The kindness of strangers...

(I don't know how I ended up putting this in books, I meant to put it in "General".)

That was very kind. Sometimes I cry when someone is that kind to me.

My little girl gets car sick. Always. If we are driving more than 5 miles she barfs, every single time. We don't let her drink milk before a road trip now and I always pack an extra outfit for her.

I don't know if little Mo was car sick or sick sick. When you said he said he wanted to go home, that reminded me of the warning signs for ducklet's puking. First she says "I'm tired". Then she says "I want to go home". Her third and final warning is "Stop Driving!".

Hope Mo feels better.

I think it was just car sick, FreeDuck, as he seems to be just fine and rearing to go now. He has become car sick only once or twice but I will certainly be listening for those kind of clues from now on!

It is kind of sad that kindness is so rare these days that when it happens its a surprise.

What I think is sad is that most people find it easier to do these random acts of kindness for total strangers than for those closer to you.

Wow! At about this time last year, my old car broke down near Rio Rancho. Forget how many cars, including the Bernalillo County Sheriff's patrol, passed me, I was offered aid and the use of a cell phone from a woman traveling alone - on a bicycle. She had completed 65 miles of a 70 mile tour, but stopped, called her husband at home, and had him call a tow truck. She waited till the truck arrived, which was over an hour due to the breakdown occuring during the Balloon Festival.

i usually always stop to help.
I guess i just dont understand why others dont.
to me, there is no reason and nothing in the world more pressing when someone is in need.

I remember one time, I was working at a nursing home on Juan tabo,, ( yes rodger.. albq ;-) ) and i went on lunch break. I was on Juan tabo and menaul , the first car at the turn light and BAM! This BIG white ford truck rear ended a little 80's model honda.
Oh god, i screamed. and screamed.
then i jumped outta my car and ran across the road to where the vehicles came to a stop. the driver of the truck was alright. i checked him first thinking that the honda driver was dead anywas.. I ran back to the honda wich had cleared the road and was in on coming traffic on the other side.
Hauling ass i saw the driver move. He was young. Maybe 21? 22? The left side of his head was hanging open and he was yelling. I used my shirt to wrap around his head to try to stop his bleeding. I had my stethoscope around my neck and stuck that is his mouth so he would stop screaming. I did my best to help him as i was with out my medical supplys and completely on adrenalin.
The driver of the white truck called 911.
i dont know how long it took, but i got the guy to be still, was able to semi tighten the shirt around his head and kept the skin in place. He survived.
On my way back to my car, people were honking and screaming at me for leaving it in the intersection. People were cussing and yelling . All because I left my car to help an accident victim.

When i got back to work, all i had on was my jacket, no shirt and a bra. I was crying and shaking.
Story short.. my boss thought i was full of **** and was ready to fire me until a police officer showed up ( because i had handed my card over to him as a witness ) and thanked me, had BOUGHT me a new shirt and was just thrilled with my actions and behaviors.
I lost my job the next day.
Wierd huh?

Good for you, shewolf. And good for you for getting fired. Nursing homes seem to be shitty places to work.

I agree, Eva. I suppose that is where the old saw "familiarity breeds contempt" comes from. It does seem that all to often that the people you expect to care the most only become irritated by your crisis. It is sad.

Thats a great story, Roger! She seems almost like a bike-bound guardian angel.

Thank you for sharing that story.

Wow, shewolf! I cannot believe that you got fired after that. Nursing homes would be hard places to work but I know that they need good people. My father spent the last years of his life in one and there is one very special nurse that will always hold a very dear place in my heart. Even from thousands of miles away I could always count on her for truth and comfort.

You are truly a hero!

A half naked guardian angel!

Thank you for sharing that story.

Go shewolf!

Ack, sorry 'bout that Boomer. I travel with towels these days. Lots and lots of towels. (She's not generally car sick, but she barfs at the drop of a hat, so if she has anything wrong -- and you know how that's been lately -- towels!) (Did I mention how she barfed noodles out of her poor little nose on the way to the ER?) (Anyway...!)

Thinking of a good kindness-of-strangers story -- seems like I have a lot, but can't think of one so far. (Or they don't really hold true -- like, I thought of the guy at the youth hostel in Paris who tapped me on the shoulder and said well there is one more room when I stood penniless and despairing on the doorstep after being told there was no room, looking at a park bench across the way and wondering how safe that would be. 'Cause why did he say there WASN'T any room, first? Hmph.)

Great stories, and a great thread.

When I was younger, maybe 15, and owned a bicycle, I was riding home from school, and rode over a rock. I fell off the bike, scraped a finger to the bone (still have a small scar), and was so delirious, I couldn't get up. A woman came down from the house I fell in front of, and asked if I needed help. I think I asked her if she was an angel, I was in so much pain. "No, but I am a nurse," she said, "and it's my day off, come inside."

She rinsed my wound, bandaged it up, and made me some tea. I never saw her again, but man was I happy she was there that day.

A couple months ago my friend and I decided to take my Jeep offroading into a huge (deserted) jobsite. Well I managed to get myself stuck in about a foot and a half of mud. After trying everything to free ourselves we were about to call a tow truck when a guy with another Jeep drove up. Well he backed up, I put the tow straps on and he yanked us out. He wouldn't even take money. There are still some good people out there.

Penniless in Paris sounds rather dreamy and romantic after the day I've had, Soz! I'm sure it wasn't that way but still....

<sigh>

I will remember towels and a change of clothes from now on.

Thank you cav. They are great stories aren't they?

I must confess to being a scar lover. To know the history of someone's scars is a very intimate thing. Mr. B is a sound sleeper or he would know that I trace his history sometimes at night.

If I ever meet you I will want to see that finger first off!

There are good people out there, sublime! It is nice for us to remember them from time to time, I think. It is so easy to get cynical.

People who do nice things just because.

People who help just because they can.

It makes me want to start fresh.

It is nice that there are stories to tell like these.
The sad part is that they are few and far between.
There are more people hurting then there are selfless people helping.
Humanity suffers daily because of this.
I think everyone has the ability to help someone.
Even if it is just a hand holding after a fender bender.
Everyone should always help. I hate that people are scared to do something because of how a few hard hearted people will react.


Ohh.. My mother told me about , then BOUGHT me a crate of scotchguard. What she did to her car was scotchguard the back of the seat, footboard , and the seats in the back of her car where I sat.
She claims that her car stayed clean of stains and was TONS easier to clean when I spilled something after she did that. She also bought plastic mats and put them on the floorboards. I have done that in my car and it has saved some reallllllly bad bottle spills, diaper leaks etc..
Maybe.. that would help your van ? At least make it easier to clean and keep it from smelling later after little mo's accidents.
Mo-s ok now right?
It was just car sickness?

Mo is just fine, shewolf, thanks for asking.

The thing I love best about my car is that it is beat up enough to haul carsick kids and ancient dogs around without worring too much about it. Mr B. nags me to replace it but as long as it will run I'm happy. Today it definately needs some air though. It's supposed to rain tonight, though. I left the back end open (its a wagon) figuring it will get less damp that way.

I agree with what you say in your first paragraph. When you think about how easy it can be to help, it is almost silly not to. In many ways, I think we have all become so fearful of risking anything. I think it is the "worth the risk" question that keeps a lot of us from jumpint in.

It was one very cold winter morning and it was imperative for me to be at work promptly for a significant staff meeting.

I went outside to warm up my car only to discover that it wouldn't start. After a few tries, I leaned over the steering wheel and laid my head on it, thinking about what I was going to do next and how I was going to get to my meeting…when suddenly I heard a knock on the drivers side window. A man dressed in a mechanic uniform asked if the battery needed a jump…I then gazed into my rear view mirror where I saw his tow truck parked behind me! I was speechless to reply and only shook my head "yes" as I lifted the latch to open the hood.

My car was started within five minutes. I told him "thank you" and asked how much I owed him. He just smiled at me and said, "you're welcome," then got in his truck and pulled away.

You know that there is actually a LAW in place to help people who help others???
the good sumaritan act.
Apparently , there was a slew of law suits against people who were stopping to help and due to thier efforts or NOT some people died.
These grieved family members would sue people who stopped to help claiming that they were the reason for so and so's death. Even if it wasnt POSSIBLE .. they were taking them to court.
With that in mind.. I guess I understand why people are afraid to stop.

That was the basis of the last Seinfeld episode, wasn't it?

Glad Mo's feeling better!

Not sure how projectile he is, but when sozlet's iffy I put a couple of half-folded towels over her lap (this works better in cold weather, otherwise she gets too hot, which makes her barfier...)

(Are we scaring off a bunch of prospective parents...?)

Nice thread. It's sad, but I know I've said "Wow, that was so nice of you" before, but I can't recall why.

Kitty litter is marvelous stuff for soaking up the smell of purged child--also the smell of messy drunk.

You do need a shop vac to inhale the kitty litter, but when the kitty litter is gone, so is the smell.



Years ago when my boys were three and four, we were flying from Denver to Heathrow airport in London. Since we'd be staying for at least three years, our hand luggage--six pieces--was H-E-A-V-Y. At that time checked baggage was weighed--hand luggage just had to fit under the seat. When the plane landed at Washington, D.C., the stewardess announced that we'd have to get off the plane--and take all hand luggage with us. No exceptions.

I informed the boys that they were each going to tote one barge and lift one bale. Then I festooned myself with my pocketbook, the bag of kiddy amusements and four pieces of hand luggage and started herding the caravan down the aisle to the exit.

The stewardess had vanished.

Horsing around on the pavement were a group of college kids who saw the three year old manfully struggling with a train case filled with hardwood blocks. They grabbed the kid, the train case, the older brother, the laundry case full of books, all four pieces of luggage that I was struggling with and escorted us into the terminal.

Then for much of the two hour layover they organized a wild football game which involved passing both the ball and the toddlers. My boys were thrilled by the attention--and I was extremely thankful to have a respite from hands-on mothering.

I got to go to the ladies room All By Myself.

The young men helped us back on board--and then jogged off to make their own flight.

On that occasion I swore a Mighty Oath that if I could ever help a woman traveling alone with small children I would do so. I've kept that oath.

Blanche DuBois and I treasure the kindness of strangers.