Friday open thread: unexpected kindnesses

[dolorosa_12]

The Friday open thread makes a hesitant return this week, after what feels like months on hiatus. My work situation was such that I completely lacked the mental energy to facilitate chatty posts, but things are slowly being restored to their previous harmony, and so I feel I can pick these posts up again.

Before I launch into the prompt, a quick note to say that I am going to close offers on The Power Within on Monday evening, 6pm UK summer time, so if you were interested in making a donation, get them in by then and let me know.

Now, onwards to the open thread: what is a recent, small-scale unexpected kindness you've received from a stranger recently? I'm not asking about life-altering genorosity, but something small, and unnecessary on the part of the giver that was nonetheless given, and brightened your day.

Mine occurred in the Gail's* at Cambridge station today. I have a habit of stopping there in between getting off my train and starting the second leg of my commute in to the library, and buying an iced coffee, as a way to gather my thoughts before the working day. This morning, rather plaintively, I asked if they had any cheese straws. I must have sounded so despondent that one of the bakers overheard and came out of the bakery into the shop front, to explain that they were still in the oven, but would be ready in about five minutes. I said I'd wait and drink my coffee and return in a few minutes to buy a cheese straw when they were ready, settled down in the cafe, and zoned out.

About five minutes later, the same baker came over with an oven-hot cheese straw in a paper bag, and when I got up to pay, he said there was no need — it was on the house. I would have been very happy to pay, but it was a lovely gesture, and certainly meant I started my Friday on a high note.

Have any of you had similar moments of kindness recently?

*Gail's is a mildly upmarket UK chain of bakery/patisseries. It's a kind of running joke that the Venn diagram of presence of a Gail's in a constituency, and the Lib Dems targetting that constituency in the last election is a circle; my town voted in a Lib Dem in 2024, and a Gail's inevitably followed a few months later.

Comments

[falena]

Not knowing what Gail's was and having never heard of a cheese straw before, for a moment there I wondered if the cheese straw was something you'd asked to drink your coffee with, and if it was some sort of eco-friendly alternative to plastic (maybe made with residues or byproducts of cheese production? Lol). :D

I think the last such kindness I was on the receiving end of occurred last week. I was on public transport with the girls, one sat down on a free seat and the man sitting next to her got up to let the other girl sit down. It was completely unnecessary as they're both old enough to stand for a relatively short journey, but it prevented any I-wantto-sit-no-let-me sit bickering that often occurs between sisters. g

[dolorosa_12]

Not knowing what Gail's was and having never heard of a cheese straw before, for a moment there I wondered if the cheese straw was something you'd asked to drink your coffee with, and if it was some sort of eco-friendly alternative to plastic (maybe made with residues or byproducts of cheese production? Lol). :D

Ha! No, it's a kind of savoury pastry, where the pastry is twisted around cheese and baked, and it's shaped like a stick — hence the name 'cheese straw'. It's probably my favourite pastry at Gail's, although I normally just use it for coffee when I'm commuting.

That's such a lovely generous moment on the bus, and very kind of that man.

[ambyr]

A cab driver stopped at a really annoying intersection that has neither stop sign nor light and held up traffic while he waved me across. I wished him kind fares and high tips for the rest of the day.

[dolorosa_12]

Kind fares and high tips indeed! What a helpful taxi driver!

[chestnut_pod]

I was recently in Chicago and bought a couple of 3-day transit passes. For whatever reason, the first one stopped working (or maybe I just didn't properly understand how it worked?), and I was tapping it fruitlessly on the bus reader when the driver said, "It's all right," and waved me in. Embarrassment averted :)

[dolorosa_12]

Awww, how lovely! Well done that bus driver! I hope your visit to Chicago was otherwise enjoyable.

[chestnut_pod]

Very, thank you! I got to hear Patricia Hill Collins speak and see some lovely birds!

[dolorosa_12]

Wonderful!

[yarnofariadne]

Last week, a group of Swiss people knocked on our door and told us they had a gift for one of our neighbours several doors down, but she wasn't in and they were leaving before she got back. They asked if we would hold it for her, and we said we would. Our neighbour (who we'd previously never met) came by the next evening to pick it up, and after I'd given it to her, she knocked on the door again about 10 minutes later and handed me a chocolate bar to say thanks for holding the parcel for her.

[dolorosa_12]

That was very kind of your neighbour — and bonus chocolate!

[dhampyresa]

I was getting Lebanese icecream at around 10pm, close to the shop's closing time, so I thanked the shopkeep profusely for being willing to indulge me when asked. And he gave me a free baklava :D

[dolorosa_12]

Oooh, free baklava! And how excellent that you were able to get your icecream before closing.

[shewhostaples]

Starbucks barista brought my coffee over to my table while I was wrangling child and highchair and sandwiches and sippy cups. I looked up and there it was! Very much appreciated; the main reason we were in there in the first place was that I really needed some calories and a sit down in the cool, and that made both happen that little bit faster.

[dolorosa_12]

Awww, that's lovely! I hope you were able to have a relaxing time in there from that point on.

[raven]

Work's canteen is already very nice, as it's subsidised and serves lovely-for-a-work-canteen food, but the people are so nice too. The other day I bought my usual salad and Kinder bar, moved away from the counter and they called me back. Americano with hot milk, they said. You forgot it! You'll go all the way down to your desk and realise you don't have it.

I hadn't actually forgotten it - I'd decided on this one occasion to keep it till after the next meeting - but I let them make it for me anyway because they're so nice, and they heat up the milk separately just for me. I don't know if they count as strangers when I see them four days a week! But there you are.

[dolorosa_12]

Being remembered for your coffee order is so great! I love it when that happens, and your experience certainly seems a wonderful example of kindness.

[mific]

You know my recent saga about coping briefly with having no credit card, and then my car seeming to break down on top of everything (a "me error" of course), from which I'd highlight the AA guy who was professional, sure, and just doing his job, but who was also genuinely kind and patient as he explained a very basic thing about starting my car without a trace of annoyance at having to do a call-out that shouldn't have been necessary.

[dolorosa_12]

Yes, that definitely seems to fit as an example of unexpected kindness. He could have made a difficult time even more difficult, but instead he made it easier.

[trepkos]

How lovely that they gave them to you!

[dolorosa_12]

Yes, it really made the day start off on a high note.

[hoarmurath]

There's so many I want to lie down about it, I think. :3

My partner buying me the tickets for the ferry and bus for me to get to their place without having to handle that on top of an already stressful start as I had just come back from Germany about 24 hours before. And them going to the pharmacy and getting painkillers so I had some the moment we got there. And so many other little things. :3 (the partner thing is a "recent" thing from this year's spring when I realise I'd fallen in gay love with my friend and the same had happened to them too).

But also the rideshare driver today at the port who stopped and waved for me to get over the road as I needed to reach a different car and was essentially jaywalking. ;_;

Oh and when I was traveling back from Germany, the Frankfurt - Tallinn jaunt had a bunch of Estonian athletes, so I ended up sitting between two of them. The lady at the aisle kept me a chocolate when I had probably conked out at the chocolate offering time, which was really nice. :)

[dolorosa_12]

I think you mentioned you were now in a relationship in a recent post, but congratulations once again! I'm glad it's working out well — your partner sounds wonderful.

In general, that's a fabulous run of unexpected kindnesses, and I'm really happy for you!