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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?

#341

Post by fainpul »

abraxas wrote: post #46

Someone held a door open for me so I had to pick up the pace. I'm ugly so strangers aren't nice to me.

If you read a few of the posts in this thread, you qickly notice a pattern: people in need are being helped.

Maybe you are not very adventurous? If your life consists of only hotel trips, best you can expect is a free breakfast upgrade or something like that.

If you're hungry and out of energy on a hike, someone might give you a sandwich. If you're drowning, someone might save your live. The situations you're in determine your experiences, not your looks.

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

#342

Post by sejje »

sbassi wrote: post #62

I was at an antique shop in Alameda about to buy a pulp sci-fi book. It was just a couple of bucks, nothing expensive. But the card reader wasn't accepting my Apple Pay. Another guy shopping there offered to pay for me. I told him I could Venmo or PayPal him the money, but he wouldn't take it. It wasn't a big deal in terms of money, but he didn't have to do that

My brother told me, many years ago "if you can do something nice for someone for a buck, you probably oughta just do it."

I didn't learn much from him, but that was a good one.

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

#343

Post by sejje »

medymed wrote: post #310

I was gifted an ivory keyed Steinway grand piano in high school by someone who heard me play a couple of simple pieces in a retirement home. I did not know him but a family member was an occasional acquaintance of his. It is a stunning instrument.

How do you play now?

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

#344

Post by sejje »

ljlolel wrote: post #105
KineticLensman wrote: post #100

They broke my ribs when I had a cardiac arrest, doing vigorous CPR. Would not be posting this now if it wasn’t for them. I was basically alive when the air ambulance landed, but wouldn’t have been otherwise

If it doesn’t break ribs then it’s not proper CPR

They taught us this in lifeguard training. Proper CPR is exhausting.

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

#345

Post by sejje »

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…

I had a lady sneak me in before my dad's surgery, in some area with no visitation. He was terrified as well, I think.

There's some real ones out there. It's so inhuman to let bureaucracy stand in the way of decency.

Thanks for your story.

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

#346

Post by sejje »

bgbntty2 wrote: post #333
sejje wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked at a YMCA as a young man, and I once bought a pair of shoes for a kid who was embarrassed of theirs. It didn't go as well as I thought it would--her mom was embarrassed and then out-did me--but it still felt really good to give them. So for anyone reading, it can feel as good to give a kindness as to receive one. Don't shy!

> it can feel as good to give a kindness as to receive one True - I love giving gifts and helping people more than receiving them or getting help. But it's still awkward/uncomfortable to receive help. > her mom was embarrassed and then out-did me Out-did you how? Did she buy better shoes for the kid? Or did she give you a gift?

Yeah, she took the kid and let her pick out her favorite pair.

I had picked for her, and I'm not a girl. I think the new ones had lights.

I will say the kid cried happy tears and thanked me and beamed all day long the first day. She was 8.

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

#347

Post by sejje »

echelon_musk wrote: post #279
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.

Parker's Automotive is a pretty cool youtube channel, guy goes around in his truck and mostly does work for free. Seems like every day he's finding someone stopped in a lane.

I think he's been able to parlay it into an awesome youtube career, and the amount of people who stop on the street to sing his praises is unreal. Sometimes 15+ in one video, it's nuts. He's a hero to the people. Love to see it.

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

#348

Post by germinalphrase »

donatj wrote: post #39

I live in Minnesota and do not own a snowblower. Probably my mistake, but I always joke that I get most of my exercise in the winter. Snow is really heavy for those without context. A couple years ago we had a particularly bad snowfall. The plow has a nasty hate filled habit of dumping all its snow in my driveway. I had a drift at the end of my driveway about 4 feet high and 6 feet deep. Literally up to my chest. I h…

If you shovel the curb on your street “up stream” from the plowing direction, it provides a place for the plow stream to go and significantly reduces the amount of soon-to-be rock hard snow you’ll have to clear from your driveway.

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

#349

Post by fsckboy »

le-mark wrote: post #42

I saw my mom do something as a child that really stuck with me. This was back in the 70s cause I’m old. It was summer in the Midwest we were in the car in a store parking lot gettin ready to leave. An African-American lady pulled into a spot beside our car. In front of her was a pickup truck with two men and a pregnant woman. They started accosting the lady telling her she had bumped their vehicle and now the pregnan…

I grew up in a time and place where there were very very few African Americans, and nothing like that ever happened. It was really a pleasant place to live, the kind of place where cars stop and wave when a pedestrian steps into the street. Old New England.

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

#350

Post by brewtide »

bombcar wrote: post #298
brewtide wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other side of the equation is my now dead toro had me covered in gas, frozen fingers, and plenty of swearing, with an itching desire to light it ablaze in the middle of the yard. Tis the cycle of snow blower ownership.

I have a firm suspicion that blowers last a number of seasons, not a number of runtime hours.

That's my take as well. Years 1 & 2 are always flawless, 3 may have a few situations and 4/5 start bringing the swearing causing problems.

Naturally, I don't maintain it very well throughout the years, but always mean to. I'm sure mine needs a new carb / cleaned, but happen to have lots of cabinet work going on in the shop where it's warm and oil/gas isnt happening there at the moment. Maybe on a "nice" day I'll rip it apart outside.

Or already eyeballing a new 'husky'!

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