Making a Difference - post random acts of kindness

I visited my aging uncle in Ohio about 8 years ago. I picked him up where he was then living at the time and drove him and my cousin “down home,” as we call it, because they wanted to have what turned out to be, one last look around the old homestead and also to visit the family grave. We had a great day together, just the three of us. We visited a few friends, made new friends, even went to an unexpected car show being held in the village. Just a really great day, even though my uncle had to use a scooter and my cousin needs a walker to get around. My uncle has since been deceased.

So, at the end of this long day, my uncle asks if we could all go to a restaurant and have dinner before calling it a day. I said absolutely. We decided to go to Ruby Tuesdays. In a small town, our choices were limited. As we sat there waiting for our order to be served, we reminisced about the day. Unknown to us, the couple sitting in the booth behind us must have been listening to us. When we were ready to leave and asked for the check, the waitress informed us that there would not be a check forthcoming. She told us that the couple in back of us paid our bill as a “random act of kindness.”
 
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Lee said:
Just a little something I do is to give a bottle of water to the people who deliver flyer bundles or do garbage pickup. It costs little and on a hot day they appreciate it.
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That is a good one, we don't have trash pick up in my village, but two days a week we can take to central point (where it goes in huge bins taken down to the city. Residents pay a half dollar for each bag (most of us use the 30-40 gal heavy duty black bags.). With just 2 of us we usually only have 1 bag every 10 days. We recycle what we can, flatten or fill anything we can't so there aren't a lot of air pockets. But i make it a point to be pleasant to the workers there, and if ever we get a 'trash day' (Weds and Sat) that is super hot i'll stop and buy some cold water on the way. Thanks for the idea.
 
Have practiced Random acts of Kindness for decades. For now i'll just mention a few things from recent years:

Something that costs nothing but a little time and consideration but can mean a great deal is to simply acknowledge certain kinds of workers that often are ignored tho what they do is part of what keeps our society running: Janitors, public works laborers, postal clerks, cashiers and store shelf stockers. The support staff at Medical facilities. A smile, a nod, eye contact and a hearty thank you if they do something especially helpful for you.

Also, i am always on the lookout, especially if something has thrown me 'off schedule' for someone who needs help. Why especially (?)---because often if my plans for the day had been running like clock work i wouldn't have been in the right time/place to lend a hand. For example once i forgot to take a something i needed to mail into the post office with me when i checked my PO Box (no home delivery in our village). On my way back out i noticed a white haired, somewhat hunch backed lady distressed by a car. She'd locked her keys and phone in it. So i drove her to her house (a 1-2 mile walk that i could have done but i doubt she could have), and offered to take her back but her husband was there and they said he could take her back.

i've driven Continental Divide Bicyclists (Motel DD manages gets a lot of them and Hikers spring thru fall) that needed new tire into city to bike shop and back out here. And there was an older hiker one fall who gave up because weather was turning i drove him into the city so he could catch a flight home. Also when i worked at the Motel for a while, a young woman jumped out of a truck at gas station across street and came running in. Her abusive ex was trying to keep from going home to her child at her mother's house. It was almost time for me to get off, so i locked the door, because we had a night service window in case a customer came in, and when i was off the clock i made the 40 minute drive out to the Rez to take her back to her family. Since hubby was from same place she promised me she'd call the Tribal Police.

Once i was in local gas station parking lot and heard people yelling and pointing, saw a dog who was leashed to truck bed but had jumped over the side and was dangling from the leash struggling. i went over picked him up and put in truck, had to go around to where owner had pumped gas and was talking to a PD officer and told him he might want to secure the dog in such a way it couldn't do that again. Most of the folks who had noticed were Native American and he was a old white man, so that's probably why they didn't rush in to help---afraid they'd be accused of trying to steal or something. One of them frequently sells sage smudges and jewelry outside local stores, ever since that incident he calls me 'lifesaver' whenever he sees me.
 
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Yesterday, I crossed the border to go grocery shopping in San Ysidro, CA.
When I was returning back into Mexico, it is necessary to walk up hill. I was struggling with my load. A Mexican man, also a senior citizen, offered to help me and he took most of my load. We got through customs ok and continued walking a thousands yards to the taxi stand. I asked him where he was headed and he informed me that he was going to Zona Centro, the same as me. When we got downtown he got out and I offered to give him some money. He thanked me but refused payment. Jeez what a nice guy.
 
oldman said:
I visited my aging uncle in Ohio about 8 years ago. I picked him up where he was then living at the time and drove him and my cousin “down home,” as we call it, because they wanted to have what turned out to be, one last look around the old homestead and also to visit the family grave. We had a great day together, just the three of us. We visited a few friends, made new friends, even went to an unexpected car show being held in the village. Just a really great day, even though my uncle had to use a scooter and my cousin needs a walker to get around. My uncle has since been deceased.

So, at the end of this long day, my uncle asks if we could all go to a restaurant and have dinner before calling it a day. I said absolutely. We decided to go to Ruby Tuesdays. In a small town, our choices were limited. As we sat there waiting for our order to be served, we reminisced about the day. Unknown to us, the couple sitting in the booth behind us must have been listening to us. When we were ready to leave and asked for the check, the waitress informed us that there would not be a check forthcoming. She told us that the couple in back of us paid our bill as a “random act of kindness.”
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I've picked up the tab a few times like that myself. I'm not the biggest fan of Ruby Tuesday's but as you said, sometimes choices are limited. I hope that their kind deed might have been just the thing to make up for any Blue Monday's that your uncle and cousin may have recently had. I'm in Ohio and there truly are some good people here. It feels like "down home" in many places.
What a wonderful tale to share! Thank you!
 
It's been a while but I used to take a few dollar bills, ones, not fives and punch a hole near one of the short sides. Then I'd go into a local Dollar Tree store (everything's a dollar!) and in the toy section, I'd take a couple of the first few toys hanging on a peg and put one of the dollars there, on the peg, before replacing the toys. I'd do that with a few, in different spots. Anyway, it just made me feel good to think that some little boy or girl would find one of those dollars and be able to have something that made them happy, even if only for a minute. Sometimes some of the people that I saw shopping there looked like they didn't have much money to spare for "silly" things like toys or balloons so it made me feel a little warm inside. I've also dropped a few quarters at local elementary schools and public playgrounds. It never set me back much but it makes me happy to think that I may have made someone else happy too!
 
Chris P Bacon said:
It's been a while but I used to take a few dollar bills, ones, not fives and punch a hole near one of the short sides. Then I'd go into a local Dollar Tree store (everything's a dollar!) and in the toy section, I'd take a couple of the first few toys hanging on a peg and put one of the dollars there, on the peg, before replacing the toys. I'd do that with a few, in different spots. Anyway, it just made me feel good to think that some little boy or girl would find one of those dollars and be able to have something that made them happy, even if only for a minute. Sometimes some of the people that I saw shopping there looked like they didn't have much money to spare for "silly" things like toys or balloons so it made me feel a little warm inside. I've also dropped a few quarters at local elementary schools and public playgrounds. It never set me back much but it makes me happy to think that I may have made someone else happy too!
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You reminded me: When i was a single mom and clipped coupons to stretch my budget i'd clip ones for things we didn't use and wedge them between the items on the shelf so people who did use the products could use the coupons.
 
I haven't used or seen any coupons in a while. I mostly shop at Aldi and they don't take them there. But I do remember my mom passing off coupons to others in the grocery store. Yours is a wonderful idea but it doesn't surprise me that you would be so kind as to do something like that. Some people are just as nice as others are mean. I think there's more nice ones though, truth be told! I certainly do hope so! 😉👍
 
Anyone remember this random act of kindness?
Woman Who Fed Parking Meters Is Convicted of Obstructing Justice.
A 63-year-old grandmother of 10 was convicted of obstructing official business Thursday for what she considered a random act of kindness: plunking a dime and a nickel into two overdue parking meters so the cars parked there wouldn't be ticketed.
Other people did this & also got in trouble. To discourage others, they fined her $750.00

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/10/26/meter-feeding-grandmother-lands-in-jail/
 
win231 said:
Woman Who Fed Parking Meters Is Convicted of Obstructing Justice.
A 63-year-old grandmother of 10 was convicted of obstructing official business Thursday for what she considered a random act of kindness: plunking a dime and a nickel into two overdue parking meters so the cars parked there wouldn't be ticketed.
Other people did this & also got in trouble. To discourage others, they fined her $750
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That is a bunch of bull****, there is no other word for it.
Tickets for parking meters do nothing, but irritate the people.
 
I've mentioned it a few times; at least once a month I take bags of snacks, water, blankets, food, and toiletries to a few of the homeless encampments here. I also almost always give change to the local panhandlers. When I only have my debit card I'll buy them whatever food or non-alc drinks they're panhandling for. When I worked at a convenience store in Los Angeles there was a guy who always slept at the door. I took him a cup of fresh coffee every morning, and he'd get a donut or 2 whenever we had any left from the day before. When I worked as a bus driver I made an unscheduled stop - pulled over to pick up a young lady with a baby, and I didn't charge her. It was spitting raining, obviously she had no car, and she was taking her baby to a doctor appointment. I almost lost my job over that. Still would have been worth it.

These aren't huge things, but I know the help is appreciated, and it lifts my spirits.
 
Make a random act of kindness a challenge to yourself. Do something nice, or several somethings nice but only count the ones that you don’t get caught doing. I wish that I had enough money to do something like pay off all the layaways at a store, just before Christmas, like I hear of someone doing, somewhere, nearly every year. That has to feel good!
 
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