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Thrawn183
2007-07-25, 12:40 PM
I was trying to get breakfast this morning when I realized that I had left my University ID card, that I use to pay for everything I buy, in my room. A woman I have never met before immediately offered to buy me breakfast (a couple of bagels). This was so unexpected I almost didn't even know what to say. I'm not saying that I'd lost faith in humanity and that this act restored it or anything, but it certainly has made for the foundation of a heck of a good day.

So, uh... I'm not really sure if this thread is meant to be a place to post similar stories, or if it is just to try and bring a little bit of that "shiny" feeling to you guys. So, um, be nice to your fellow man/woman and all that...:smallcool:

Missing Shoe
2007-07-25, 12:51 PM
I've been walking along and found a credit card on the ground twice now at my university. Luckily for them our university has an online phone book which lists their address as well (if they are a student). So each time I went online, found out where they lived and gave them their card back. One of them reacted by going "Oh my god! Oh my god!" and jumping up and down. The other one was talking on their phone when they answered the door and never bothered to stop talking to the other person. They didnt even thank me, they just told their friend "Oh my god, you wont guess what just happened" and she shut the door.:smallannoyed:

I find it best to do the random act of kindness because some day you may be in their shoes, then what?

Sir_Norbert
2007-07-25, 12:57 PM
I was on holiday in Dublin a few weeks ago trying to get the bus back to the airport, and we'd been waiting for a while and the right bus didn't come, and we were getting anxious. Then Sirius (one of the girls I was with -- yes, it's her real name, don't ask) stopped a bus that went past -- I think it was a 16 and we wanted 16A or something -- and asked if he went to the airport, just on the offchance. He didn't, but he knew that I'd have better luck if I waited for a different bus two stops further down and he told me to get in and ride. The right bus came along just behind us when I got out, so who knows, if it hadn't been for his kindness I might not even have caught the flight.

I also like to do acts of kindness when I get the chance, which unfortunately isn't often. The best I've done is once, in university, I found a lost room key and went to return it. The girl whose room it was gave me a big hug and we became friends, so I have no regrets about using up ten minutes of my life to do something for someone else.....

zeratul
2007-07-25, 12:58 PM
This reminds me of the anual Random Acts of Violence Day that I started.

Trog
2007-07-25, 01:08 PM
Whilest travelling through the GitP mecca of Indianapolis one day I stopped at a gas station to refuel. As were many, including two guys whose most accurate description would be Uncle Jesse and Cooter from the Dukes of Hazzard. They were having some issue with the pre pay pump not cutting out when it was supposed to. They only had a few dollars between them and that had already gone to pay for the gas they got for the pickup. Only the pump didn't stop. So Jesse was gettin up in arms and giving the gas station attendants a piece of his mind and being very rude. A standoff was ensuing as I exited the restroom and I thought "man I am sooooo glad I don't work here right now." I went outside and looked at their total, which was right next to my own pump. I stopped and went back inside and asked one of the attendants how much they over-pumped. Jesse at this time was on the phone shouting loudly to the manager. After getting the total I forked it over and the attendant happily told the stunned for words Uncle Jesse and Cooter "All solved! This guy just paid for your gas! :smallsmile:"

The relieved look of the attendants and the shocked mouth hanging open in mid-shout look of "Jesse" was well worth it. :smallbiggrin:

ForzaFiori
2007-07-25, 01:11 PM
its awsome when something like that happens, i try to do them whenever i can, for a couple of reasons. there's that fealing u get knowing u made someones day better, there's the fact that you'd hope someone would do it for you, and then there is the fact that i've had "do a good turn daily" drilled into my head for 3 years in boy scouts.

Em Blackleaf
2007-07-25, 03:09 PM
One day, I lost my student ID card, ironically on the way to the school library. When I got there, of course, I couldn't find it, I couldn't check out a book with out going through some long hassle of giving them my ID number and my last name and finding me on the computer then checking out the book.
Anyway, someone I had never met before handed me my card saying that they had found it outside.
I was quite happy to have my card back!:smallbiggrin:

Oh, and every chance I get I try to help people with dropped folders or pencils and so on at school, which happens a lot.

Thrawn183
2007-07-25, 05:02 PM
This one isn't quite so random, but it was nice.

I got locked out of my brother's condo, and he didn't have his cell phone so I couldn't call him. It was raining so I sat under the stairs for hours waiting for him to get back. Eventually I moved to sitting in front of the door. As soon as I did this, his next door neighbor realized that I wasn't just sitting outside with my cell phone in hand to make calls: brought me inside, made me hot chocolate, and then her boyfriend proceeded to break me back into my brother's condo.

Note: the lock on the door knob won't work against credit cards. You gotta use the dead bolt. Not to mention that if you only use that, you will always lock the door, and you can't lock yourself out (easily). Be safe playgrounders.

The Vorpal Tribble
2007-07-25, 05:04 PM
I... can't say I've ever been the recipient of a random act of kindness, but its good to know that such things do happen http://www.giantitp.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

Orzel
2007-07-25, 05:17 PM
People save me form accidentally killing myself all the time. Not noticing bad drivers. Cutting item towards my body. Over lifting.

I bought a woman's breakfast today and she wasn't even all that pretty.
And I stalled the meter maid for some random dude so he could get change.

evisiron
2007-07-25, 07:13 PM
Give: In tech, I was getting some library stuff sorted out, and a women (definitely not a student) rushed in, begging to use the computer (no internet cafes or anything in area). Apparently without the print of some emailed info, she couldn’t add to whatever meeting she was almost late for, and that would put serious pressure on keeping her job. Of course, the computers all require a student ID and password. And since the tech had such a strict policy on non students using the computers, the staff couldn’t let her on one. Still a little worried about it (disproportionate punishments for this stuff), I offered to let her us my ID. We went to the computer bit, and she was able to get the stuff in about 6 minutes flat. She went to give me cash, but I declined. She then went “Look, I will leave this here either way. You have no idea how much you have helped me today. Thankyou”. She then dumped a £5 note and some change on the table and took off.

Receive: Anyone who plays warhammer knows how precious ones army is to them. Yet when on holiday in the US, people were willing to let me borrow some of their models (most of an army’s worth) so I could compete. This may seem small, but to trust a set of hand painted and expensive miniatures to a complete stranger is truly epic. And this happened TWICE!

TruenuffTrey
2007-07-25, 08:56 PM
and thus, I stop weeping for the fate of humanity. Good to know that the world isn't going to explode quite as soon. :smallsmile:

FdL
2007-07-25, 09:32 PM
I don't like the phrase "random acts of goodness". I don't know, I don't buy the "random" part...

There's good people out there, generous people and people with ethics and principles. What can be random is that you find someone who does help you.

On the other hand, the one that helps you has his/her reasons to do so, so it's not random for them. Else they'd be saying "I'll help this guy and not the next 10 people I could help"...

Anyway, I do believe in people. Maybe more than I should, but well, that's me.

@TruenuffTrey: Nono, the world is doomed, and the explosion is imminent. Don't be confused. Eventually the selfish people outnumber the nice ones.

InaVegt
2007-07-26, 05:02 AM
@TruenuffTrey: Nono, the world is doomed, and the explosion is imminent. Don't be confused. Eventually the selfish people outnumber the nice ones.

I tend to disagree with the eventually, as the nice are already outnumbered 1 to 500, at least.

Death, your friend the Reaper
2007-07-26, 05:42 AM
... some day you may be in their shoes, then what?

Then you sell the shoes and make a profit. Huzzah.

In year 11 one of my peers, for this conversation she can be known as "pretty dancer girl", was sitting all alone, while I sat with three friends (tables of four), so I went and sat next to her.

Sat with her all of year 11 and then all of my so far year 12 (she even came to my party, despite not knowing many people), she is rather bright (one plus she can explain things), and always laughs at my jokes/puns (Even the laughs followed by sighs still count!). One day she was crying during a discussion of the circular motion, I asked her if she was ok (Yeah, I know, you often get people crying when they are perfectly fine, but you often freeze up in these situations, specially if it is in the middle of a class), luckily I had some starbursts (lollies) for my English speech later (bribes and corruption) and I offered her one, she turned it down, but I unwrapped it for her and put it on her desk saying it will get cold soon if she didn't eat it. She gave a small laugh and ate it, I forced three more onto the poor girl (all a plot to ruin her figure), and by the end of the session she wasn't crying anymore.

Met her at the bus, asking after her and she seemed fine. Never did work out what she was crying for, but it feels nice to know that you may have brightened a dark day.

In my job it's rare to get people happy to see you.:smalltongue:

Surfer99
2007-07-26, 05:49 AM
Heh

Thanks to the OP brought a little light into a rather gloomy day

:smallsmile:

Thrawn183
2007-07-26, 08:28 AM
Heh

Thanks to the OP brought a little light into a rather gloomy day

:smallsmile:

Aw, shucks... that makes me feel really good about myself.



To everybody out there who seems to think that humanity is lost, I prefer to think of it as a lack of trust and general fear of people they don't know rather than lack of good intent and will. Maybe I just have a trusting face that's made people be willing to help me...