What’s the nicest thing a stranger ever did for you...

gogo

My father always used to tell this story, when my mother was pregnant with my sister, she had to go to Dublin for the birth as she was fierce sick.
When she was born around 6am, my dad was on a high but leaving the hospital he has no where to go, and obviously not been from Dublin had no one to go to. He met a delivery driver delivering drinks to a pub and asked him had he a spare bottle as he’d just had a daughter (his first)..
The delivery driver said ‘ah mister, I can only take one from a broken case.. my father was just about to go on his way, when the driver drops a full case of drink, winks at my dad and says ‘now that’s a broken case’ ... he proceeded to sit with my dad on the side of the truck for over an hour and toast the birth of my sister.
My dad a a fierce gra for the ‘real dubs’ all his life after, salt of the earth stuff..
What’s the nicest thing a stranger ever done for you?

I Am Nobody

I had a blow out on my bike in the middle of nowhere in Missouri and with no patch kit.Had about 6 vehicles pass me by and then one old man in a station wagon stopped and offered help.I didn't want to leave my bike,so he drove about 2 hours to a garage to get a patch kit and came back.Got all sorted and offered him $100 for his troubles and he refused.Only said"Happy to help"and drove off.Never will forget him.

pgj2015

I was trying to get to a business with about 10 mins to get there before they closed, i was after driving 2 hours to get there. I asked a guy driving past. he explained how to get there but he knew i was going to find it hard to get there so he said follow me, so I drove after him. very sound of the guy to help a stranger like that. I think its a sign of really good person to help a stranger like that and expect nothing in return. A dub as well, they get a lot of stick but its true the proper dubs are some of the soundest people you could meet.

punisher5112

Trooper broke down, another 4x4 driver stopped and towed me home.

This guy who stopped and gave me his extra petrol after I had run out in the middle of the mountains in Vietnam.



I was gonna have a really bad time if no one helped me.

oleras

^^

Sure, once you got to the top of the road it looks like freewheeling from there...:D

paul71

I was 16 on crutches and got on a crowded bus in middle abbey street. A pregnant lady offered me her seat. I refused of course.

Tell me how

I went and did some shopping on the way home from work one winters night a few years ago. About an hour later, someone knocked at my front door. When I opened it, a guy said 'I've the right man anyway' and handed me a wallet. My wallet. I had dropped it leaving the shop and it had my drivers license in it so he knew where to go and who to look for.
I was stunned as didn't even know I had dropped it and by the time I knew what was going on, he was nearly in his car. Wouldn't even recognize him if I met him today in broad daylight.
There was over a 100E in the wallet also which was obviously still there.

Had a guy stop when I was making my way home with a punctured tyre and he threw the bike in the boot and dropped me to my door. Was over 6km away, so that was appreciated.

And just last week, when I got to the window at a Dunkin Donuts drive through, the person in front had paid for my order.

Lots of good people out there, but we remember unsavoury events and people much more than the good ones.

Limpy

My dad always tells the story about walking for hours with my mam. They had to use a Donkey after my Mam started getting blisters on her foot. All the hotel's and AirBNBs were full for some reason in this particular village they ended up, (Ballyham) or something the name escapes me. My mam was pregnant on me at the time aswell so they were in a bit of a bind.

Some randomer offer's his Barn and they ended riding for the first time in the hay. Anyways back to the stranger doing nice thing's, 3 lads for Kilnascully got wind of the couple in the barn. The owldest lad gave my dad a bottle of whiskey from Jacksey's, the other 2 boyos as my dad calls um gave him a box of cleanex and a few lose fags. I love hearing that story around Toymass time.

There's some good people out there if you look or walk for awhile.

Will, my oldest cousin used to get into fights so my mom got scared. Told her sister pack his bag's and move him here. I thought that was nice of her.

unhappys10

I was in Paris several years ago with a girlfriend at the time. It was the day we were due to fly home and it was an early flight.

We were at the metro very early, nobody around yet apart from one woman. We tried to enter the turnstile with bags etc and realised we had used up all of our tickets and had no cash for more, the machine wouldn't take card.

We were cutting it close so to go find an atm probably would have had us miss our bus to Beauvais and then our flight.
This woman who had already gone through realised our problem and came back to scan us both through with her leap card equivalent, and people say the French are rude.

Sinus pain

I went to get my son sushi last week - we had just discovered a rat in the house and I was all over the place! I usually order it online and collect it - but in all my anxiety obviously never completed the purchase - had to verify my bank card and I didn’t do it correctly. Collection wasn’t till 9.30 so I was standing outside a bit up from the sushi place on my phone telling my friend what happened when I turn around and the guy is pulling down the shutter. I ran over and said I’d an order for collection and went to show him my order and could see I never completed the order. I was so disappointed as son would be in the height of it - and I didn’t want to go into the kitchen to make him food. The guy says I’ll go back in and make it. I said no it’s ok you’re going home / but he insisted. I couldn’t thank him enough.

Tokyo

Deleted User wrote: »

This guy who stopped and gave me his extra petrol after I had run out in the middle of the mountains in Vietnam

I was gonna have a really bad time if no one helped me.

I've had similar experiences, a couple of times in the past.

Anyone living in Asia will recognize the pic below - they call them Iron Donkeys - basically a small donkey engine with two wheels that can be attached to trailers, aerators for rice paddies, etc. On more than one occasion I've had some old fellow pull over when I've had a blowout on the motorbike, help me throw the bike up on the back, and drive me back to civilization.

oleras wrote: »

^^

Sure, once you got to the top of the road it looks like freewheeling from there...:D

It's not uncommon to see two bikes side by side this side of the world doing exactly that. Driver of bike #1 has his right foot on the rear footpeg of bike #2. Bike #1 pushes bike #2 up the hills this way, and both freewheel down.

Quite a few years ago I got stuck with a clogged fuel filter on an XR250 in the mountains of northern Thailand. Travelled 35km to the nearest town by dropping the bike into neutral and holding onto the hook of a mobile crane that happened to pass by at the time

XsApollo

When I in my 20’s I was riding motorbikes.
My wallet must of fell out somehow.
I didn’t Know where I lost it or wether it was when I was on the bike or what.
About a month or 2 later it shows up in the post.
Driving ,birth certificate , license , bank cards and money, notes and coins , they were covered in water stains and a bit of mud, so the person must of got out the car and proceeded to pick it up gather it all up and went through the trouble of posting it to me.

mrcheez

I ran out of money in Ethiopia and the only ATM in the country was 100s of miles away in Addis. Local guide insisted on paying for my dinner and food until I was due to head back. Loveliest country I've ever been to.

DopeTech

Tell me how wrote: »

And just last week, when I got to the window at a Dunkin Donuts drive through, the person in front had paid for my order.

Lots of good people out there, but we remember unsavoury events and people much more than the good ones.

You are probably tiktok famous now. Seems to be a trend at the moment that you pay for the persons food behind you and film their reaction on your phone and post it to tiktok. Still a nice thing but not totally selfless on their part.

ALS

Was closing up the barbers a few years ago when a guy knocked on the door asking if I could give him a haircut even though I had closed, which I did no problem we got talking and I was telling him I was going to Washington on hols 2 months later , he proceeded to tell me all about the city, where to eat/ drink etc. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind shooting off an email with the tips as I’d never remember all he said, fast forward 2 months and a few emails later , myself and the Mrs are sitting back in row 25 when the air hostess comes down and asks my name? Says the captain would like us to be her guest in 1st class,
Turns out the stranger was also a pilot and had a word with the crew on our flight and got us upgraded without telling us...
Thanked him profusely on the next email, he replied no problem, was his pleasure... happy days

el_gaucho

DopeTech wrote: »

You are probably tiktok famous now. Seems to be a trend at the moment that you pay for the persons food behind you and film their reaction on your phone and post it to tiktok. Still a nice thing but not totally selfless on their part.

Probably also looking to see if you return the favour for the next person and will vilify you if you don’t.

Dempo1

Nice idea for a thread. Back in the last recession and it was terrible, I agreed to feature in a prominent newspaper article and indeed follow up TV feature about people affected by the recession, they choose different categories of people, Married, Single, professional, unemployed, Mortgage arrears etc. There was at least 6 people, couples interviewed.

About a month after the features, I received a letter, post marked Dublin (I live in the middle of nowhere), a short hand written note wishing me well and that I'd survive the challenges and a €50 note inside. The address on envelope was generic, the village and county and my name, I actually have a specific address, house name and townland, way before eircodes but living in a rural district I was easily found. I say this as it confirms I definitely did not know this person or they me.

It remains to this day a mystery to me but the kindness shown was remarkable. I survived but this latest pandemic crisis will be the next challenge.

To that person, thank you, whomever you are

gigantic09

Many years ago I was In a motor bike crash where a car pulled out in front of me. A passer by called an ambulance and waited with me, talking and reassuring till it came. It looked bad as the bike was smashed to pieces and there as blood coming under helmet etc(got lucky with just a few broken bones). I think the driver of the car was too shocked to offer any assistance. The following day she called to the hospital to see how I was, but left no name so was never able to thank her in person.

Kylta

A few years ago heading to work in icy conditions, I skidded of the road and into a ditch between Clonard and Enfield. While most people continued their journey a local man came to my aid.In regards to if I required an ambulance etc.He tried to pull the car from the ditch but his jeep wasn't strong enough offered me shelter until the car was removed from ditch. But I refused on the grounds I wanted stay with the car. About 20mins later a truck stopped and then another and within 5mins my car was out of the ditch. I still think of these men and the good turn they did me.

Paid most of the bill for my education, then went and did the footpaths so I can walk places.

Ah shucks thank u guys. Tax: because it's nice to be nice.

Dial Hard

Was in Sunderland for Niall Quinn's testimonial years back. My sister and I went to a really nice restaurant down at the seafront the night before, were there for a good few hours, plenty of wine and cocktails had. When we asked for the bill we were told it had been "taken care of". A few of the Sunderland players who had been in there when we arrived told the manager they'd look after it.

They never even interacted with us and were long gone by the time we had finished so it was done with absolutely no expectations of reciprocity of any kind. Just a nice gesture.

pgj2015

Dial Hard wrote: »

Was in Sunderland for Niall Quinn's testimonial years back. My sister and I went to a really nice restaurant down at the seafront the night before, were there for a good few hours, plenty of wine and cocktails had. When we asked for the bill we were told it had been "taken care of". A few of the Sunderland players who had been in there when we arrived told the manager they'd look after it.

They never even interacted with us and were long gone by the time we had finished so it was done with absolutely no expectations of reciprocity of any kind. Just a nice gesture.

reminds me of this story. one of the things that stood out to me when reading the book.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/michael-owen-shares-heartwarming-kieron-19191959

JustAThought

My mother went out walking after not having gone out of the house for weeks due to the Covid -19 restrictions - she wasn’t used to walking anymore and fell badly up a laneway. Two lovely woman happened to look back from the end of the lane and thought they saw someone in the distance flat on the ground. They came back to
check, saw my mum, and managed to hoik her up and half carry her all the way home.l which took about 45 minutes.

Thank you so much to these kind strangers. My
mum is still failly banjaxed and can’t walk properly or use her arm but she is still
high on their kindness and goodness of strangers who saw her hysteria over getting an ambulance and having to go into a high risk high infection area (A&E) and who went so far out of their way to help and be kind to her and bring her home.

con___manx1

I missed my bus to Seattle airport and the bus driver that was going a different route took me as far as he could and then called me a taxi. He also waited with me for the taxi.
He was a Russian who won a green card 😊

mojesius

On two separate occasions recently I've had tyre trouble. One was a flat, one was a complete blowout. Within 5 minutes on each occasion, fellas in vans pulled up to help me change the tyre and made sure I was on my way.

I used to be able to change a tyre myself on my old Clio but my mammy wagon is a bit tougher, always requires wd40 and brute force strength to get the tyre off, neither of which I tend to have handy!

Tried giving both some money for a few pints and they refused to take it. Not all white van men deserve the reputation they get!

MrCostington

I was going to a funeral in Carlow and could not find the church, so I stopped and asked the first person I found walking. The lady started to explain directions, then said, it's too complicated, let me in the car and I'll get you there. I said how will you get back and she replied she was going out for a walk anyway.

Another time me and a mate were driving somewhere and I did a U turn, going into the grass verge to make the turn and got bogged down. Out of nowhere, about 10 big lads appeared and practically lifted the car up and got us on our way again. Before we even had a chance to say thanks they all piled into a coach and were gone. Must have been a rugby team or something.

Last one, one day I got a call from my mother's mobile, it was some guy on the other end. Turned out she lost it in town and he went through the contacts list until he got through to someone. He was a DCC bin man so I met him in the depo and gave him a tenner.

Poochie05

I was in Tesco at the checkout queue after work and the older lady in front of me turned and told me to go ahead of her as I only had a few items. She didn’t have much more than me so I asked if she was sure and she said yes, that I had probably been working all day and was looking forward to getting home.

The chan chan man

I met this girl in a pub in town. Complete stranger to me, never met her before in my life and we haven’t crossed paths since.

She brought me back to her apartment and sucked me off in the kitchen.

CathalDublin

The chan chan man wrote: »

I met this girl in a pub in town. Complete stranger to me, never met her before in my life and we haven’t crossed paths since.

She brought me back to her apartment and sucked me off in the kitchen.

Then you woke up

Coming home from being stranded in Amsterdam, I was in London (ferry from Holland to UK, plane from Heathrow to Dublin)

Went into a Starbucks near "cucumber building"

Had my coffee and cake.

Left Starbucks.

Cue a staff member running out few minutes later with a bag I had left there.

Also, on a previous holiday I got lost in Berlin.
Very helpful hostel staff managed to jog my memory enough to find my way back to my hotel.

ShatterAlan

I Am Nobody wrote: »

I had a blow out on my bike in the middle of nowhere in Missouri and with no patch kit.Had about 6 vehicles pass me by and then one old man in a station wagon stopped and offered help.I didn't want to leave my bike,so he drove about 2 hours to a garage to get a patch kit and came back.Got all sorted and offered him $100 for his troubles and he refused.Only said"Happy to help"and drove off.Never will forget him.

Motorbike?

The chan chan man

CathalDublin wrote: »

Then you woke up

Yep. At home.

In bed by 11 home by 12.

The Tetrarch

In Mozambique in the late 1970s I was an auditor for a big four accountancy firm.
We were auditing sugar refineries and sugar estates (100 square miles of sugar cane).
My job one day was to visit a small outlying branch.
The day started with a flight on a 7 seater aircraft a couple of hundred miles to a grass landing strip. The terminal was an unoccupied one room hut.
The aircraft landed, dropped off a few passengers, and immediately took off.
I had no idea where the town was, or how far.
Seeing I was alone a man who had arrived to meet a passenger gave me a lift to my destination.
I had no Portuguese, the sugar company employee at the branch had no English.
The man who had picked me up stayed for hours, translating for me and for the sugar company employee.

Tell me how

The Tetrarch wrote: »

In Mozambique in the late 1970s I was an auditor for a big four accountancy firm.
We were auditing sugar refineries and sugar estates (100 square miles of sugar cane).
My job one day was to visit a small outlying branch.
The day started with a flight on a 7 seater aircraft a couple of hundred miles to a grass landing strip. The terminal was an unoccupied one room hut.
The aircraft landed, dropped off a few passengers, and immediately took off.
I had no idea where the town was, or how far.
Seeing I was alone a man who had arrived to meet a passenger gave me a lift to my destination.
I had no Portuguese, the sugar company employee at the branch had no English.
The man who had picked me up stayed for hours, translating for me and for the sugar company employee.

I'm laughing at this because the companies strategy was probably to have you try to complete an audit with no language communication, if you managed to even get to the site, and Mr goody two shoes just had to step in and help out leading you to uncover the great sugar cane ponzi scandal of the 1970's which enraged several medical professionals who had invested millions in it leading them to get their revenge on the industry through convincing people it was to blame it for obesity and an increase in diabetes.

(I may have let my imagination run away with itself)

I Am Nobody

ShatterAlan wrote: »

Motorbike?

Yes 86 HD Softail.

Church on Tuesday

At a gig in Belfast, was wrecked from hanging out and traveling up the day before, got chatting to a girl in the front beside me and mention this, says she's off to the bathroom and could I mind her her spot, comes back with a coffee she somehow sourced somewhere. Very sound.

ILoveYourVibes

Drove me home after my grandmother's funeral.

bradolf pittler

Me and my family had to go to London on the bus/ferry for a funeral in the mid 80's.
Dad was hanging for a pint so the minute we got off the bus in Victoria station it was straight into the nearest pub.
He got chatting to an Irish guy from cork who was heading back home and he gave him 2 free tickets to a Queen gig that he couldn't use in Knebworth Park.It was the last time they played together as Freddie had just been diagnosed with AIDS.
Anyway.....we went to the funeral and him and my Mam got our relatives to look after us while they lived it up at the best gig ever.Never forget the smile on their faces coming back the next day.

SlowMotion321

Was in Vancouver a number of years ago with my partner of the time, we had spent a few hours wandering and exploring the city and ended up miles away from the hotel, instead of getting a taxi back I decided we would get the overhead train thingy! I was standing there for a couple of minutes looking at the board trying to figure out which train, track and direction we needed when a guy standing beside me asked if i needed help, we were obvious tourists. I said I was fine thanks and was just trying to figure out how to get to wherever the hotel was. They guy just nods and walks away.

About a minute later he comes back and says to me "You will need to get the train going north on platform two, go for six stops and get off and your hotel should be across the road, here are your tickets, enjoy your stay in our city!"

Crazy friendly those Canadians

Tig98

Ploughing championship circa 2005

On the way out I dropped my goldfish bag on the ground, it burst open and I watched in horror as he flopped around dying. Some random woman scooped him up and shoved him into the same bag as my brothers fish, which was really nice and extended that poor guy's lifespan by approximately a week.

Good times.

The Wordress

When I was in college, my group of friends headed down to a 21st party in Wexford from Dublin. We were all having a bit of fun on the bus and I wasn't paying much notice to our journey. Next thing I know, we had arrived at our destination...Waterford!

On the bus sign, it came up as W/Ford and we obviously didn't take much notice and had all hopped on! I also remember the Wexford and Waterford bus stops being close to each other.

Anyway, the bus driver was so sound to us that he drove us the whole way over to Wexford and we eventually had a great time at the 21st .

There really are good people out there.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

After a night out in Galway I left my car key on top of the taxi when I got back to my friend's house and didn't realise until the taxi had gone. I walked a couple of km back towards the city centre keeping an eye out along the road but couldn't find it.

I actually posted a thread about it on the Galway forum on here and remarkably, the guy who found it was a boardsie and I got private messages from both himself and a friend saying to give him a buzz.

It arrived down to Kerry in the post a few days later. Replacing that thing would have cost me a couple of hundred euro at least. I flicked him on a few quid for his trouble but he didn't even want it. Legend.

Airyfairy12

I once got on the wrong train and ended up in a random town down the country I went into a shop to ask if they knew of any public transport still going as I needed to get back to get the right connecting train home as it was late at night, the man told me theres no more trains, there wasn't even a train station in the town just a random drop off point. A man in the shop offered to drive me back. Ill never forget it, wish I had shown more gratitude than I did although I did say thank you. I hope he knows how much I appreciated it.

nsi423

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Tax: because it's nice to be nice.

Username doesn't check out

Tea drinker

nsi423 wrote: »

Username doesn't check out

checked out a long time ago

Ultima Thule

A bus driver in Split, Croatia once parked up a packed bus, took the coin box out and walked 50 metres down the road to show me directions to Hejduk Splits stadium. Shook my hand with a big smile and then returned to bewildered and annoyed passengers.

rje66

Early 90s was hitchhiking around New Zealand . At least on 3 occasions drivers who picked me up put me up for the night and took me out for beers . Hope it's still the same there.

anewme

Many years fado, fado, mid 70's it was Christmas and my Mam had gone to do the food shopping for Christmas. Children should not be left alone, but we were, they all were then.

It was a Saturday morning, we were watching Willie Wonka and there was a knock at the door. I looked out and spotted a white van. Despite being told not to open the door, we did. The man asked for our Mam, but we said she was not in. He said he would leave us some gifts. There was lots if food, toys and two huge beautiful yellow teddy bears with blue velvet bows (two children in the house). When my Mam came back, she was upset.

Years later I found out she had written to Father Brian Darcy in Sunday World as a last resort because we were so poor and would not get any presents or could afford food 0that Christmas and they, through the generosity of their readers donations and corporate donations had sent the gifts through their helping hand charity.

Its probably close to 45 years ago now; but I can still see the yellow Teddy Bear with the blue velvet bow.

Never under estimate how a kind deed impacts on someone.