QOTW: , Random Acts :)

[Guest guest]

3. This is 'Random Acts of Kindness Week'. Have you thought

of ways to participate in this event? Have you ever benefited from

a random act of kindness from a complete stranger?

 

I've been wracking my brain over this one all week. If I'm in the

queue at the supermarket and someone behind me has fewer items,then

I will generally let them go in front of me, but sadly no-one has

ever done this for me. However I was the recipient of a mammoth act

of kindness back in the early 1970s. I was hitchhiking in France

with a friend when I became ill and my " friend " ran out on me in the

south of France with almost all of our money, leaving me only enough

to catch the hovercraft across the Channel. This meant that I had to

hitchhike on my own through France which was a bit of a nightmare -

on the first day I was attacked twice and propositioned by everyone

else who gave me a lift and I arrived at nightfall in a small town

north of Paris, having leapt from a moving lorry because I was

scared of the driver. You might imagine that I was feeling pretty

terrified by the whole experience and I sat on the steps to the town

hall peeling an apple with my swiss army knife trying to look

fierce, when a young guy came up to me and asked if I was ok, I told

him I was fine and to **** off. He came back 30 minutes later with a

couple of friends and said they were really worried about me. I

decided to take a chance and went with them, they bought me a meal,

took me back to their apartment, gave me a place to stay. The next

morning I got up early to hitch the rest of the way to Calais and

left a note to thank them for rescuing me. As I was walking to the

highway I heard the putt putt of a moped behind me and there was my

Samaritan who was concerned that I had left without any breakfast.

He insisted on taking me into a shop and buying me food, amongst

which was a bag of Madeleines (a small sweet dry cake). I was so

touched by his kindness and even now the taste of a Madeleine has a

Proustian ability to take me directly back to that time and remember

that act of kindness. I can't remember his name but I still feel

really moved by it and have a profound sense of gratitude for my

good Samaritan.

 

Christie

>

> Doing good to others is not a duty.  It is a joy,

> for it increases your own health and happiness.

> ~ Zoroaster

>

[Guest guest]

This was such a wonderful experience in the end. Getting to the wonderful

part was hell, but getting to the end was heaven.

 

PT, maybe a question could be ask of people to share a random act of

kindness that they have experienced? It is wonderful and helpful to remember

that there are lots of good things and people in the world amidst the rest

of it which is all we ever hear about since that is what the media focuses

on. And the good stories inspire us to reach out.

linda

 

 

" However I was the recipient of a mammoth act

of kindness back in the early 1970s. I was hitchhiking in France

with a friend when I became ill and my " friend " ran out on me in the

south of France with almost all of our money, leaving me only enough

to catch the hovercraft across the Channel. This meant that I had to

hitchhike on my own through France which was a bit of a nightmare -

on the first day I was attacked twice and propositioned by everyone

else who gave me a lift and I arrived at nightfall in a small town

north of Paris, having leapt from a moving lorry because I was

scared of the driver. You might imagine that I was feeling pretty

terrified by the whole experience and I sat on the steps to the town

hall peeling an apple with my swiss army knife trying to look

fierce, when a young guy came up to me and asked if I was ok, I told

him I was fine and to **** off. He came back 30 minutes later with a

couple of friends and said they were really worried about me. I

decided to take a chance and went with them, they bought me a meal,

took me back to their apartment, gave me a place to stay. The next

morning I got up early to hitch the rest of the way to Calais and

left a note to thank them for rescuing me. As I was walking to the

highway I heard the putt putt of a moped behind me and there was my

Samaritan who was concerned that I had left without any breakfast.

He insisted on taking me into a shop and buying me food, amongst

which was a bag of Madeleines (a small sweet dry cake). I was so

touched by his kindness and even now the taste of a Madeleine has a

Proustian ability to take me directly back to that time and remember

that act of kindness. I can't remember his name but I still feel

really moved by it and have a profound sense of gratitude for my

good Samaritan.

 

Christie

>

> Doing good to others is not a duty. It is a joy,

> for it increases your own health and happiness.

> ~ Zoroaster

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I think that was indeed part of this week's question, Linda. Actually

I have a few experiences of kindness of this sort (I naively kept

putting myself in danger and in need of rescue in my youth) and the

thing that interests me is the fact that there is a food link to each

of them and that tasting that food 30 years (or more)later can take me

on a journey straight back in time to the occasion when that food

became a significant part of the original experience. The senses of

taste and smell are very evocative and have such a link to memory. I

would be interested to hear about other people's experiences of this.

Christie

 

, " linda " <lindai81

wrote:

>

> PT, maybe a question could be ask of people to share a random act of

> kindness that they have experienced? It is wonderful and helpful to

remember

> that there are lots of good things and people in the world amidst

the rest

> of it which is all we ever hear about since that is what the media

focuses

> on. And the good stories inspire us to reach out.

> linda

>