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What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

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Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#271

Post by ozozozd »

bane wrote: post #207

During COVID, by father was dying in a hospice center (from something else, not COVID). Because of the circumstances and the condition of the medical system, it was impossible to get into where he was to see him, and the staff was too overworked and understaffed to find a way to connect us to him. He was alone, fragile, dying, and terrified. As my mother and I sat in the reception area fighting with the hospice admin…

My condolences for your dad.

This is a very heart-warming story though. Thanks for sharing.

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#272

Post by sokoloff »

CamperBob2 wrote: post #223
tjwebbnorfolk wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's really striking the number times people have downvoted my story, considering it is 1) a true fact about my life, and 2) eminently relevant to the topic of the article. Even a thread about kindness can't stop the haters :)

Honestly, I suspect HN is starting to fuzz votes the way Reddit does. Some of the voting I've seen on my own comments lately makes zero sense, including weeks-old comments of perfectly neutral tone. It isn't worth worrying about.

I’m pretty sure that after 24 hours, comments cannot be down-voted (only upvoted).

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#273

Post by The_Fox »

I was driving home with my family from a long trip having just bought a really cool camping trailer, a 1979 Airstream. Our vehicle died on the side of the road in a rural area. The owner of the property where we stopped was mowing his lawn and came over and asked if we needed help. When it became obvious our vehicle needed a tow, he used his own truck to bring the trailer onto his property. And he kept it there for a couple of weeks while the engine in our vehicle was replaced.

I'm really not sure what I would have done with the trailer if he hadn't offered to help. We were more than 600 km from home.

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#274

Post by mykowebhn »

A few years before Covid, I was driving to work in San Francisco and I stopped at a Philz Coffee in Marin County, as I often did. It was a usual workday morning and everyone was looking down at their phones while waiting for their coffee. We were all preoccupied and eager to get to work.

All of a sudden, some guy who looked to be in his 20s comes in clearly not from the area. He was dressed like a backpacker and he seemed lost. He was studying the coffee menu and saying hi to those around him. His friendliness and being-in-the-moment-ness really touched me, helped to pull me out of myself. When I went to pay for my coffee, I told the cashier that I was going to pay for his coffee as well. While I was still waiting for my coffee, he went to pay and learned that I had already paid for his coffee. I was embarrassed, but I will never forget the look of appreciation on his face.

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#277

Post by disgruntledphd2 »

crazygringo wrote: post #247
CamperBob2 wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I suspect HN is starting to fuzz votes the way Reddit does. Some of the voting I've seen on my own comments lately makes zero sense, including weeks-old comments of perfectly neutral tone. It isn't worth worrying about.

I don't know if it even needs to be intentional. On mobile, it's incredibly easy to downvote when you mean to upvote.

Yeah, every time I upvoter on mobile I need to look at the header to make sure it doesn't say u down, and then fix it if it does.

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#278

Post by darreninthenet »

stevenjgarner wrote: post #255
hermitcrab wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't snow much where I live. Why is shovelling snow so deadly? Don't people stop for a rest when they get tired?

The heart attack danger is a perfect storm of two factors that do not normally occur together: 1) Extreme physical exertion - sudden, intense arm-heavy exercise often as a Valsalva maneuver (straining and holding the breath). This dramatically increases blood pressure, which puts acute stress on the heart and arteries. 2) Exposure to cold air exacerbating the strain on the heart with vasoconstriction (blood vessel co…

I remember a friend who was really into his skiing telling me that ski instructors take bets on which overweight 50+ year old first time skiing city person would have the a heart attack first.

Re: What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

#279

Post by echelon_musk »

sejje wrote: post #212

One summer I got a ridiculous number of flat tires in my 300,000 mile jeep. One of those happened in a heavy rainstorm. The ground was soft, and I don't know why exactly, but I couldn't get the jack to lift the jeep high enough to lift the tire. I was on a country highway near my home, with no cell service and maybe one car every ten minutes. I tried a few spots, even just halfway in the lane--I was afraid, though, b…

Growing up as a child whenever the family drove somewhere, if my dad saw someone with car trouble he would stop.

It helped that he was a real engineer and an excellent mechanic, but I think there was also a Christian duty in there as well for him.

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