Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Nicest thing a random person ever did for you.

Options
13»

Comments

  • Options
    #62
    Aongus Von Bismarck
    Registered Users Posts: 1,794 ✭✭✭Aongus Von Bismarck


    A senior manager in a large European Bank decided to take a chance on hiring me for the role I'm now in. While I had an impressive CV and an excellent level of conversational German; I hadn't lived in the country before, and, more importantly, hadn't worked in that particular arm of finance.

    Bernhard died three years ago. He went too young. I still think of him on a regular basis, and am ever thankful for his gumption and tenacity in taking a chance on hiring me.

    I'd like to think he would be proud of what I've achieved.


  • Options
    #63
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    I don't have any big stories myself, but I always appreciate the little things. People I don't know sharing little moments or giving little snippets of advice. Had a few people chase me to hand back stuff I'd dropped. Once I lost my drivers licence when I was in galway, and someone posted it back to me after I'd given it up for lost. That was really kind and considerate.

    Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »
    A senior manager in a large European Bank decided to take a chance on hiring me for the role I'm now in. While I had an impressive CV and an excellent level of conversational German; I hadn't lived in the country before, and, more importantly, hadn't worked in that particular arm of finance.

    Bernhard died three years ago. He went too young. I still think of him on a regular basis, and am ever thankful for his gumption and tenacity in taking a chance of hiring me.

    I'd like to think he would be proud of what I've achieved.

    So close, so close.


  • Options
    #64
    conorh91
    Registered Users Posts: 3,328 ✭✭✭conorh91


    I'm sure there are many, but two in particular come to mind.

    On a number of occasions, I've been traveling and staring at a map in some European city (this never happens in the States, nor elsewhere) and a random person came by and asked if they could help me out.
    For that reason, I try to reciprocate any time I see tourists lost in Dublin.

    Yesterday I was stomping gloomily by Abbey Street Luas stop, when i sneezed. Half a second later, I heard a little voice squeaking "Bless you!" I looked back , and there was a little old lady, no bigger than my elbow, smiling at me. The day got a little brighter after that.

    Two very small acts of kindness, but sentiments that were really appreciated.


  • Options
    #65
    dee_mc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,176 ✭✭✭dee_mc


    I got lost in a pretty dodgy part of Queens NY on the second day of my first visit to the city... I was on my own, I'd lost track of time, it was late evening and nobody spoke English! I had no map with me and the Subway line in the direction I needed was closed for the evening for maintenance. There were no cabs to be hailed either. Eventually, just after I had asked a pharmacy assistant where the closest cab office was (she didn't know, from what I could gather!) a lady walked up to me and gave me directions to a cab office she knew of. I set off and although I followed her directions, 15 minutes later I was still looking :( Then a car pulled up beside me and the same woman called me over, saying she'd just realised the cab firm had gone out of business. She told me to hop in, saying she would drop me near another cab office she knew of, and we were chatting away about Ireland and the hotel I was staying in - 20 or 30 minutes later we pulled up in front of the hotel :) She was only home for 2 nights between travelling to other states for work, she had a baby and a husband waiting at home, but she was nice enough to go that far out of her way to help out a clueless stranger! I really appreciated it and regretted that I couldn't do anything nicer in return than to give her $20 and a packet of sweets I had in my bag!


  • Options
    #66
    bodhrandude
    Registered Users Posts: 12,463 ✭✭✭✭bodhrandude


    I put this in the Electric Picnic thread last year, but I was sitting about the arena having a smoke and a litter picker was picking up rubbish around the area and I said to him, relax, sit down and have a rollie from my pack. He excused himself and said he didn't smoke but he had something for me, he produced a full packet of cigarettes and a full packet of rolling tobacco which he said he just picked up at some point. Was absolutely delighted and thanked him, my smokes sorted for the weekend.

    If you want to get into it, you got to get out of it. (Hawkwind 1982)



  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #67
    Cold War Kid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,353 ✭✭✭Cold War Kid


    Savage Tyrant wrote: »
    I was working night shift in a factory back in 2004 a week before Christmas when I received a phone call from my cousin who I was living with at the time to say that our Auntie had died in a house fire an hour or so previously. She had literally only moved home to her house a few days after staying with us for a few months while her house was renovated and we were all very close.
    I just broke down in tears and slumped against a wall and sat down on the floor.... A few friends and factory manager were around but didn't really know what to say or do, or even know right at that second what the news I'd just got had been.
    Then a big guy who I'd never even spoke 2 words to previous, big bald skinhead the size of the side wall of a house walked over off the factory line and sat beside me, put his arm around me and just hugged me. Said nothing but shared my grief right there without knowing me or the situation I had just found myself in.
    That's absolutely beautiful, I welled up a bit reading it.

    I couldn't believe the post after it about it being sexual harassment/him having an ulterior motive. What sort of mind generates thoughts like that? :confused:


  • Options
    #68
    steddyeddy
    Registered Users Posts: 27,564 ✭✭✭✭steddyeddy


    Volunteered in a remand centre in Tanzania and Kenya. In the Tanzanian one I managed to get heat stroke and travellers bug which can be a dangerous combination. One of the inmates was in for stealing a chicken to feed his sister. They weren't going to charge him they just held him in remand for his own protection from the people he stole the chicken from.

    Anyway he seen I was very very sick and had forgotten to eat. He gave me his one meal for the day. Of course I refused several times but the guards and prisoners said it would be a huge insult to refuse. To give an idea of how hungry these people were the boy's sister, a 5 year old was so hungry she picked things off the ground to eat. A week after he gave me his meal she picked a poisonous plant of the ground and died. I know only a portion of that story is about kind acts but I think it's important to paint a picture of the adversary these people face and the acts of kindness that shine through.


  • Options
    #69
    rosb
    Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭rosb


    It was snowing and I was driving my daughter and her boyfriend to the next town. 6 miles into the journey the car broke down. The roads were slippy. A guy stopped and brought us home, this was in the opposite direction to where he was going. So generous of him.


  • Options
    #70
    Jesus Wept
    Registered Users Posts: 25,243 ✭✭✭✭Jesus Wept


    5starpool wrote: »
    I was in NYC on my J1 and working on a building site for the summer. I was in Manhattan on a job that week and decided to meet a friend after work who was going for an interview in a swanky apartment building in midtown as a lift attendant. as I was in my work clothes and quite grubby and a bit smelly I stayed outside and sat on the ground in a small alcove off the footpath to wait for him as it was raining so I needed the shelter.

    As I sat there bored (no mobiles back in those days, not for me anyhow) waiting for him to come out a man passed on the footpath and looked down at me, kind of went passed but came back. He asked was I ok and offered me $20! I was a bit taken aback by this but obviously told him I was fine and just waiting for my friend and had money but I thanked him for checking.

    It was very nice of him though to show a bit of concern, and nearly 20 years later I still remember it well.

    Confirmed busto. Down 'n' out in NYC.


  • Options
    #71
    LynnGrace
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,347 ✭✭✭LynnGrace


    Cold War Kid wrote: »
    That's absolutely beautiful, I welled up a bit reading it.

    I couldn't believe the post after it about it being sexual harassment/him having an ulterior motive. What sort of mind generates thoughts like that? :confused:

    Same here.

    Sometmes there are no words, and just to reach out and hug another person beats any words that could be said.
    A lovely gesture, and I am glad that it resonated so much with the person receiving it.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #72
    anto9
    Registered Users Posts: 883 ✭✭✭anto9


    Diemos wrote: »
    I met a girl in a nightclub who took me back to her place for sex......she was lovely.

    Maybe she got some satisfaction out of it .This is a thread about random strangers who done you a good deed without expecting or looking for anything in return.


  • Options
    #73
    Antar Bolaeisk
    Registered Users Posts: 3,091 ✭✭✭Antar Bolaeisk


    Was rescued by two random strangers from an assault and robbery in Belfast.


  • Options
    #74
    desbrook
    Registered Users Posts: 1,847 ✭✭✭desbrook


    Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »
    Was rescued by two random strangers from an assault and robbery in Belfast.

    Too much detail :D


  • Options
    #75
    Jazz169
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭Jazz169


    Love this thread, great to read about the influence complete strangers can have on a person through a simple act of kindness. There are lots of times this has happened but one in particular comes to mind.

    Did the Rome marathon last year as running a marathon had been on my bucket list for ages. Went over by myself and I was really suffering around the Stadio Olimpico and contemplating giving up when an Italian gent in his 50's ran alongside me for a mile or two, spoke to me in broken English and my limited knowledge of Italian. Really helped calm me down and get through to my second wind and gave me the will to keep going.

    He ran on and finished ahead of me but to make it even better, himself, his wife and some local friends were waiting for me at the finish line(for about an hour in the pissing rain) with food and drinks. In the midst of the tiredness and euphoria(coupled with the fact we could barely communicate anyway) I regret never getting his name or having the chance to repay him and tell him just how much it meant to me. Some people are lovely


  • Options
    #76
    poisonated
    Registered Users Posts: 2,277 ✭✭✭poisonated


    There have been a good few cases. The ones that come to mind that happened on the same day:

    1) I had arrived in Kansas city after an overnight bus and went for breakfast in a diner. A man heard my accent and obviously could see I had no idea where to go so he and his wife drove me around and showed me the sights.

    2) After the couple mentioned in point 1 dropped me at an art gallery, a woman saw me and then brought me around and pointed out a few more sights and we went to a baseball game.


  • Options
    #77
    bb1234567
    Registered Users Posts: 5,496 ✭✭✭bb1234567


    Savage Tyrant wrote: »
    I was working night shift in a factory back in 2004 a week before Christmas when I received a phone call from my cousin who I was living with at the time to say that our Auntie had died in a house fire an hour or so previously. She had literally only moved home to her house a few days after staying with us for a few months while her house was renovated and we were all very close.
    I just broke down in tears and slumped against a wall and sat down on the floor.... A few friends and factory manager were around but didn't really know what to say or do, or even know right at that second what the news I'd just got had been.
    Then a big guy who I'd never even spoke 2 words to previous, big bald skinhead the size of the side wall of a house walked over off the factory line and sat beside me, put his arm around me and just hugged me. Said nothing but shared my grief right there without knowing me or the situation I had just found myself in.
    That was quite brave of him..wouldnt know how somebody might react to that!


  • Options
    #78
    bb1234567
    Registered Users Posts: 5,496 ✭✭✭bb1234567


    But I love threads like these they make me so happy, the one about the nurse with the tray made my night


  • Options
    #79
    LenaClaire
    Registered Users Posts: 2,129 ✭✭✭LenaClaire


    I used to be in the hospital a lot as a child. One time I was in for a while over the same time as my best friend's birthday. She came to hang out with me for part of the day as we had previously planned a sleep over for that night.

    The nurses overheard us talking about her birthday and pitched in and got a little cake, and both of us little presents of nail polish and lip gloss (we were 13).

    It made the day for both of us :)


  • Options
    #80
    Tell me how
    Registered Users Posts: 21,524 ✭✭✭✭Tell me how


    One evening in November about 2 years ago, there was a knock at my door.
    I opened it and some guy said "I have the right man anyway". He handed me a wallet saying this is yours. I was stunned and didn't even know I had lost it. By the time I copped on I looked up and he was nearly at his car. I called him and said "Here, take something", offering a 20 from the wallet. "No. Don't worry about it." he called back and was gone. I tried to read the reg of his car as he drove away but failed to.

    After a while thinking about it I reckon I finally understood what had happened. I had gone to a shop a couple of hours earlier. I knew I had it as I left the shop as I had moved it from one hand to the other when taking out my keys. I then came home. I must have dropped it on the ground as I got into the car and didn't notice it as I had messages in the same hand anyway. He found it, saw my drivers license and drove across town to return it to me.

    There was a drivers license, 2 credit cards, and about €160 in it and everything was returned. Fair sound guy, whoever he was. It was dark outside the house and I reckon I wouldn't recognize him even if I met him again tomorrow.


  • Options
    #81
    efb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 35,514 ✭✭✭✭efb


    That reminds me of the time I lost my wallet on the way to Heuston, annual ticket, bank cards etc - I only copped when I went to get through barrier. Rushed back into town to see had I left it behind. Had no idea where it was distraught a few hours later call from Pearse St Garda station - a lady had handed it in.
    I was so relieved! Got the details off the Garda and sent her flowers she was thrilled


  • Advertisement
Advertisement