I still have the baseball.
This women who was so surprised that my sister and I were twins and told us bless you and other praises then we separated ways and I couldn’t find her again. This makes her seem very mysterious and made me think, is see an angel? I still feel grateful for her kindness and warm.
Sometime in 2009 my mom and I went for a ride down to Austin for the first time. We had only just moved to the area and Austin was the closest city to us. The plan was to go to a new restaurant we'd heard about and go play Mini-Golf together as celebration for moving to a new house. There was this young guy, sitting on the side of the highway with a small sign and a suitcase. He couldn't've been more than 25. We drove past him at first, onto the on-ramp of the highway, but both my mom and I felt immediately guilty about leaving this guy. There was just something about him. We had to drive over 10 minutes in order to turn around, but he was still there. We told him to jump in and asked what he was doing out here. He had come from the north [Colorado? I don't remember] in order to get a job that was guaranteed that he'd have by a friend of his. He got here and was immediately abandoned, with no car, no phone, 50 bucks and his suitcase. He was a retired military guy who had just gotten out and wanted to get a good job to get his life on track. He was one of the nicest, sincerest people I've ever met. Instead of going to the nice restaurant, we went to a Super-Salad instead so he could eat too, as much as he wanted. When we were driving back to Belton, he thought he could get a train ticket but wasn't sure of the price, but we said we'd cover the rest to get him home. But the train station was closed, so we took him to the Greyhound buses and paid for his ticket there so he could keep the rest of the money he had. I even gave him the quarters on the side of the car so he could play the arcade game inside. I'll never forget the gratitude of him, or his face when he walked into the terminal with his suitcase. It was one of the greatest feelings of my life to help that guy, and I hope he got back to where he came from safe and sound.
My mom had the opposite situation: we were on the subway and a tourist lady was supposed to get off at a major transit hub and then get onto a coach bus to another city but the lady missed her stop on the subway and had a panic attack. She had a load of stuff with her so my mom got her to the coach bus terminal, comforting her the whole time.
One time on the subway here in Portugal, a woman (late 40's/early 50's) was kind of stressing about not having money for the ticket. Mind you, that was the most used con at the time, "I need money for the bus/subway" instead of just holding a sign. Something about her face seemed real, though, and as she needed just 20 or 30 cents, I gave it to her (I was 18 at the time). She thanked me, told me she had got out of work and wouldn't be able to return home because she didn't have any change on her. I said "no problem, have a safe trip" and went on with my life, not knowing if it was a real story or just another person just asking around for change. I stumbled upon her 3 or 4 more times at that same station, either in the morning or at the end of the day (as she was going to/coming out of work) and she always looked embarassed when she saw me. I'm glad I gave her the money, would hate to be on the other side and have no one believe me.
That second story though, where the guy got hit by a car. Holy shit, that guy must've been God, himself. Took 3 hours out of his work schedule. What a great guy. My god.
I saw a very drunk guy once trying to buy a BART ticket with $100 bills. He had 5 or 6 of them in plain view. He was clearly very intoxicated and I became very alarmed. I walked up to him and told him to put his money away. He just looked at me stupidly until I pulled out a $5 bill and started to put it in the machine, telling him again to put his money away because I was going to buy a ticket for him. Before I got the money in the guy said, in a clear sober whisper, "I'm not drunk, I'm a cop." I realized I had just walked into a sting. I whispered back, "Oh shit! Sorry" then I said "Well fuck you then." in a loud voice and stormed off. I turned around and say a huge number of cops standing around. I have no idea where they had been hiding. Some time later I saw a show about the sting I'd walked into. They busted a huge number of people, but they never showed anyone who tried to help the drunk. I'm sure I wasn't the only person to try to help him, but they only showed muggers.
I was having a mini solo adventure in London. While at the Natural History Museum I bought lunch & sat in the corner reading the map, planning my route around the exhibits. When I got to the cheesecake I realised I forgotten to pick up cutlery. I didn't want to leave my bag unattended or risk losing my seat, so I did the only sensible thing I could think of & starting cutting & eating it with the stir-stick from my tea. I knew I looked foolish, as I was dropping it countless times before reaching my mouth, but I was so engrossed in enjoying my visit. Suddenly a plastic spoon appeared over the top of my map, I looked up & a little girl, 7 or 8, gesturing me to take it. I did & thanked her & she returned to her family. It was a very small act of kindness but I'll remember it.
ALL of these are acts of kindness, even though the thread only asked “who is a stranger you’ll never forget.” Really goes to show that if you’re nice to people, that’s what they’ll remember.
When I was around 12 years old. Was heading back home with my sister and niece in her little Dodge D50 truck. We were 10 miles from town, rear driver side tire blew, sister slammed on the brakes and we spin 3 times before sliding to a stop on the shoulder. A guy and trucker stop to check on us. Trucker tells the guy to drive us to town, family worked at a little mom and pop fast food place. He agreed, drove us to the place, made sure we were ok and had someone to get the truck and then just disappeared.
One of the ambulance guy (is it EMT in english?) who picked me up after my suicide attempt. I was only 16 and id taken pills, so i was sluggish and tired when they showed up. Was lying on the pavement and he helped me up and into the car. I have blunted affect so i wasnt crying, just sitting there with a blank face and not talking. The rest was a blur but I eventually got to the hospital. Was lying curled on my side in the hospital bed and he put a hand on my hip and said «Take care» and that moment is the only clear memory I have from that period. It was the losset moment of my entire life but that man who i cant even remember the name of stands out like a shining beacon. It was the only thing that broke through the emotional void in me. 2 years later and I am now taking care, doing better. I hope he’s okay too.
Was camping on Isle Royal with my now husband and in-laws. Hubby dumped me and one of the Rangers talked to me a lot and really helped me. I was young and it was my first serious relationship. Been married 25 years now, but I will never forget that Rangers kindness.
A stranger I will never forget is someone I met when I was dating my toxic ex boyfriend. We smoked weed together and after a bad high trip- I went to take the train ( we weren’t from the same city) . So it is midnight and I am completely alone on a train station and I have strict parents who think I am doing good. Suddenly the train choose to bot come and I had to think of a way to come home asap. The stranger was also there and it was a boy about my age and my height so we started talkng and worrying about how to come home (the city he lived in was close to mine) so we both take several busses and trains together but I am still pretty high , he was pretty nice to me which isn’t always the case when I meet a boy. I had a boyfriend so I did not go into that flirting thingy or asking him a lot of questions. I guess he knew that i was damn high and lost at midnight so he was like a big brother watching out for me. I forgot his name but I will never forget about him :)
I was about 13 or so when my dad and I were going through tough times with money (my mom passed when I was 12) and we were just trying to buy bread, peanutbutter and jelly. When my dad didnt have enough to pay for it. Some kind lady behind us paid for it. It wasnt much money but I'll never forget such a kind gesture and I hope to soon have the chance to pay it forward. I'm 20 now. Starting a new adventure in life and I'm not gonna lie I'm scared. I dont know where I'm going or how I'll get there. But I just have to trust that theres a greater plan that I cant see yet. Not sure why I'm dumping this right now... but heck it
I hope it's going well for you. Sometimes the best things we do for ourselves seem incredibly hard at first. But keep that positive attitude and it'll help a lot!
In 2003, I was rear-ended on the 163 freeway in San Diego. It was late at night, and the person who hit me was part of an illegal drag race. From what the cops told me later, they estimated I was hit while they were going over 125 MPH. It shoved my car into the construction barriers along the side of the freeway, and my car spun down the barriers. I was pretty sure I was going to die. My seat back broke and it went flat, they were all amazed I wasn't thrown out from under the lap belt. I came to with my car smoking, I couldn't move without incredible amounts of pain. Two cars pulled in behind me, a family from Mexico on their way back home, and a nurse from the nearby children's hospital. The nurse checked me over and directed the dad and oldest son on how to get me out of the car while protecting my back and neck, just in case. She laid out a really nice blanket for them to set me on, and then wrapped me up in it for the shock. She sat there on the side of the road petting my hair and talking to me to keep me conscious until the ambulance arrived. Apparently, she'd just come off a 36 hour shift when she saw the car hit me, and sat there for another two hours keeping me calm, describing what had happened to the ambulance and supervising loading me in, and then talking to the cops. Thank you, stranger, for helping me.
When I was about 4 I was in my folks car. We broke down. Then out of nowhere a man in a suit and a briefcase appeared next to our car and helped us out. He found a phone booth [this was way before cell phones] for us to call for help. He looked over the car to try to get to what had gone wrong. I can still see his face. He didn't want any reward. Even though we offered him one. I can still see the exact part of town where we broke down. What a standup guy!
I have a story to share here but the roles were reversed so the stranger actually remembered me. I aways try to be kind to strangers and I got that from my Mom. I can remember one time being in the grocery store with my Mom when I was around 10. There was a little boy around the same age all by himself walking around with a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread holding it from the end so it was hanging vertically. And my Mom went right up to him and told him not to hold the bread that way because it will get all smashed and then his Mom might be mad, lol. She made him go get a new loaf of bread and got him a basket to put it in and sent him in his way. I ended up seeing him a decade later at a party. I didn't recognize him. But he remembered me and very shyly asked if by chance when I was little did my Mom ever stop a boy at the grocery store and teach him how to hold bread. I distinctly remembered it because I felt sorry for him being out alone buying groceries. He ended up telling me that from that day forward, every time he picked up a loaf of bread he thought of my Mom and always held the bread from underneath and that's how he managed to recognize me 10 years later, lol. He also said that he thinks the reason it stuck with him was because he had a pretty rough childhood and very few adults in his life ever showed him kindness in that way.
It was my senior prom and my party was at dinner at this very nice bistro. I don't honestly remember what I was doing, just being myself. But when we got up to leave a gentleman in his 50s with his wife and other couple called me over. He tells me they have been watching me at dinner and how I was so respectful to everyone, kind, and acting like a gentleman at my age. I thanked him and told him I had wonderful parents. That was maybe the first time I was complimented like that outside of being with my folks and it always stuck with me over 10 years later.
I never met the guy, and that's why I remember him. It was this old guy, riding a bike with as many baskets on as you can put on a bike. American flags were in every single part of the bike that didn't interfere with it's use. He didn't look homeless, he was clean and well groomed. No matter where I was walking, he was going the opposite direction, but I somehow never saw his face. I moved and never saw him again. I feel like he was some kind of omen, but I have no idea what for, and that's silly as heck.
I was once the stranger. Had a mom who was getting out of the elevator with her toddler. Toddler was swinging his arms back and forth as he got out and the elevator doors closed on his fingers. He tugged them out and got a nasty gash. Mother was hysterical and kid was bawling. I had just walked out of my doctor’s office after picking up a prescription for a refill on ADD meds and just turned the corner by the elevator when it happened. I’m paranoid and always like to be prepared, so one thing I always have on my is an IFAK (the first aid kits used by US Marines, which I got because of its size and utility for everyday carry). I quickly gauzed up the kids hand and told the mother to follow me to my doctor’s office as I carried the kid and ran over there. Told the receptionist who was still talking to my doc that the kid was hurt and bleeding pretty bad from his fingers. Doc takes the kid in while the receptionist talks to the mother. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay as I had to run to the pharmacy before they closed, and I never learned if the kid got off with a couple stitches or something, but I like to think he was alright in the end and that it was a good thing I was there.
My last name is pronounced as "cool" This one guy over ten years ago hears my name "Your last name is cool?...I won't say it" Lots of people want to say something clever like: "oh that's pretty cool...haha"
I was on a plane one evening and it was overbooked so I got separated from my parents, so I had to sit to some people I didn’t know and I was like 6/7 so I was crying. I sat next to these rlly nice people and they gave me some candy and comforted me until a person move and I got to sit with my mom . I rlly want to say thx to them and I will never forget them
I used to ride the bus/ride my bike home/work at a hospital so I remember a lot of strangers. I'll only mention the good ones tho. 1 a lady who had on some weird ass clothes but I admired her for rocking them and not giving a single fuck what others thought. 2. A mother pushing her daughter in a stroller gave me the sweetest most genuine smile I have ever gotten from a stranger 3. A couple who gave me a ride home after they saw me crying because I couldn't care all the shit I had from school home(it was perishable) 4. An old man who sang to me while in his hospital bed. And the strangers I didnt meet: the ppl who called the ambulance when I passed out having a seizure at the bus stop and on my bike.People will surprise you sometimes
Once i was going to school and there was a woman sitted in a bench, probably in her mid 50s, and she looked kinda sad, so i picked up a flower and gave it to her, she gave me one of the biggest smiles i've ever seen. I'll never forget her
In grand rapids michigan i had fallen on an icy sidewalk with nobody around then this tiny man turned the corner walked to me helped me up tipped his hat then went back the way he showed up and i was alone again. It was cool and mysterious.
I was in elementary school. I was sobbing after a particularly bitter argument with my mom. (It was probably something trivial, but she and I didn't get along at all, and it was wearing me down.) The dad of some kid I'd never met asked if I was okay, told me it wasn't stupid at all for me to be upset, and said he'd be praying for me. For the first time in a long time, I felt heard, listened to, and validated. I never saw him again, but I really appreciate that some stranger cared enough to listen to me.
one day when i travelled to America from japan in 1987 i accidentally stumbled in to guy and hurt him in the knee and then he stood up and asked me if i was from japan and i said " yes I am japanese" and then he kicked me in the knee and said " I'll never the forgive the Japanese" I'll never forget this guy🥲
The one time I was in the bathroom using a urinal next to a random stranger, and this guy busts into the bathroom and runs into a stall like his life depended on it. He immediately starts evacuating his bowels, and it sounded like the fart and shitting sounds you would hear off a sound board. This went on for almost 2 minutes nonstop. Me and the guy just look at each other with a “this can’t be real” look in our eyes, and we’re silently laughing so hard, we couldn’t breathe! We ran into each other ten minutes later in public, and all we had to do was look each other in the eyes, and we went right back to laughing until it hurt! 🤣
I randomly never forgot the Asian dude here in Germany who tried to flirt with me on a trainstation. At the end he asked me for money and I was like "why?" and he was like "you stand next to a vending mashine, I need a snak!" I was like " use your own money!" he was like "lol I thought my trick would work, but seems like if it wasn't" I was so mad at this guy, because I thought he was really flirting with me
I forgot my wallet on a city bus in St. Louis and just noticed it when the bus already departed again. I was a foreign student there and on my way to a short city trip to Chicago with Megabus. Was a bit panicking and tried to figure out how to contact the city bus company for a good 15-20min when suddenly a bus stopped on the other side of the road. My wallet had been found right away and given to the bus driver. That bus driver had the brilliant idea to switch busses with a colleague and drive back to my bus stop where I was still standing. He got out of the bus and brought the wallet back to me. I was so shocked and happy at the same moment. I could just say thank you and he was gone again. To this day I'm thankful to the honest and caring citizens of St. Louis, Missouri. You will always have a special place in my heart
A woman who was walking into a restaurant with her companion just as my parents and I were walking out from celebrating my 15th or 16th birthday - She commented to her companion, "Oh, isn't that girl's dress pretty?" Felt So good that ever since, I will either compliment a person directly or loudly compliment them to my companion. Did that once at a reception at a new workplace and was casual friends with the recipient of the compliment for years, all from that tiny beginning.
The person who switched their seat with me when I was going on a plane with my mom, we were placed in separate seats for some reason and I started crying and freaking out (I was only about 5 or so at the time.) Multiple people heard me crying and got mad at the lady at the desk for upsetting me, and one person asked if they could change their seat to the one I had been put in so that I could be next to my mom. The lady initially wasn’t budging but a few people gestured over to me while I was still crying and she relented and apologized to me.
I remember meeting the same lady on the bus twice in a row, exactly the same time of day, a week apart. we were going to the same building, which had a senior center and a pool in it. first time we met, she had stumbled into me a bit when the bus started moving. she apologized and I told her I was fine and not to worry about it. she was really nice and we talked for a while, up until our destination. the second time, she recognized my hat, (a toothless hat) and sat down and we chatted again. she gave me two lozenges and a jacket that didnt fit her, which I still own. haven't seen her since. dont even remember her name, although I seem to remember it was Susan. she was super sweet. I think about her sometimes.
This girl I had never met in my life who fed me a jaeger bomb from her glass at a night club. I'm normally really socially awkward but we were drunk and vibing at the bar. It was weirdly nice and incredibly pure honestly. Also, the random homeless dude who lent me a spare sleeping bag when I was stuck in a downtown park overnight without my phone or wallet. Would've been freezing without that. Thank you, random homeless dude.
This happened to me about a year ago. I was at the gym lockeroom when I spotted a man in his late 50s or early 60s and he was wearing a US Army veteran hat, so I approached him and asked if he was really a veteran. Turns out, he was an Iraq War veteran who had joined the Army in 78 or 79 I don't remember anyway it was nice talking to him and he gave me a few tips on how to survive boot camp since I am planning on enlisting as soon as I get out of high school. Where ever you are Staff Sergeant, God bless you.
I was flying from Krabi to Bangkok, Thailand. I began panicking and the teenage girl beside me gave me some gum, and two ladies from India talked to me to help calm me down. The stewardess was wonderful and everyone on that flight was so kind and empathetic. I’ll never forget the act of kindness from others
There was this kid at school that me and my friends walked past and we heard him say something like ‘I’m gay’ and I turned around and laughed and said same. Next time I saw him he said ‘Ey I’m still gay’ and me and my friends would say ‘ eyyyyyy sammmme’ we said that a few times shook hands once and we haven’t talked since, but we see him around. I love listening to things people say cause it’s usually hilarious.
Worlds longest Yardsale. Had my hair dyed rainbow at the time because I thought it would be fun. Failed to realize that in the south people would automatically assume I was gay. Literally had women pull their children away from me. Anyways I pulled up to this women’s yardsale and she immediately ran up to me and demanded I meet her friends. Nicknamed me rainbow and invited me to her next yardsale. Never felt more welcomed in my life which made my entire year. Hope she is doing well.
I took my daughter to the state fair...we were alone and i had forgot where we parked it was dark, we were lost and i was scared. An apparently high homeless man with no shirt and a long staff happened upon us... he was scary looking and dirty with prison tats but meant us no harm. he lead us to my car and scared off a different group of scary looking men that were staring at us...i gave him a backpack and a jacket and shirt and some cigarettes as "payment" thank you my "meth angel" 😇 lol
I was in Prague and we were at some sort of Irish pub and there were two Irish guys sitting next to us we kept kinda staring at our dog and eventually started a conversation about her and later a waiter gave her some water and saw that I was snacking on my sisters chips and gave me a bowl of chips. Also there was another guy in Prague that overheard us talking in Dutch and started a conversation with us in Dutch and German, turned out he and a friend used to come to the Netherlands all the time. He was really nice and we talked for ten minutes before he had to go. Recently I was on a bus and I was trying to scan my card when I declined so I tried to but tickets, but I had to use my banking app to set some money on my card but the internet didn’t work. Then I tried my luck with paying and it declined. He said ‘Never mind, just sit down.’ And let me ride for free.
When I was just a kid maybe around 10 or 11 y/o, after my parents divorce I eventually ended up with my mom. We were in the process form moving from the family home to a little house a few miles away. So I’ll try to keep this short. I wanted to walk to the new house since I usually walked home and liked my independence. I even asked my mom if it was ok but had misunderstood her and thought she said it was ok. I ended up walking to the new house but got lost. I asked for help at a corner store where a cop was at and they pointed me in the general direction I needed to go. After over an hour of walking I gave up and broke down crying, thinking I’d never find it. Ironically I was only a street away. Anyway this woman in a van saw me right at that moment and stopped to help me. She took me back to school and my mom came to pick me up. She had no idea I was missing since she was at the family home with the movers and thought I was with my dad. I got the woman’s name but we were never able to find her again. I even had my story published on the front page of the local paper but nothing. Tricia if you are out there and remember the crying little kid you found on the side of the road, thank you for being a great human being. You were a true Good Samaritan. Now I can only remember the mini van and the cross decal on the back of the van. I wish I could thank her in person but she probably didn’t even think anything of it other than she just wanted to help me.
The Indian guy that remembered the op 10 years later, I'm the same way. I started a job in a packaging facility, and one of the other temps looked familiar. It took me a solid hour but it finally hit me. I asked her, "Hey, when you were really little did you live on Blank Street?", she said yes, "Ok, this is a weird question, but when you were little did everyone call you "Pokey"?" and her eyes got reeeaaaal wide and she said, "Yeah, do I know you somehow?". Turns out her grandma was friends with my grandma and brought her over one time while I was at my grandmothers house, we were both 6. When we started working together we were in our mid-20's. Memory is weird like that.
A lady from my home town came into my job ( I had moved 2 hours away) and asked for me, she was brought to my desk and gave me a big hug and said she was so sorry that my mom had just passed away. I had never spoken to her in my life. I got minimal hugs before, during or after the funeral , somehow she knew how much I needed that hug.
I was returning cans and bottles at a local supermarket for the extra cash as a kid. They had machines you put them into. Half or so of the machines were down and this lady that was also there kept calling for someone to come help. After multiple calls with no one showing up she found a half full 2 liter bottle of Coke, shook the hell out of it, and put it into one of the machines for plastic. The explosion was absolutely glorious.
There was a waiter that worked at a buffet called Ichi Ban Buffet. She was from China, and when ever I want to this Chinese restaurant (I often did) little four year old me was always greeted by her. She always told me her name, and I always forgot. Damn how I wish I remember her name. She had a beautiful smile. But one day she said she had to fly back to China. My parents said that they saw her around even after that, so they didn’t trust her, but to four year old me she was a friend. I wish I could see her again.
Random black guy that was behind my mom and I at a WalMart checkout line. I was maybe 7-8. He was probably the first black guy I ever saw in person. I was staring at him nervously. He jokingly told me if I ever had any problems I could call him and he'd take care of it. He even said he would beat people up for me. I was still super shy, but it made me smile. My mom found it amusing, too. I remember that he said his name, but it's been 18-19 years, so I don't remember what it was.
When I was 16/17 I rear ended a stopped car down a two lane highway in rural North Carolina. The car ahead of me had stopped to let another car turn and I didn’t see they were stopped until it was too late. I was unfamiliar with the area and didn’t know where I was going. When the smoke from the airbag cleared, I sat there screaming in fear and pain for what felt like eternity before I called my mom and 911. While trying to tell them where I thought I was, (again, I was lost) two cars stopped to help me. One, I heard later, was an off-duty firefighter and his, also off-duty, police officer friend. In the second car were two off-duty ER nurses. They checked me over, kept me in place, and helped calm me down until the ambulances came. They said I was lucky to have survived, as the area I crashed in was known for fatal crashes like this and I’m privy to believe them. If it weren’t for them, ambulances may not have been able to find me as quickly as they did. I wasn’t seriously injured, banged and bruised, but I’m still forever grateful to them going above and beyond the call of duty to stop and help me. I was young and scared and they made sure I was safe. If it had been more severe, that luck would have probably saved my life. I never got their names to thank them.
I remember once when I was about 6 years old I was at the beach and I went into the sea. I went to far out and couldn't swim. A girl not much old then me pulled me out and took me back to my mam. I literally have no idea who she was but she save old my life.
At my grandmas funeral back in 05. I had a hard time at her funeral trying to hold back tears. I remember going to the restroom there was a guy who came in that I never seen before. My family is a big family on her side so I don’t know all the family members. He spoke in comforting voice saying everything is going to be alright. After her funeral I just broke down. Who ever that person was I think he knew I was trying to not cry and had a hard time holding them back. I asked my mom if she knew who the guy was she didn’t know who he was
I got dumped the other day and I was sobbing in the public toilets, trying to pull myself together to get to work. Some kind lady came and gave me a big hug and held me tight for a good five minutes.
I'm looking for a job, and I first started looking for a job, I was waiting in the waiting room with a resume in my hand, kinda nervous, really awkward amd this random dude asked me how long I was waiting and got really angry with me when I said I've been waiting for almost an hour for someone to talk to me and then when someone finally realised that I was there for a reason, he wished me good luck and told me to not be so nervous because I'm still young and I'll get so many more chances to make something of myself, even if I won't get the job.
I’ve had many over the years. The group of larger men that took it upon themselves to watch out for me and stand watch while I slept in the bus station, from where I broke down in Nebraska all the way to Spokane Washington. The woman who bought my ticket back home to Washington (different time) having never laid eyes on me, took me in and gave me food and a bed after I’d been thrown out on the street by a cracked out narcissist. The neighbor I had when I was 11-13 years old, who was just there for me in a way I couldn’t understand for years. I was going down a very dark path and she was all that is good and honest and right in this world. She took me in when my adopted mom tried to give me away. Understood that I had issues and was always just the most caring and loving human being, who wasn’t afraid to tell the truth if asked a question, but not in a mean way. I absolutely love this woman still to this day, as she was more of a mom to me than the woman who adopted me. I still think of her the most, and I always wonder what would have happened had I continued to live with her rather than letting my mom bully me into going back to being her slave.
Strangers actually young little me and a few others were stranded in the middle of the busy interstate atleast a hour and a half drive back and we were first ignored by a man , then a old couple approached us and asked us what happened we explained car troubles they then called a tow service (our phone was out of minutes) , they fed us and took us to our front yard a hour and a half away , they were a very lovely couple and they made such great talk , they actually are what inspired me to help people
So there were two that cme up from the top of my head: 1) I was in Akihabara, Tokyo, and this japanese dude gave me an Alice Zuberg figurine for no reason pretty much. He just kinda, in english, said "hi, for you". Yea now that figurine still stays on my desk . 2) a few months back I moved to China and after being angrily kicked out of a cab for not being able to speak chinese, I got out of the cab in a hurry without realizing I dropped my wallet. A guy saw this and chased after me just to tell me I dropped my wallet :')
when we were flying home from vacation, while I was a kid, I had water in my ears because I really loved to dive, and I didn't clean my ears after diving properly. So in the plane, my ears hurt even worse. They hurt so bad, that I started whining out loud about my ears hurting. That one stranger, instead of being mean, he asked the flight attendant if they had chewing gum for me so my ears wouldn't hurt so much. Didn't help much, but I appreciate that kind stranger for keeping his shit together and asking the flight attendant to help me instead of just bitching about me.
Once I got fired when I was living with my cousin... I was 18 and had been homeless for 2 years. I got a job at a horrible coffeehouse and they canned me for stupid, petty reasons.
I was crying in the mall when these 3 old ladies came up, stroked my hand and said "God has a plan for you" (I'm atheist, but it was still sweet)...
I even said "Oh, I'm not very religious" & one of them replied, "To tell you the truth? Religion stinks!" ...which made me laugh.
Then they slipped like $50 into my hand and said I'd be okay.
It was just a random, nice thing that I won't ever forget.
I’m the 3 fates coming to mould you into their Macbeth??
@ Tasty Loaf, people who are truly religious don't use words to make a point, they use actions. A 'good' Christian isn't someone who reads the bible, and goes to church, they are someone who lives as Christ did, loving, caring and not judging.
I wanna do stuff like that when I'm old. But seems like I only deal with stingy old people who freak out when you give them the wrong change
These days 'religion' is treated more like a club that you join, and much like in ye olden times, some people go absolutely BALLISTIC if you don't join their club or agree with ALL its ideas, which is NOT how you bring someone around to convincing/converting them. All acting like a spoiled bratty child accomplishes is telling them they're crazy, which makes it harder on the normal people to try and brings others to their religion later. It's not supposed to be like that. It's supposed to be a way of living, a way you want to be as a person. Yes, God is a huge, if not the center of it, but most of the time when God spoke to someone directly it was either a test of devotion, a dire warning that something BAD was about to happen and you either needed to GTFO or else clean up your act or there WOULD be BIG consequences, or a lesson that he was trying to teach. Yes, God is a judge, but I will always first and foremost see him as a sculptor, and a teacher. And maybe a very dedicated programmer. A sculptor (and programmer) for the time and dedication to build the reality we live in and make sure it works. A teacher (that I'm sure facepalms at all the stupid things we do,) that offers encouragement and sometimes gentle, sometimes firm instruction (or giving a kick in the pants when really necessary) on what he means for us as a person, and species, to be.
Am I a loyal follower? I should be, but I'm not. I'm very flawed, I have an addiction to porn, my greatest character flaw I think would be my temper. Lately I seem to run on anger. I'm trying to improve on anger first, since that's probably what will be most harmful to those around me if it gets out of control.
Regardless, hang in there. Yeah, life sucks, and you might not believe in God, but I still want you to make it through your struggles. Good luck.
@@dafien530 yes
When I was about 13, I was getting a haircut and I was talking to the barber about school and when she finished and my dad and I were going to the front desk to pay, they said that a kind stranger overheared me talking to the barber and he decided to pay for my haircut. The barber told us that he wanted her to tell me that he though I seemed like a really nice kid with a bright future and he wished for me to get good grades and school and stay on a good track in life. We never even saw him, but he was one of the nicest strangers that I have ever known.
I hope you proved him right! 😉
it could of been her
I met a girl in Amsterdam, about 16 years ago, that i'm sure is/was an actual angel. It was my first time travelling alone to a big City in another country. I got lost, and this stranger girl came up to me and helped me find my way back. There was something very peaceful over her. Can't explain it, but i'm sure she lives in heaven! I will never forget her...
Maybe she was. The Bible tells us to entertain strangers because you might be entertaining angels without being aware of it!!!
@@KandiXoXoXo or demons .. lol
en cee oop
I got an unexpected diagnosis at the doctor's office. In the elevator,on the way down, I lost it and started bawling uncontrollably. A lady wearing colorful scrubs hugged me and prayed to her God for me. I couldn't even speak to say thank you.
I had never seen her before, and I have never seen her since.
But in those few minutes, she was an angel.
I'm glad she was there for you. I hope you'll get well soon :(
@@JG-on2wx Thank you, I am doing well 👍
@@r.c.whitaker296 I'm glad that you're doing well. You never know, she could have been an actual Angel. Heavenly Father sends his workers to help us .
@James May Believe it or not , Angels sent me a message. When I became a Christian about 5 years ago, I mistakenly thought Angles were arrogant beings and I told people this. They didn't like that too much. They sent me a vision that allowed me to catch a glimpse of a persons' soul when I shook their hand. It was too much for me , as it was a good person and their bright soul caused me to weep. Quite embarrassing, I learned me lesson though. I now see Angels as they are, beings who take great joy in their positive work for our Heavenly Father.
@James May Bless you, James, my Brother in Christ. 🙏
I feel like I remember all of them.
The confused woman who told me I was a true lady.
The guy with kind eyes who awkwardly chatted me up at the movie theater.
The little girl who wanted to see my earrings.
The guy who offered me gum on the plane.
The teenager at the hibachi restaurant who chatted about competitive swimming with me.
I could list them for hours. So many strangers that showed me kindness I didn't expect. I've loved all of them.
.
A sweet lady gave me 2 oranges on a plane!
I feel the same way! I have sooo many complete strangers that I remember for various reasons. Most of them kind, some odd, some rude.
same here :)
Awwww
I was having a really hard week. Like the hardest week of my life, I still managed to go to work at a Supermarket every day despite the fact I'm almost always close to tears. I was facing the biscuits, trying not to cry and felt someone was behind me so I turned. It was a little girl 10 or 11 and she smiled at me and I couldn't help smile back. Then she nodded and skipped off. It gave me so much strength and I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Never, ever underestimate what a mere smile can do for a stranger.
:)
Love this
I remember once i was very moody and exhausted, riding the overcrowded subway in Paris and i went out of the wagon, just before me was another woman close to my age that turned back for some reason and smiled. Honestly quite rare in this city and even more in the subway. It made me feel better and i thought that i just wanted to be more like her, not only for myself but others. I think about it from time to time. I'm not yet there regarding applying it but hope i won't forget about it.
One day when I was like 10, I was singing the National anthem from my second story apartment window, and there was a man standing on the ground and he listened to the whole thing and at the end clapped and cheered for me , idk who he was but it made me happy, also I’m p sure he was drunk but still
Nice 👍
Drunks like music, too.
I would've clapped for you, too!
I was at the airport to see my sister off when she was leaving to go teach in the literal middle of nowhere in Alaska. (We live on the east coast so it’s 20 hours on and off planes just to get there, my sis is 7 years older than me and was like a 3rd parent to me my whole life). I was a wreck, we both held it together just kind of silently crying for the most part, as soon as she was down to the last minute when she had to leave to go through security, I hugged her and we said goodbye. I started walking all the way through the airport to get back to where my dad was waiting to drive me home, and I lost it. My best friend and protector, the best person in the entire world was moving over 2,900 miles away from me with minimal access to the outside world. I was sobbing walking through that airport, I never cry in public but for the first time in 28 years didn’t care about how I looked. I got about halfway back and there was a group of people blocking the path a bit waiting to check bags, so I was just slowly trying to make my way through, still crying profusely and sniffling- just a mess. This wonderful woman puts her hand on my shoulder and just goes “oh sweetheart, you ok?” I smiled at her and said “I’ll be ok” and she goes “are you sure? You look like you need a hug?”
This total stranger let me sob on her shoulder and tell her everything about how much my sister means to me and how heartbroken I was, she hugged me a few times and let me just sob out everything I had been feeling but hadn’t vocalized, she offered for me to sit with her if I needed, even though everyone was rushing around she took time to make sure I was ok. I thanked her 100 times and told her I had to get back to my dad so he doesn’t get in trouble for waiting in the drop off zone, and I said goodbye to her while continuously hugging her.
Ive always tried to be kind to everyone I meet regardless of any impression they give off with how they look or sound, Ive always tried to be what she was to me that morning. The kindness she showed me, I looked a mess (it was like 4:30am and I had been up for hours), her letting me cry on her shoulder and just being so caring for some random woman around her age that must’ve looked crazy, messy and crying, I will never forget that. She singlehandedly made me feel like everything was going to be ok and my sister would be safe. She gave me the reassurance to keep being kind even when people suck, even when people seem like they don’t deserve it, I keep actively being kind to anyone that seems they need it, and people that might need it but don’t seem like they do.
Cece- if you’re out there, you have no idea what an impact you made on my life. I literally could thank you for that small act of kindness everyday for the rest of my life and would feel like it still wouldn’t be enough. If I could tell a stranger I loved them it would’ve been you, you’re a phenomenal person and please don’t ever change. The world needs so so many more of you in it. You are so precious and I think of your kindness often. I truly wish you every amazing thing this world has to offer because you deserve all of it.
Mi Sh same without the bf
The human who spent some time removing trash from my Loch.
🤣 What a kind hooman!
I was so confused until I looked at the user name XD
How nice :)
What the, your on here too ?
I never met him but when my son smashed his head into a pole a man stopped and put his North Face jacket on him and put his friends in his truck with the heater on. He stayed with them until help arrived. Our son was on life support but home now. I am so grateful to this stranger. And I want to replace your expensive jacket you sacrificed for my son. Bless you.♥️💪🏻
My friend/date ditched me at a waterpark to hang out with my cousin instead. These four girls my age invited me to hang out with them and we went on some rides together and hung out in the wave pool. One of them introduced herself as Mallory Jane (Same initials, different names) and then said "but don't call me that, it's MJ." I asked if she meant it like the singer Michael Jackson. She said yes and we bonded over our shared obsession with his music and our disappointment when he turned out to be a sexual predator. The other three (Alicia, Tina and Bethany- Not their real names). We got ice cream (I offered to pay and they refused) took turns screaming weird stuff and jumping off the diving board and I had a better time than I was having with my date. I'll never forget them.
Although they're not really strangers because MJ is my gf now.
Noice
Thanks for sharing, I'm happy that things turned out well for you.
Damn that took a turn
Say hi to MJ for me. Tell her its from a random youtube guy
I would have been disappointed if the story would have ended any other way😆
The woman who took me to the security desk and calmed me down when I was 5 years old and got lost from my parents at the supermarket.
I was in a math class in college. Pretty introverted, and failing. My math teacher, strict but caring, came up to me and started chatting with me. Ask something like 'So do you and your Girlfriend have going to the fair?" In which single me jokingly said "pffftt... All the girls picked up the more desirable men already" At this point this girl two seats on front of me slams her books on her desk, turned to face me, and practically shouted, " *Don't you dare say that about yourself. Don't you ever demean yourself. You know what girls like! Confidence. Don't sell yourself short!* ". She proceeded to sit down and everyone in class started just giving awkward glances. I dropped out of the class shortly after and never saw her since (didn't know her before) but dang that has always stuck with me.
Dang....I think that was a sign. 😂
LMAO wtf
I have a story just like the first one!
When me and my parents were in Japan, we were looking for this ramen place with Google Maps (If you're curious, the ramen place was Ichiran). It kept on making us go in circles, and we asked a Japanese guy if he knew where the ramen place was. He said yes, and he lead us there! It turns out that the ramen place was super far, and it was in a really crowded place where we'd have never known it was there. He spent all that time away from where he was just to lead us there :)
Japanese people are very kind. :)
Indeed they are legit!
I remember my encounter with a stranger, although I couldn’t remember most of it since I passed out after the drink he gave me, luckily he kept me in his van until I regained consciousness
So.. who's gon tell him?
Jobje Rabbeljee bro yes HOWD you know
He said it was cus I fell when I passed out
I really hope that this whole things a joke 😅
@@bo0tyyyshak3r3o0o same😳
My stranger meeting was when I was ~5 years old, had a small bicycle with assisted wheels, riding it right outside my home (apartment complex).
The chain slipped off and I had no idea how to fix it, comes up a rather big man, like the stereotypical biker, tattoos, grayed beard, fat, and sleeveless shirt and all.
Dude asked what was wrong, told me to hand on a second and slipped the chain back on the gear and just left.
Never seen him before, never seen him since either.
The nurse at the psych ward that was genuinely interested in my art and helped calm me down during a panic attack :)
hahahahahahha!!! Easily the most self centered post on this entire thread. Literally all about your little pretend 'broken' self. You forgot to mention your ADD medicine, or your alters, or any of the other trendy stuff. I guaran-fucking-tee they didn't give two fucks about your precious teenaged art and calming someone down in the psych ward involves shots of Ativan, not fakerooni hugs. What an active fantasy life and an incredibly selfish life. I imagine you are a miserable friend and horrid to be around. And before you get really, really dangerously edgy with a lame comment like "who peed in your Cheerrios?" no one. Just sick to death of the fake shit you idiots post for attention all over the place. YOU ARE THE PROBLEM with the world. Fake, lying, attention seeking and right down the line. But I bet you think you are perfect. Dye your hair green or purple yet? Do you get tics now and holler BEANS while throwing shit around? Do you spend your free time screeching about TRUMP!!! all the time? Do you blame your rotten life on everyone but you? The one who has complete control over their bullshit but does it anyway then caterwauls about being a victim instead of an idiot? That stupidly inane and self centered sentence you wrote says ALL of that about you. They write papers on the type of person you are because it's so friggin' common with you all. You are not even slightly, or remotely unique in any way. Just an attention seeking liar who can't make their life interesting so they take on trend-of-the=day from online bullshit. Pathetic, really.
I wonder how many times we might have been that stranger
Years ago my then-SO and I were in a department store and I saw this woman who was so strikingly beautiful shopping with who I assume were her children. Tall and slender, long, slightly frizzed wavy blond hair. Slim, angular face, minimal makeup. She was probably late 30's. Beautifully, elegantly dressed, probably just out of the office. Silvery long sleeved silky blouse, black slacks, heels. This lady almost glowed. The ex said I should go over and tell her how pretty she was, and it would probably make her whole day but I was afraid it would make her feel uncomfortable so I didn't. But twenty years later and I can still picture her almost perfectly. Just an absolutely stunning woman. Wherever she is, I hope she's living a good life.
I was 11 and my family had just moved out to the country, the only restaurant nearby was an old pizza place, unfortunately, I had a lot of food allergies at the time that I had yet to grow out of, so I busied myself at an old claw machine trying to get a kangaroo plushie while everyone ate. Eventually, the money my mom gave me ran out and I just kinda sat back at the table. I must've looked sad because a little while later an employee comes up to me, with not one, but TWO kangaroo plushies they got from the claw. I was such an embarrassed, thankful little kid that I refused the second one thinking I'd be too greedy if I accepted it. But I did take one. I feel bad because I think she was proud of herself that she got me two. I hope she's doing well and has a better job at a nice place with good pay. She made my day and seemed like such a nice person.
When I was very young, there was a Mexican restaurant near my moms work that we went to regularly. This old man would come in and give kids balloons for a few bucks. He didn’t know much English, and despite me being Hispanic I don’t know much Spanish, but he’ll always be close to my heart. I don’t know when it started, but at some point I started calling him grandpa. When he would come I would run up and say hi grandpa, but I never expected him to remember me tbh. At some point, he stopped coming. I would wait for him and hope he’d come, but I never saw him again.
To the old man who gave me the best gifts I could ever ask for, I hope you’re resting well.
I had just gotten off of my shift and I purchased something at the grocery store and as I started to walk away I dropped some coins and this girl stops walking to the door and picks up every single coin that I dropped... and then she stood up looked me dead in the eyes at the same moment extending her hand with my change and in the sweetest voice I have ever heard said “here” she had the most gorgeous eyes that I have ever seen... her beautiful eyes complemented her wonderful long blonde hair... who ever you are thank you! You brightened the day of this Weis Market employee and over two months later It still makes me smile that you were so kind so thank you again!
So I went to a Christian university years ago. Near the college there was this area where multiple RVs were parked, most of them had driven many miles because their families had heard there were jobs to be had here. They had been misinformed.
Being Thanksgiving holiday, a group of us got together and made some traditional food and 2 X 2 (for safety) were given a family to take the food to and show them some kindness and holiday warmth.
The family that this girl and I ended up at acted really surprised when we brought food (all the families were contacted ahead of time) and said they thought that they were helping out poor college students during Thanksgiving and had, in fact, already made something. She and I looked at each other knowingly, because even though some of these families had fallen on hard times, they were too proud to show it. We declined to argue the point, figured there was more than enough food to be had by all (they refused to let us leave it with them and made us take any leftovers, in the most forcibly kind way ever), and just enjoyed the fellowship with them.
Being close to Christmas, they had even discussed beforehand what gifts to give us, out of whatever they had. We knew we had to graciously accept whatever they gave us, because the mother and father were perpetually at the brink of tears the whole time, feeling their pride waining every minute. When someone is that far away from where they want to be, there's nothing you can really say to them that will help, you just have to be there for them.
They had a teenage son and a young daughter, about 8. The little girl walks up to me in the ever crowded RV, all smiles and grins (she was too young to be prideful about the situation), and hands me this plastic fried egg on a keychain. I looked at this thing and my heart exclaimed, "This is the most precious gift you'll ever receive!"
I have it to this day, hanging on a trophy, reminders of 2 of the most precious and important moments in my life.
Strangers we are not, but essences of Love and Life from the same Being.
Back in the 80's, we were at the beach for some school-sponsored event (for us high school kids). Anyway, as we walked along, a girl about my age walked up to me and just gave me a hug for no reason. She then said, "You looked like you could use a hug." And then she walked off and I never saw her again.
I'm never going to forget the two lovely young couples who likely saved my life. One of them might have been a mom and a son, though.
I remember that it was Labor Day weekend, I got pissed at my parents while we were camping after they told me to away, and, thinking I was going the town opposite the way I was going. I ended up walking 24 miles over the course of 18 hours. About three hours in, my blood sugar was running low (I'm a type one diabetic) and I swung into a campsite with two people who were just about where I was to ask if I could have some food and water. They, very politely, said yeah and gave me a gallon of water and some crackers. After a lot more walking, a couple, I think they said they were recently married, swung by and said, "Hey, kid, we've been driving up and down this road, and you're the only person we've seen for miles. Do you need a lift?" I said yes, though my paranoia was setting in, and I knew that, if they tried anything, I could at least mess them up a little. Thankfully, they were just a really sweet young couple, and they let me borrow a phone to call my family.
Thank you kind strangers for saving my life, thank you to the kind people who fed me and gave me drink, thank you to the kind lady who gave me chips when I walked into her store, and sorry to the nice family I freaked out while I was walking-
I hope that karma has treated you all very kindly, and I will always remember your kindness.
When I climbed the Monkeys bars at my old school this one kid was on the other side of the Monkey bars I think it was his last day but we crossed each other on the monkey bars and gave a best friend high five
There are so many epic small moments like that in child hood that are easy to forget. That sounds like a great experience 😊
I had a very pleasant patient that I took care of on the Oncology floor at the hospital. He was such a positive soul. Older man. I'll remember what he told me "The good thing about getting old..is that you didn't die young".
One time I was on a long bus ride. I was sitting next to a man on the bus who was playing scrabble on his iPad. He noticed me staring at the game so I said I liked scrabble. He invited me to a game. As we were playing he asked me about the scars on my arm. He asked me if I had done them myself. I replied yes. He showed me his and said me too. A while back he suffered a stroke that paralyzed half his body which makes talking and walking difficult. But even through all that he saw me and showed me kindness. I'll never forget that guy.
Love is magic.
I'm glad these were happier stories! WHat a nice relief to hear some tales of interest and kindness from people who don't even know each other's names.
An old lady gave me $10 yesterday and told me to go get some hot chocolate on a snowy day.
i've posted this story before on line but here goes. My mom was dying it was like 1994 or so. No cell phone. I flew from NY to FL to see her and say goodbye. I made arrangements with a guy to pick me up. Yeah he never showed. I ran out of coins and didn't have enough money on me to get home. I sat down on the curb at LGA and just sobbed. Some lovely security guard named camille came over to tell me i had to move. I was like oh im so sorry ok and got my luggage and was preparing to move. She said whats wrong. I blurted out the entire story and was just sobbing snot running whole deal to a stranger. She said wait here. She came back and gave 100$ bill to a cab driver and said get her home safe and sound. My jaw hit the floor i said omg i will repay you asap and she said if you can fine if not do it in the future for someone else. I was shocked to shit. I got home went to the bank got the 100 and drove back to airport and gave it to her. She was equally as shocked. I said why would you trust me and do that and she said you had a kind face and i have a gut feeling about folks. SHe took my face in her hands and said go on and be kind. This was so long ago and i think of her all the time. I wrote a letter to LGA security saying how kind she was blah blah but there was no internet or anything i was on then. I really will never ever forget her. She totally changed my life and saved me that day. A stranger and she just gave me money like i was her child. Im getting teary thinking of it. God bless you Camille
One time I ran away from home and this random guy convinced me to go into his vehicle. He then chatted with me while he drove me to his girlfriends house. His girlfriend told me to watch tv so I did. I thought this was my new life I was so happy but he secretly called the cops. I felt so betrayed at the time but it was probably for the better. I’ll never know who that guy was. He just entered in my life for that specific moment. I wonder how he felt about the whole situation
My goal in life is to be that awesome stranger for as many people as possible
This video made me realize that I have many vivid memories of random people. The little kid that laughed at my glasses on the park. The old lady that chatted with me on the subway on my way home from school. The drunk guy that randomly gave me a pep talk and bought me some candy. The guy that helped me after I got mugged, calmed me down, walked me home and gave me this little woven bracelet to "Remind me that people care about me" I doubt I'll ever see any of them again, but I feel I will always remember them.
Those stories are the fuel of my life, I always try to be an actor and not a bystander because it makes life meaningful. I always carry bandages and I offered a couple of times one to girls that had a wound in their feet for wearing new shoes. One time I tried to protect another girl that had a man directly looking at her boobs and face with a dirty look, I couldn't get the courage, but I managed to make room in the bus for her to move back and I cursed at the man before getting down in my stop.
I remember one time I was getting on the bus, I was smiling and a man told me that when I entered the whole bus lighted up. One of the most memorable things I have heard.
An aerial hoop dancer was spinning on her hoop, legs holding to the hoop while her torso spun around, and while looking at me upside-down, she gave me a wink as I leaned over the railing, grinning like a little kid at her.
Just that simple little gesture of what she did for some random guy admiring her performance was so heart-warming. I wish I could kiss her cheek for that. Stuck in my mind forever.
I have been the kind stranger on a few occasions, but one really stands out. I was in the airport, going from one gate to the next, when I reached the escalator. At the top of the escalator was a mom holding a baby, diaper bag, purse and carry on. At the bottom was her 3 yr old who was too young to figure out how to get on. Mom is saying "You can do it. Come on." Two men, carrying just briefcases, had passed by just looking at the kid. I have my own carry on, tote and coat. But I just grabbed the boy by the arm, said "Come on, sweetie", and got him to the top of the escalator. Mom was so grateful. She had tears in her eyes. I said "It was a pleasure to help" and walked on to my gate.
I was just kinda walking around downtown pretty depressed. I was really lost in my head, feeling quite dead inside. Suddenly, a boy walked up to me, handed me a flower, gave me a hug, and told me that everything’s going to be okay, that life gets better.
I genuinely believe I met my guardian angel.
What a bald faced lie and for what purpose? Attention?
Shoutout to the stranger who caught my still-in-training service dog after she took off about two weeks ago. We were walking in the park and doing some training on rough terrain (I'm prepping her to do some distance hiking so we were climbing the dirt bike hills since no one was over there), and I had to drop the leash to descend one of the jumps. She took off, her guide handle flopping wildly. Apparently, she dashed up to a restaurant I take her to sometimes and a stranger caught her, recognized something was up, heard me yelling and escorted her towards my voice. I figured I had no chance of catching my dumb butt husky so wasn't rushing... but she got less than three hundred feet apparently before heading for the smell of food. I apologized profusely and he was so gracious about the whole thing. Thankfully, she's SUPER friendly and heads straight for strangers to make friends, her tail wagging a mile a minute...
Whenever I would go to school, there would be a black old man in a training suit that would always stand at the same intersection for years. He would wave and greet cars that would pass by, often hoping everyone a good day.
I'll never forget his bright smile.
For Me, it was a kid I met at a playground. He was really nice but didn't have any toys except a baseball, he said it was his only toy. I played with him and shared my toys, then he fell asleep and his parents picked him up and left. They left his baseball behind and I picked it up and spent time after that going to the park trying to find and return it, I never saw him again. I still have the baseball.
This women who was so surprised that my sister and I were twins and told us bless you and other praises then we separated ways and I couldn’t find her again. This makes her seem very mysterious and made me think, is see an angel? I still feel grateful for her kindness and warm.
19:30 - this story is more Canadian than drinking a cup of timmys sweetened with maple syrup while playing hockey with a moose.
67h h7h.
Sometime in 2009 my mom and I went for a ride down to Austin for the first time. We had only just moved to the area and Austin was the closest city to us. The plan was to go to a new restaurant we'd heard about and go play Mini-Golf together as celebration for moving to a new house.
There was this young guy, sitting on the side of the highway with a small sign and a suitcase. He couldn't've been more than 25. We drove past him at first, onto the on-ramp of the highway, but both my mom and I felt immediately guilty about leaving this guy. There was just something about him.
We had to drive over 10 minutes in order to turn around, but he was still there. We told him to jump in and asked what he was doing out here.
He had come from the north [Colorado? I don't remember] in order to get a job that was guaranteed that he'd have by a friend of his. He got here and was immediately abandoned, with no car, no phone, 50 bucks and his suitcase. He was a retired military guy who had just gotten out and wanted to get a good job to get his life on track.
He was one of the nicest, sincerest people I've ever met. Instead of going to the nice restaurant, we went to a Super-Salad instead so he could eat too, as much as he wanted. When we were driving back to Belton, he thought he could get a train ticket but wasn't sure of the price, but we said we'd cover the rest to get him home. But the train station was closed, so we took him to the Greyhound buses and paid for his ticket there so he could keep the rest of the money he had. I even gave him the quarters on the side of the car so he could play the arcade game inside.
I'll never forget the gratitude of him, or his face when he walked into the terminal with his suitcase. It was one of the greatest feelings of my life to help that guy, and I hope he got back to where he came from safe and sound.
My mom had the opposite situation: we were on the subway and a tourist lady was supposed to get off at a major transit hub and then get onto a coach bus to another city but the lady missed her stop on the subway and had a panic attack. She had a load of stuff with her so my mom got her to the coach bus terminal, comforting her the whole time.
One time on the subway here in Portugal, a woman (late 40's/early 50's) was kind of stressing about not having money for the ticket. Mind you, that was the most used con at the time, "I need money for the bus/subway" instead of just holding a sign. Something about her face seemed real, though, and as she needed just 20 or 30 cents, I gave it to her (I was 18 at the time). She thanked me, told me she had got out of work and wouldn't be able to return home because she didn't have any change on her. I said "no problem, have a safe trip" and went on with my life, not knowing if it was a real story or just another person just asking around for change.
I stumbled upon her 3 or 4 more times at that same station, either in the morning or at the end of the day (as she was going to/coming out of work) and she always looked embarassed when she saw me. I'm glad I gave her the money, would hate to be on the other side and have no one believe me.
That second story though, where the guy got hit by a car. Holy shit, that guy must've been God, himself. Took 3 hours out of his work schedule. What a great guy. My god.
I saw a very drunk guy once trying to buy a BART ticket with $100 bills. He had 5 or 6 of them in plain view. He was clearly very intoxicated and I became very alarmed.
I walked up to him and told him to put his money away. He just looked at me stupidly until I pulled out a $5 bill and started to put it in the machine, telling him again to put his money away because I was going to buy a ticket for him.
Before I got the money in the guy said, in a clear sober whisper, "I'm not drunk, I'm a cop."
I realized I had just walked into a sting. I whispered back, "Oh shit! Sorry" then I said "Well fuck you then." in a loud voice and stormed off. I turned around and say a huge number of cops standing around. I have no idea where they had been hiding.
Some time later I saw a show about the sting I'd walked into. They busted a huge number of people, but they never showed anyone who tried to help the drunk. I'm sure I wasn't the only person to try to help him, but they only showed muggers.
I was having a mini solo adventure in London. While at the Natural History Museum I bought lunch & sat in the corner reading the map, planning my route around the exhibits. When I got to the cheesecake I realised I forgotten to pick up cutlery. I didn't want to leave my bag unattended or risk losing my seat, so I did the only sensible thing I could think of & starting cutting & eating it with the stir-stick from my tea. I knew I looked foolish, as I was dropping it countless times before reaching my mouth, but I was so engrossed in enjoying my visit. Suddenly a plastic spoon appeared over the top of my map, I looked up & a little girl, 7 or 8, gesturing me to take it. I did & thanked her & she returned to her family. It was a very small act of kindness but I'll remember it.
ALL of these are acts of kindness, even though the thread only asked “who is a stranger you’ll never forget.” Really goes to show that if you’re nice to people, that’s what they’ll remember.
well idk about the creepy perve peeking through the toilet stall door
@@zengceng he was just checking if they're okay
When I was around 12 years old. Was heading back home with my sister and niece in her little Dodge D50 truck. We were 10 miles from town, rear driver side tire blew, sister slammed on the brakes and we spin 3 times before sliding to a stop on the shoulder. A guy and trucker stop to check on us. Trucker tells the guy to drive us to town, family worked at a little mom and pop fast food place. He agreed, drove us to the place, made sure we were ok and had someone to get the truck and then just disappeared.
One of the ambulance guy (is it EMT in english?) who picked me up after my suicide attempt. I was only 16 and id taken pills, so i was sluggish and tired when they showed up. Was lying on the pavement and he helped me up and into the car. I have blunted affect so i wasnt crying, just sitting there with a blank face and not talking. The rest was a blur but I eventually got to the hospital. Was lying curled on my side in the hospital bed and he put a hand on my hip and said «Take care» and that moment is the only clear memory I have from that period. It was the losset moment of my entire life but that man who i cant even remember the name of stands out like a shining beacon. It was the only thing that broke through the emotional void in me. 2 years later and I am now taking care, doing better. I hope he’s okay too.
moomin woo Glad you are doing better. I hope that is still true.
Was camping on Isle Royal with my now husband and in-laws. Hubby dumped me and one of the Rangers talked to me a lot and really helped me. I was young and it was my first serious relationship. Been married 25 years now, but I will never forget that Rangers kindness.
A stranger I will never forget is someone I met when I was dating my toxic ex boyfriend.
We smoked weed together and after a bad high trip- I went to take the train ( we weren’t from the same city) . So it is midnight and I am completely alone on a train station and I have strict parents who think I am doing good. Suddenly the train choose to bot come and I had to think of a way to come home asap. The stranger was also there and it was a boy about my age and my height so we started talkng and worrying about how to come home (the city he lived in was close to mine) so we both take several busses and trains together but I am still pretty high , he was pretty nice to me which isn’t always the case when I meet a boy. I had a boyfriend so I did not go into that flirting thingy or asking him a lot of questions.
I guess he knew that i was damn high and lost at midnight so he was like a big brother watching out for me.
I forgot his name but I will never forget about him :)
I was about 13 or so when my dad and I were going through tough times with money (my mom passed when I was 12) and we were just trying to buy bread, peanutbutter and jelly. When my dad didnt have enough to pay for it. Some kind lady behind us paid for it. It wasnt much money but I'll never forget such a kind gesture and I hope to soon have the chance to pay it forward. I'm 20 now. Starting a new adventure in life and I'm not gonna lie I'm scared. I dont know where I'm going or how I'll get there. But I just have to trust that theres a greater plan that I cant see yet. Not sure why I'm dumping this right now... but heck it
I hope it's going well for you. Sometimes the best things we do for ourselves seem incredibly hard at first. But keep that positive attitude and it'll help a lot!
I hope all is well with you
In 2003, I was rear-ended on the 163 freeway in San Diego. It was late at night, and the person who hit me was part of an illegal drag race. From what the cops told me later, they estimated I was hit while they were going over 125 MPH. It shoved my car into the construction barriers along the side of the freeway, and my car spun down the barriers. I was pretty sure I was going to die. My seat back broke and it went flat, they were all amazed I wasn't thrown out from under the lap belt. I came to with my car smoking, I couldn't move without incredible amounts of pain. Two cars pulled in behind me, a family from Mexico on their way back home, and a nurse from the nearby children's hospital. The nurse checked me over and directed the dad and oldest son on how to get me out of the car while protecting my back and neck, just in case. She laid out a really nice blanket for them to set me on, and then wrapped me up in it for the shock. She sat there on the side of the road petting my hair and talking to me to keep me conscious until the ambulance arrived. Apparently, she'd just come off a 36 hour shift when she saw the car hit me, and sat there for another two hours keeping me calm, describing what had happened to the ambulance and supervising loading me in, and then talking to the cops. Thank you, stranger, for helping me.
When I was about 4 I was in my folks car. We broke down. Then out of nowhere a man in a suit and a briefcase appeared next to our car and helped us out. He found a phone booth [this was way before cell phones] for us to call for help. He looked over the car to try to get to what had gone wrong. I can still see his face. He didn't want any reward. Even though we offered him one. I can still see the exact part of town where we broke down. What a standup guy!
I have a story to share here but the roles were reversed so the stranger actually remembered me.
I aways try to be kind to strangers and I got that from my Mom. I can remember one time being in the grocery store with my Mom when I was around 10. There was a little boy around the same age all by himself walking around with a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread holding it from the end so it was hanging vertically. And my Mom went right up to him and told him not to hold the bread that way because it will get all smashed and then his Mom might be mad, lol. She made him go get a new loaf of bread and got him a basket to put it in and sent him in his way.
I ended up seeing him a decade later at a party. I didn't recognize him. But he remembered me and very shyly asked if by chance when I was little did my Mom ever stop a boy at the grocery store and teach him how to hold bread. I distinctly remembered it because I felt sorry for him being out alone buying groceries. He ended up telling me that from that day forward, every time he picked up a loaf of bread he thought of my Mom and always held the bread from underneath and that's how he managed to recognize me 10 years later, lol. He also said that he thinks the reason it stuck with him was because he had a pretty rough childhood and very few adults in his life ever showed him kindness in that way.
It was my senior prom and my party was at dinner at this very nice bistro. I don't honestly remember what I was doing, just being myself. But when we got up to leave a gentleman in his 50s with his wife and other couple called me over. He tells me they have been watching me at dinner and how I was so respectful to everyone, kind, and acting like a gentleman at my age. I thanked him and told him I had wonderful parents.
That was maybe the first time I was complimented like that outside of being with my folks and it always stuck with me over 10 years later.
I never met the guy, and that's why I remember him. It was this old guy, riding a bike with as many baskets on as you can put on a bike. American flags were in every single part of the bike that didn't interfere with it's use. He didn't look homeless, he was clean and well groomed. No matter where I was walking, he was going the opposite direction, but I somehow never saw his face. I moved and never saw him again. I feel like he was some kind of omen, but I have no idea what for, and that's silly as heck.
I was once the stranger. Had a mom who was getting out of the elevator with her toddler. Toddler was swinging his arms back and forth as he got out and the elevator doors closed on his fingers. He tugged them out and got a nasty gash. Mother was hysterical and kid was bawling. I had just walked out of my doctor’s office after picking up a prescription for a refill on ADD meds and just turned the corner by the elevator when it happened. I’m paranoid and always like to be prepared, so one thing I always have on my is an IFAK (the first aid kits used by US Marines, which I got because of its size and utility for everyday carry). I quickly gauzed up the kids hand and told the mother to follow me to my doctor’s office as I carried the kid and ran over there. Told the receptionist who was still talking to my doc that the kid was hurt and bleeding pretty bad from his fingers. Doc takes the kid in while the receptionist talks to the mother. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay as I had to run to the pharmacy before they closed, and I never learned if the kid got off with a couple stitches or something, but I like to think he was alright in the end and that it was a good thing I was there.
I know this is never gonna work, but......
Love is magic
Hey, go on and keep believing.
My last name is pronounced as "cool"
This one guy over ten years ago hears my name
"Your last name is cool?...I won't say it"
Lots of people want to say something clever like: "oh that's pretty cool...haha"
I was on a plane one evening and it was overbooked so I got separated from my parents, so I had to sit to some people I didn’t know and I was like 6/7 so I was crying. I sat next to these rlly nice people and they gave me some candy and comforted me until a person move and I got to sit with my mom . I rlly want to say thx to them and I will never forget them
I used to ride the bus/ride my bike home/work at a hospital so I remember a lot of strangers. I'll only mention the good ones tho. 1 a lady who had on some weird ass clothes but I admired her for rocking them and not giving a single fuck what others thought. 2. A mother pushing her daughter in a stroller gave me the sweetest most genuine smile I have ever gotten from a stranger 3. A couple who gave me a ride home after they saw me crying because I couldn't care all the shit I had from school home(it was perishable) 4. An old man who sang to me while in his hospital bed. And the strangers I didnt meet: the ppl who called the ambulance when I passed out having a seizure at the bus stop and on my bike.People will surprise you sometimes
Once i was going to school and there was a woman sitted in a bench, probably in her mid 50s, and she looked kinda sad, so i picked up a flower and gave it to her, she gave me one of the biggest smiles i've ever seen. I'll never forget her
In grand rapids michigan i had fallen on an icy sidewalk with nobody around then this tiny man turned the corner walked to me helped me up tipped his hat then went back the way he showed up and i was alone again. It was cool and mysterious.
I was in elementary school. I was sobbing after a particularly bitter argument with my mom. (It was probably something trivial, but she and I didn't get along at all, and it was wearing me down.) The dad of some kid I'd never met asked if I was okay, told me it wasn't stupid at all for me to be upset, and said he'd be praying for me. For the first time in a long time, I felt heard, listened to, and validated. I never saw him again, but I really appreciate that some stranger cared enough to listen to me.
one day when i travelled to America from japan in 1987 i accidentally stumbled in to guy and hurt him in the knee and then he stood up and asked me if i was from japan and i said " yes I am japanese" and then he kicked me in the knee and said " I'll never the forgive the Japanese"
I'll never forget this guy🥲
The one time I was in the bathroom using a urinal next to a random stranger, and this guy busts into the bathroom and runs into a stall like his life depended on it. He immediately starts evacuating his bowels, and it sounded like the fart and shitting sounds you would hear off a sound board. This went on for almost 2 minutes nonstop. Me and the guy just look at each other with a “this can’t be real” look in our eyes, and we’re silently laughing so hard, we couldn’t breathe! We ran into each other ten minutes later in public, and all we had to do was look each other in the eyes, and we went right back to laughing until it hurt! 🤣
I randomly never forgot the Asian dude here in Germany who tried to flirt with me on a trainstation. At the end he asked me for money and I was like "why?" and he was like "you stand next to a vending mashine, I need a snak!" I was like " use your own money!" he was like "lol I thought my trick would work, but seems like if it wasn't" I was so mad at this guy, because I thought he was really flirting with me
I forgot my wallet on a city bus in St. Louis and just noticed it when the bus already departed again. I was a foreign student there and on my way to a short city trip to Chicago with Megabus. Was a bit panicking and tried to figure out how to contact the city bus company for a good 15-20min when suddenly a bus stopped on the other side of the road. My wallet had been found right away and given to the bus driver. That bus driver had the brilliant idea to switch busses with a colleague and drive back to my bus stop where I was still standing. He got out of the bus and brought the wallet back to me. I was so shocked and happy at the same moment. I could just say thank you and he was gone again. To this day I'm thankful to the honest and caring citizens of St. Louis, Missouri. You will always have a special place in my heart
A woman who was walking into a restaurant with her companion just as my parents and I were walking out from celebrating my 15th or 16th birthday - She commented to her companion, "Oh, isn't that girl's dress pretty?" Felt So good that ever since, I will either compliment a person directly or loudly compliment them to my companion. Did that once at a reception at a new workplace and was casual friends with the recipient of the compliment for years, all from that tiny beginning.
The person who switched their seat with me when I was going on a plane with my mom, we were placed in separate seats for some reason and I started crying and freaking out (I was only about 5 or so at the time.) Multiple people heard me crying and got mad at the lady at the desk for upsetting me, and one person asked if they could change their seat to the one I had been put in so that I could be next to my mom. The lady initially wasn’t budging but a few people gestured over to me while I was still crying and she relented and apologized to me.
The dude in the van sounds like a really good dude
A stranger I'll never forget: my father.
I remember meeting the same lady on the bus twice in a row, exactly the same time of day, a week apart. we were going to the same building, which had a senior center and a pool in it. first time we met, she had stumbled into me a bit when the bus started moving. she apologized and I told her I was fine and not to worry about it. she was really nice and we talked for a while, up until our destination. the second time, she recognized my hat, (a toothless hat) and sat down and we chatted again. she gave me two lozenges and a jacket that didnt fit her, which I still own. haven't seen her since. dont even remember her name, although I seem to remember it was Susan. she was super sweet. I think about her sometimes.
This girl I had never met in my life who fed me a jaeger bomb from her glass at a night club. I'm normally really socially awkward but we were drunk and vibing at the bar. It was weirdly nice and incredibly pure honestly.
Also, the random homeless dude who lent me a spare sleeping bag when I was stuck in a downtown park overnight without my phone or wallet. Would've been freezing without that. Thank you, random homeless dude.
This happened to me about a year ago. I was at the gym lockeroom when I spotted a man in his late 50s or early 60s and he was wearing a US Army veteran hat, so I approached him and asked if he was really a veteran. Turns out, he was an Iraq War veteran who had joined the Army in 78 or 79 I don't remember anyway it was nice talking to him and he gave me a few tips on how to survive boot camp since I am planning on enlisting as soon as I get out of high school. Where ever you are Staff Sergeant, God bless you.
I was flying from Krabi to Bangkok, Thailand. I began panicking and the teenage girl beside me gave me some gum, and two ladies from India talked to me to help calm me down.
The stewardess was wonderful and everyone on that flight was so kind and empathetic. I’ll never forget the act of kindness from others
I never go outside so cant relate
Are u one of those people who comments and get bunch of likes
@@gggghhhheeee sometimes I have around 5 comments with more than 1k likes so yeah you could say that
So you are the stranger you will never forget.
@@alshabhshams5337 I mean yes
@@Legenducky ah rip also update my most liked comment is at 9.4k likes
There was this kid at school that me and my friends walked past and we heard him say something like ‘I’m gay’ and I turned around and laughed and said same. Next time I saw him he said ‘Ey I’m still gay’ and me and my friends would say ‘ eyyyyyy sammmme’ we said that a few times shook hands once and we haven’t talked since, but we see him around. I love listening to things people say cause it’s usually hilarious.
Worlds longest Yardsale. Had my hair dyed rainbow at the time because I thought it would be fun. Failed to realize that in the south people would automatically assume I was gay. Literally had women pull their children away from me. Anyways I pulled up to this women’s yardsale and she immediately ran up to me and demanded I meet her friends. Nicknamed me rainbow and invited me to her next yardsale. Never felt more welcomed in my life which made my entire year. Hope she is doing well.
I took my daughter to the state fair...we were alone and i had forgot where we parked it was dark, we were lost and i was scared. An apparently high homeless man with no shirt and a long staff happened upon us... he was scary looking and dirty with prison tats but meant us no harm. he lead us to my car and scared off a different group of scary looking men that were staring at us...i gave him a backpack and a jacket and shirt and some cigarettes as "payment" thank you my "meth angel" 😇 lol
I was in Prague and we were at some sort of Irish pub and there were two Irish guys sitting next to us we kept kinda staring at our dog and eventually started a conversation about her and later a waiter gave her some water and saw that I was snacking on my sisters chips and gave me a bowl of chips.
Also there was another guy in Prague that overheard us talking in Dutch and started a conversation with us in Dutch and German, turned out he and a friend used to come to the Netherlands all the time. He was really nice and we talked for ten minutes before he had to go.
Recently I was on a bus and I was trying to scan my card when I declined so I tried to but tickets, but I had to use my banking app to set some money on my card but the internet didn’t work. Then I tried my luck with paying and it declined. He said ‘Never mind, just sit down.’ And let me ride for free.
When I was just a kid maybe around 10 or 11 y/o, after my parents divorce I eventually ended up with my mom. We were in the process form moving from the family home to a little house a few miles away. So I’ll try to keep this short. I wanted to walk to the new house since I usually walked home and liked my independence. I even asked my mom if it was ok but had misunderstood her and thought she said it was ok. I ended up walking to the new house but got lost. I asked for help at a corner store where a cop was at and they pointed me in the general direction I needed to go. After over an hour of walking I gave up and broke down crying, thinking I’d never find it. Ironically I was only a street away. Anyway this woman in a van saw me right at that moment and stopped to help me. She took me back to school and my mom came to pick me up. She had no idea I was missing since she was at the family home with the movers and thought I was with my dad. I got the woman’s name but we were never able to find her again. I even had my story published on the front page of the local paper but nothing. Tricia if you are out there and remember the crying little kid you found on the side of the road, thank you for being a great human being. You were a true Good Samaritan. Now I can only remember the mini van and the cross decal on the back of the van. I wish I could thank her in person but she probably didn’t even think anything of it other than she just wanted to help me.
The Indian guy that remembered the op 10 years later, I'm the same way. I started a job in a packaging facility, and one of the other temps looked familiar. It took me a solid hour but it finally hit me. I asked her, "Hey, when you were really little did you live on Blank Street?", she said yes, "Ok, this is a weird question, but when you were little did everyone call you "Pokey"?" and her eyes got reeeaaaal wide and she said, "Yeah, do I know you somehow?". Turns out her grandma was friends with my grandma and brought her over one time while I was at my grandmothers house, we were both 6. When we started working together we were in our mid-20's. Memory is weird like that.
I never forget names or faces.
A lady from my home town came into my job ( I had moved 2 hours away) and asked for me, she was brought to my desk and gave me a big hug and said she was so sorry that my mom had just passed away. I had never spoken to her in my life. I got minimal hugs before, during or after the funeral , somehow she knew how much I needed that hug.
I was returning cans and bottles at a local supermarket for the extra cash as a kid. They had machines you put them into. Half or so of the machines were down and this lady that was also there kept calling for someone to come help. After multiple calls with no one showing up she found a half full 2 liter bottle of Coke, shook the hell out of it, and put it into one of the machines for plastic. The explosion was absolutely glorious.
There was a waiter that worked at a buffet called Ichi Ban Buffet. She was from China, and when ever I want to this Chinese restaurant (I often did) little four year old me was always greeted by her. She always told me her name, and I always forgot. Damn how I wish I remember her name. She had a beautiful smile. But one day she said she had to fly back to China. My parents said that they saw her around even after that, so they didn’t trust her, but to four year old me she was a friend. I wish I could see her again.
Random black guy that was behind my mom and I at a WalMart checkout line. I was maybe 7-8. He was probably the first black guy I ever saw in person. I was staring at him nervously. He jokingly told me if I ever had any problems I could call him and he'd take care of it. He even said he would beat people up for me. I was still super shy, but it made me smile. My mom found it amusing, too. I remember that he said his name, but it's been 18-19 years, so I don't remember what it was.
When I was 16/17 I rear ended a stopped car down a two lane highway in rural North Carolina. The car ahead of me had stopped to let another car turn and I didn’t see they were stopped until it was too late. I was unfamiliar with the area and didn’t know where I was going.
When the smoke from the airbag cleared, I sat there screaming in fear and pain for what felt like eternity before I called my mom and 911. While trying to tell them where I thought I was, (again, I was lost) two cars stopped to help me. One, I heard later, was an off-duty firefighter and his, also off-duty, police officer friend. In the second car were two off-duty ER nurses. They checked me over, kept me in place, and helped calm me down until the ambulances came. They said I was lucky to have survived, as the area I crashed in was known for fatal crashes like this and I’m privy to believe them.
If it weren’t for them, ambulances may not have been able to find me as quickly as they did. I wasn’t seriously injured, banged and bruised, but I’m still forever grateful to them going above and beyond the call of duty to stop and help me. I was young and scared and they made sure I was safe. If it had been more severe, that luck would have probably saved my life. I never got their names to thank them.
I remember once when I was about 6 years old I was at the beach and I went into the sea. I went to far out and couldn't swim. A girl not much old then me pulled me out and took me back to my mam. I literally have no idea who she was but she save old my life.
At my grandmas funeral back in 05. I had a hard time at her funeral trying to hold back tears. I remember going to the restroom there was a guy who came in that I never seen before. My family is a big family on her side so I don’t know all the family members. He spoke in comforting voice saying everything is going to be alright. After her funeral I just broke down. Who ever that person was I think he knew I was trying to not cry and had a hard time holding them back. I asked my mom if she knew who the guy was she didn’t know who he was
I got dumped the other day and I was sobbing in the public toilets, trying to pull myself together to get to work. Some kind lady came and gave me a big hug and held me tight for a good five minutes.
I'm looking for a job, and I first started looking for a job, I was waiting in the waiting room with a resume in my hand, kinda nervous, really awkward amd this random dude asked me how long I was waiting and got really angry with me when I said I've been waiting for almost an hour for someone to talk to me and then when someone finally realised that I was there for a reason, he wished me good luck and told me to not be so nervous because I'm still young and I'll get so many more chances to make something of myself, even if I won't get the job.
I’ve had many over the years. The group of larger men that took it upon themselves to watch out for me and stand watch while I slept in the bus station, from where I broke down in Nebraska all the way to Spokane Washington. The woman who bought my ticket back home to Washington (different time) having never laid eyes on me, took me in and gave me food and a bed after I’d been thrown out on the street by a cracked out narcissist. The neighbor I had when I was 11-13 years old, who was just there for me in a way I couldn’t understand for years. I was going down a very dark path and she was all that is good and honest and right in this world. She took me in when my adopted mom tried to give me away. Understood that I had issues and was always just the most caring and loving human being, who wasn’t afraid to tell the truth if asked a question, but not in a mean way. I absolutely love this woman still to this day, as she was more of a mom to me than the woman who adopted me. I still think of her the most, and I always wonder what would have happened had I continued to live with her rather than letting my mom bully me into going back to being her slave.
Strangers actually young little me and a few others were stranded in the middle of the busy interstate atleast a hour and a half drive back and we were first ignored by a man , then a old couple approached us and asked us what happened we explained car troubles they then called a tow service (our phone was out of minutes) , they fed us and took us to our front yard a hour and a half away , they were a very lovely couple and they made such great talk , they actually are what inspired me to help people
So there were two that cme up from the top of my head:
1) I was in Akihabara, Tokyo, and this japanese dude gave me an Alice Zuberg figurine for no reason pretty much. He just kinda, in english, said "hi, for you". Yea now that figurine still stays on my desk
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2) a few months back I moved to China and after being angrily kicked out of a cab for not being able to speak chinese, I got out of the cab in a hurry without realizing I dropped my wallet. A guy saw this and chased after me just to tell me I dropped my wallet :')
when we were flying home from vacation, while I was a kid, I had water in my ears because I really loved to dive, and I didn't clean my ears after diving properly. So in the plane, my ears hurt even worse. They hurt so bad, that I started whining out loud about my ears hurting.
That one stranger, instead of being mean, he asked the flight attendant if they had chewing gum for me so my ears wouldn't hurt so much. Didn't help much, but I appreciate that kind stranger for keeping his shit together and asking the flight attendant to help me instead of just bitching about me.