Random Acts of Kindness

[+ Coolwave35]

Share a time you did something super nice for a human or animal. No humility in this thread. Boast about how kind you were or are as inspiration for us all to be a little nicer.

 

I’ll start us off. My grandmother is 91, struggling with some early dementia. She had to give up her drivers license and is bummed about being stuck in her house all the time.I sent her some flowers over the summer to brighten her day which made her very happy, but upset her that I spent money on her.

 

A month later, I told her I had won a years supply of weekly floral arrangements for free. I asked her if she would be willing to take the prize because I’m hardly ever home and don’t appreciate flowers. She reluctantly accepted, after trying to convince me every which way to keep it for myself.

 

I also have the florist put my phone number in the card with a reminder to call me when they get delivered. Every Monday for the past 4 months, without fail, she’s called me to say thank you for giving her this prize, how it brightens up her kitchen and she loves how they make the house smell. We also get to catch up, which is essentially the same call over and over week after week, but it feels fresh to her. It’s the best $100 a week I spend.

[CuriousByNature]

Share a time you did something super nice for a human or animal. No humility in this thread. Boast about how kind you were or are as inspiration for us all to be a little nicer.

 

I’ll start us off. My grandmother is 91, struggling with some early dementia. She had to give up her drivers license and is bummed about being stuck in her house all the time.I sent her some flowers over the summer to brighten her day which made her very happy, but upset her that I spent money on her.

 

A month later, I told her I had won a years supply of weekly floral arrangements for free. I asked her if she would be willing to take the prize because I’m hardly ever home and don’t appreciate flowers. She reluctantly accepted, after trying to convince me every which way to keep it for myself.

 

I also have the florist put my phone number in the card with a reminder to call me when they get delivered. Every Monday for the past 4 months, without fail, she’s called me to say thank you for giving her this prize, how it brightens up her kitchen and she loves how they make the house smell. We also get to catch up, which is essentially the same call over and over week after week, but it feels fresh to her. It’s the best $100 a week I spend.

That's super sweet. She's lucky to have you, and I'm sure you must feel blessed as well.

[+ Charlie]

Years ago, when most escorts advertised in print media with no photos, I responded to a new ad in a local paper and went to the escort's apartment. As soon as I arrived, I realized that there was a problem: he had described himself as handsome and well built, and he was obviously neither. However, I also quickly realized that he was mentally handicapped, and he undoubtedly believed his self-description, although I'm sure that the only person who ever told him he was good-looking was his mother. He was friendly and enthusiastic, and definitely new at escorting, and so pathetic that I felt sorry for him. I was sure that most people who responded to his ad were likely to tell him he was unattractive and even berate him as a liar, and turn around and leave. To do the same felt to me like kicking a well-meaning puppy. So, although my libido had quickly declined to near zero, I went through with the appointment, which he seemed to enjoy immensely. His ad didn't appear for very long, so I may have been the only client with whom he had a successful experience.

 

At the other end of the scale many years later was an experienced escort with good reviews, who was just visiting town. I made an appointment to meet him at his hotel room, and the meeting started out professional and hot. After about 20 minutes, he suddenly stopped and said, "I can't do this," and started crying. He confessed that he had come to town for his mother's funeral, and thought he could be distracted from his grief for a little while by doing something professional, but he said it wasn't working. Instead, for the next hour he sobbed uncontrollably in my arms while telling me all about his mother's life. I finally put him to bed and left him. The next morning he phoned me to apologize and to offer another meeting off the clock, but I told him not to worry about it; I didn't say it would be too hard for me to erase the image of the sexy jock weeping like a little child who had lost his mommy.

 

I always hired escorts strictly for emotionally uninvolved sex with someone who revved my engine, but sometimes I had to turn that off and remember that escorts need kindness, too.

[+ Coolwave35]

You sound like an absolute gentleman. Bravo for handling both situations with kindness and compassion. I like it.

[+ AntonGraza]

I didn't think it was a big deal a the time, but it was Valentine's Day and I was picking up some groceries at the store and was then going over to pick up some dry cleaning. I had been using this cleaners for years, so I knew the three ladies to say hi and make small talk. I decided to buy a bunch of red, white and pink carnations to give to them. They were totally floored that a customer brought them flowers. I asked if anyone had ever done that and they said no. When I go in, they give me the biggest smiles. It really was just an impulse thing, but it meant a lot to them.

[+ azdr0710]

I let somebody who was signaling come into my lane this afternoon.......

 

[wsc]

Years ago, when most escorts advertised in print media with no photos, I responded to a new ad in a local paper and went to the escort's apartment. As soon as I arrived, I realized that there was a problem: he had described himself as handsome and well built, and he was obviously neither. However, I also quickly realized that he was mentally handicapped, and he undoubtedly believed his self-description, although I'm sure that the only person who ever told him he was good-looking was his mother. He was friendly and enthusiastic, and definitely new at escorting, and so pathetic that I felt sorry for him. I was sure that most people who responded to his ad were likely to tell him he was unattractive and even berate him as a liar, and turn around and leave. To do the same felt to me like kicking a well-meaning puppy. So, although my libido had quickly declined to near zero, I went through with the appointment, which he seemed to enjoy immensely. His ad didn't appear for very long, so I may have been the only client with whom he had a successful experience.

 

At the other end of the scale many years later was an experienced escort with good reviews, who was just visiting town. I made an appointment to meet him at his hotel room, and the meeting started out professional and hot. After about 20 minutes, he suddenly stopped and said, "I can't do this," and started crying. He confessed that he had come to town for his mother's funeral, and thought he could be distracted from his grief for a little while by doing something professional, but he said it wasn't working. Instead, for the next hour he sobbed uncontrollably in my arms while telling me all about his mother's life. I finally put him to bed and left him. The next morning he phoned me to apologize and to offer another meeting off the clock, but I told him not to worry about it; I didn't say it would be too hard for me to erase the image of the sexy jock weeping like a little child who had lost his mommy.

 

I always hired escorts strictly for emotionally uninvolved sex with someone who revved my engine, but sometimes I had to turn that off and remember that escorts need kindness, too.

You make me both proud and humbled to be in the same species. Both are among the most touching encounters I've ever heard described, but I was especially touched by the young man who'd lost his mother. How sweet and tender those moments must have been.

[+ Charlie]

You make me both proud and humbled to be in the same species. Both are among the most touching encounters I've ever heard described, but I was especially touched by the young man who'd lost his mother. How sweet and tender those moments must have been.

I remember these two encounters mostly because they were exceptional, not at all typical of my hiring experiences.

[Guest]

I had a 30 something “kid” who worked for me once. He’d had a terrible string of bad luck that included me having to bail him out of jail, among other things. As things were improving, his girlfriend totaled his car. He had terrible credit and was facing a 21% interest rate to buy a piece of junk. I had an old SUV that I treated as a beater that I maintained to mechanical perfection despite some cosmetic issues. I was giving it to one of my kids to trade in on a new car. The airbags didn’t work...an expensive repair, so they were only offering $1,200 in trade although it was worth $10,000 otherwise. I told him I’d sell it to him for $100/mo. He checked it out and knew it’s value...then he asked what interest rate I was charging...I told him 0% interest...$50/paycheck and after a year it was his. To not make it seem like charity, I emphasized that it was the same price the dealer offered me. For the first time in his life, he felt like he wasn’t in a hole and upside down on value. After a few months, I cancelled the debt on the promise that he’d apply the $100/mo to another debt he had. After a year, he was totally out of debt and this transformed his attitude in every aspect of his life. Was it charity? Not really...but it was a hand up that helped get him on track. I’ve since seen him “pay it forward”...and after he broke up with the girlfriend, she bought it from him for $7,000 after he made the airbag repairs

[+ WilliamM]

I kept in touch with a grade school (6th grade) teacher in Massachusetts after she lost her husband and son. I learned more from her about life than anyone other than family. Especially balance a critical comment with a word of praise. Something I should do here much more often!!

[samhexum]

I let somebody who was signaling come into my lane this afternoon...

 

Somebody came into my lane without signaling recently and I didn't flip him off OR kill him.

Edited December 18, 2020 by samhexum

[wsc]

Somebody came into my lane without signaling recently and I didn't flip him off OR kill him.

It is obvious to any and to all that the milk of human kindness courses through your veins. Well done, St. Sam of Hexum.

[+ Pensant]

When one of my regulars bought his first condo, he was horrified that his bike had been thrown out by the maintenance guys at his old apartment house since he’d forgotten a notice that residents had to clear out their stuff before a deadline. I gave him one of my old Trek mountain bikes and he was thrilled. Just this week I gave him a set of nice dishes that I’d ordered for the cottage a few years ago and forgot about.

[Guest]

Read the book HumanKind by Rutger Bregman....even despite differences, humans are inherently good

[Guest]

If you want to do something small with great impact, ponder this:

 

many charitable “clothing closets” that give away used clothing to people have one thing they lack an ability to offer - underwear. People don’t generally give away old underwear.

 

find your community’s charitable clothing closet (probably not the excessively profitable Goodwill or Salvation Army) and send them packets of new underwear from Amazon. Set it up on a monthly recurring order. It’s easy and not expensive.

 

Many poor people don’t have regular access to laundry and access to clean underwear is unfortunately a luxury to many.

[samhexum]

I did something a couple of weeks ago, but it turned out to be for the wrong person.

 

I'd gotten the same cashier twice in a row when I went grocery shopping and she was terrific... fast, friendly, great packing skills. I had bought several Lean Cuisines and it turned out only 1 variety was on sale, so three rang up as too much, which I hadn't noticed until I checked the receipt. It was early morning, so customer service wasn't open yet. She went through the long receipt for me to find out which items were affected, then found them in my bags and did a return for me at the register.

 

The receipt lists the cashier's name and the manager's, plus his email. According to the receipt, she was Pia S., and I sent a nice message about her to the manager.

 

The next time I went, my cashier was wearing a name tag... PIA. I doubted there were 2 cashiers with that name, but maybe that's why the first one was Pia S. Anyway, this Pia did everything well (I needed to do a return with her, too), although she was wearing her mask under her nose. When I got home & checked the receipt, the cashier was listed as Jos. I figured they're not always so strict about whose code they enter at the start of their shifts.

 

ANYHOO... tonight I got the first cashier again and I asked her "Your name isn't Pia, is it?" She said no, but pointed Pia out two registers over-- the other cashier (the one that had worn the PIA nametag, and who still had her mask under her nose). So I told her what I'd done and said "I tried to do a nice thing!" She laughed and thanked me for trying.

Edited December 21, 2020 by samhexum

[+ poolboy48220]

I'd just started at a new company, and in my first paycheck there was a mixup (too low), right before I left for a weekend trip. I contacted the payroll department, figuring it'd be as futile as interactions with payroll usually are, but she saw the error, fixed it immediately, and told me she'd try to get the correction out to me in tomorrow's expenses payroll run. I emailed her boss telling her I was impressed with how quickly she'd fixed it; the payroll clerk sent me a nice note when I got back.

[DMICS]

2 weeks ago I had to go to Walmart and pick up some things. There's one located right across the street from my place so it's literally a quick 5-minute walk. It was super frigid and windy that night, around 10 pm. As I was leaving I noticed an elderly woman walking with a bunch of bags. Though she was bundled up and her face was covered she was definitely uncomfortable dealing with the winds. Anyways, I asked her if she wanted me to call a cab for her home because she shouldn't be out here in this cold with all those bags. I called her an Uber and off she went.

 

I'm pretty sure it's this woman from the neighbourhood I see from time-to-time. Elderly woman, walks with a limp. The handful of times I'd see her she's commuting home from work, always looking tired, walking with a limp.

[samhexum]

What about the pastrami?!?!?

 

Just in time for Christmas, a Manny’s Deli superfan is treating 4,000 hungry strangers to corned beef sandwiches

 

When Tom Sondag was growing up in the 1960s, back to school meant a trip to Chernin’s Shoes in the South Loop, where his parents bought the brown Oxfords he wore with his Catholic school uniform.

 

Then, it was on to Manny’s deli for a much-anticipated treat: a steaming bowl of matzo ball soup.

 

“I can remember the first time I tasted it,” Sondag said. “I loved it. I loved it.”

 

Sixty years later, his enthusiasm for Chicago’s iconic Jewish deli hasn’t wavered. So when Sondag, who owns a suburban car dealership, was looking for ways to make Christmas better for his fellow Chicagoans during the COVID-19 pandemic, he didn’t have to look far.

 

“I’m going to treat ‘em to Manny’s corned beef,” he said.

 

Sondag, 67, ponied up for 1,000 corned beef sandwich kits, each with enough meat, rye bread and Manny’s mayonnaise-mustard to make four sandwiches, according to Manny’s owner Dan Raskin. Raskin, whose family has owned Manny’s for four generations, declined to say how much Sondag donated, but put the retail value of the food at $30,000.

 

“It’s an amazing blessing, and we’re very grateful to have customers who not only want to support us, but want to support the community,” said Raskin.

 

The sandwich kits will be distributed at St. Sabina Catholic Church on the South Side at noon Monday. The event is open to the public.

 

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, senior pastor at St. Sabina, said that so many people are showing up for weekly distributions of 500 boxes of food, that the church consistently runs out.

 

“I’ve never seen a greater need,” said Pfleger.

 

Manny’s has experienced financial ups and downs during the pandemic, but the restaurant, owned by the same family since the 1940s, has benefited from a partnership with World Central Kitchen, which buys restaurant meals and distributes them to people in need.

 

Manny’s has also expanded into suburban delivery.

 

Pfleger said he had been trying to figure out how to get fresh meals for food giveaway recipients and was overjoyed when he learned of Sondag’s donation.

 

“That’s what it’s all about: It’s about partnerships,” Pfleger said. “That’s how we’re going to get through this thing.”

Sondag, of Wicker Park, recalled how his Catholic mother delighted in Manny’s authentic Jewish food and said it was great to be part of a “rainbow of people” working together to bring Christmas joy.

 

“Whoever wants a pound of corned beef, c’mon by!” he said.

[KrisParr]

About two years ago, I finished a run on a popular trail a good half hour from where I lived. The parking lot was gravel and as I was walking toward my car, something a few feet away caught my eye. Turned out to be not one, but two, diamond rings. One was like a cocktail ring with diamonds all around and the other was a huge solitaire with baguettes on the side. I knew enough about jewelry to know these were real. There were no cars very close and it was getting late in the day. I took them and started checking the lost and found in the local newspaper, social media - but in a college town, not much else to do. It’s a city trail with no office or anything like that. However, there was an activity board and map at the trailhead, so the next chance, I started checking it to see if anyone posted a “lost” note. Nothing.

 

So I set up a new generic email account, and posted a note at the trailhead. “Jewelry found in parking lot on XYZ date. Contact me via email with exact description.” I checked the email often, and surprisingly got some weird inquiries, but none of them were even close. After a month, I took the rings to an appraiser and was bowled over - they were in the 15-20K range. My attorney said I should wait a few more months and to document everything to be legal and ethical. In my head, I spent the money several times, like Vegas, and escorts, Acapulco, you get the idea.

 

And then it happened. I received an email from a woman who lived near the trail, and she described the rings as if she were looking right at them - even drew a map of the parking lot where she parked. She had been pushing her kid in a stroller, and her fingers were swollen, and for some reason, she took them off and put them in her jacket pocket where they obviously fell out. And for some unknown reason, she never checked the trailhead sign until now. I was more than convinced she was the owner.

 

We met at Starbucks for the handover. She said the cocktail ring was a family heirloom and the solitaire was her engagement ring - she even brought wedding pictures to prove it. She couldn’t stop crying. My reward? A really sweet hug and a free latte. I still went to Vegas not much after that. Escort? Yeah. Acapulco? Some day.

[+ Coolwave35]

I was vacationing in Canada with my husband. On our last day we went for a bike ride and took some beautiful digital photos. He unfortunately left the camera on a park bench.

 

We rode off and flew home shortly after.

 

As we were unpacking I had all the accessories and no camera. He copped to forgetting it on the park bench and apologized. I was annoyed and threw out all the accessories knowing it would never be returned.

 

Unbeknownst to me, he was checking every lost and found message board imaginable and came across a post for someone who found a camera in that park.

 

The person mailed back the camera and we got all the photos back. Sadly, we had to buy a new camera anyway since I threw out all the accessories in my irrational anger. My husband got a lot of mileage out of my stupidity with that one.

[VictorXX]

Read the book HumanKind by Rutger Bregman....even despite differences, humans are inherently good

I got the ebook and I’ve been enjoying it, thanks

[samhexum]

https://www.companyofmen.org/threads/random-acts-of-kindness.151148/

 

Last week I was in the supermarket aisle trying to make a decision of which bottled water I should buy. I usually go by price, but most often when I freeze the bottles for the beach the plastic cracks and the water leaks out... The stock boy on duty saw my dilemma and said "can I help you?" I told him I needed a recommendation, and he gave he one, which turned out to be spot on. No cracked plastic bottles.....

This week I went back to seek him out, and he happened to be working. I reminded him who I was and of our previous conversation, and handed him a $20 bill and said thank you..... The look on his face was priceless, as if I was from Publishers Clearing House handing him a million dollar check. THAT was MY reward, and he kept repeating thank you, thank you.... Have YOU ever made someones day with a Random act of kindness, or been touched yourself by one given to you ?

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by samhexum