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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?

#71

Post by apparent »

poolnoodle wrote: post #59
leobg wrote: post #15

It was snowing. I scraped the windshield of my car. When I was done, I turned the key - and the battery was dead. I shrugged, gathered my belongings and was about to go back into my apartment building. But a woman who has just arrived in her car came up to me. And she asked, “Is your car not starting? You can use mine if you like.” I had needed seen here before. I took it. I returned it with a full tank in the evenin…

I honestly would be scared shitless lending a stranger my car.

I wouldn't be comfortable borrowing someone's car, especially in the snow. If I were GP, I'd have driven it up next to my car, used the battery to jump mine, and thanked the stranger.

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

#72

Post by proee »

Eating at nice restaurant with my entire family. When we finished the meal the waiter came out with a dessert and said that someone across the restaurant paid for our entire meal. I was shocked, I looked around and I think I might know who it was, but they were already gone. That was probably a $150-$200 dollar check. I'm still shocked to this day.

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

#73

Post by grvbck »

DamonHD wrote: post #20
nephihaha wrote: post #10

I was in a city in a foreign country once and completely lost. A local showed me the way to my hotel and walked at least a mile with me. This was a long time ago but I still remember her kindness.

I went to Tokyo a couple of times for different reasons, and was frequently amazed by the people in the street or behind the counter in a restaurant, etc, who would stop and take the time to help me, often in perfect English, do whatever it was that I was failing with!

Yes! I have stories like that from every Japanese city or town I've been to. Easily the most hospitable, kindest locals I've ever encountered while traveling.

Although, I am often surprised by how kind/helpful/generally nice people are when I travel. Even in places like Paris or Glasgow, that have a reputation of being a bit rude or at least reserved toward outsiders.

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

#74

Post by LadyCailin »

lloydatkinson wrote: post #60
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…

I wish I could see the photo but I live in the UK…

Don’t worry, both you and especially your children are safe from seeing the picture of the snowdrift.

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

#75

Post by threethirtytwo »

VonTum wrote: post #43

Just now, I'm travelling through India, and today was particularily rough. (I'm trying to go from Delhi Airport to Agra). Multiple Ubers turned out bad (scams, no-show, or fucking with pickup point). I spent several hours in this limbo getting nowhere. I end up taking a train without ticket on advice of multiple people around me, since the counter refused to sell me one. Turns out, wrong train, going slightly the wro…

This correlates with tourism. Low touristy places you standout and people treat you nicer than normal.

In touristy places you are just a target. It’s just different places have different strategies for fleecing you. For example in Japan you probably wouldn’t even know you got ripped off but India they are likely so obvious about it you never get fleeced.

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

#76

Post by rconti »

sizzzzlerz wrote: post #50

My chain had slipped off the rear sprocket, wedged itself between the gear and the frame. I forgot my toolkit and I was unable to free it. I was miles out of town so a walk back was going to take hours. A guy on a motorcycle rode by, looked at me and turned around. He got off his bike, got his tools, and freed the chain in seconds. I was profoundly grateful. Years later, I happened across a cyclist in a similar situa…

I'm something of a cyclist and I drive on a lot of roads where there are cyclists all the time. I keep meaning to make sure my car is stocked with some helpful bike tools or a spare tube or something. I need to get on that.

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

#77

Post by neilv »

silisili wrote: post #8

I like this. I hope this thread fills with many more comments. I think it's important to remember especially in traffic and such that cars aren't cars, they are people. I have no idea the real ratios, but imagine 20% are genuinely good people, 60% are just going about their lives, and 20% are miserable for some reason and drive like miserable people. It's easy to think everyone else is an idiot and become aggressive,…

> I have no idea the real ratios, but imagine 20% are genuinely good people, 60% are just going about their lives, and 20% are miserable for some reason and drive like miserable people.

Lately, this is my experience in general, not only cars. Though I want to say both that 20% and 60% are genuinely good, and that first 20% are readily above-and-beyond.

In the big-name college town where I live, which still pretends to be warm-fuzzy (the remaining hippies are silver-haired), eventually you pick up on a pervasive undercurrent of selfishness.

A lot of people only get into the prestigious places because they look out for their own interests, and being here is only temporary and transactional.

And a lot of people are strained by the high cost of living for lousy conditions, and are just trying to get by.

Still, I've seen, for example, delirious (opioids?) street people slump off a bench on the gritty main drag, and quickly be surrounded concerned and helpful passersby who looked like yuppies. (And the only phones out were multiple people calling 911, no social media content creation, just genuinely helping and then disappearing.)

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

#79

Post by halapro »

I missed an unprotected international connection out of New York due to a weather 6-hour delay.

Another passenger saw me crying on the phone with my father when I had to ask him to help me buy a new ticket back home. He (and another elderly passenger) cheered me up and offered me to stay with him until the next flight out the next afternoon.

Took me (male, 21) to his room, took care of me until my flight and told me to pay it forward.

It was one of my first intentional trips and it had all gone to shit even before this event. I flew back home with like 30 euros on my account.

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

#80

Post by 999900000999 »

When I was very green, a nice startup CEO gave me a job I wasn't really qualified directly.

Within 3 years I went from a college dropout with nothing going on to making 6 figures.

That was a long time ago and I've been comfortable ever since.

2 evictions before I turned 19 and I haven't been evicted since.

Life is good.

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