The Kindness of Strangers

People can be unbelievably cruel; thankfully they can also be incredibly kind.

I am writing this to share some instances in which I have benefited from the unexpected kindness of strangers throughout my life. My hope is that you will share your own stories in the comments below. Together, let’s remember and celebrate the goodness that still exists in the world!

Here are just a few examples of kind people who didn’t hesitate to help me even though they had never met me before:

1. When I was in college, I was driving to a city several hours away (on a very important mission to get my ticket to a sold out Bruce Springsteen concert from a scalper). On the way, I got a flat tire. I was alone, didn’t think I was capable of changing it myself, and this was before cell phones existed. I left my car by the side of the road and walked to the nearest gas station in search of help. A trucker overheard me sharing my tale of woe and offered to drive me back to my car and change the tire. I was scared, and knew I would be taking a huge risk if I climbed into the cab of his truck; after all, he could be a rapist or a serial killer. I was also desperate, though, so I accepted his offer. Thankfully, he turned out to be a very nice man who changed my tire as promised, and I was soon back on the road.
2. When my husband and I were on our honeymoon, we rented a moped to explore Grand Cayman. This was in 1991, when the island still had lots of wide open spaces and little traffic. We were miles away from our hotel enjoying the scenery when the moped died suddenly. Our efforts to restart it were unsuccessful, so we found ourselves stranded with no restaurants or other businesses nearby. We needed a phone to call the moped company to come rescue us, so we walked to the nearest house and knocked on the door. A delightful woman invited us in, let us use her phone, and allowed us to wait in her home for more than an hour until someone from the company finally arrived to pick us up.
3. More recently, I have experienced kindness from strangers online. I belong to a large Facebook group full of Bruce Springsteen fans from all over the world. I have never met any of them in person, it’s been less than a year since I joined the group, and during that time I haven’t posted very often, but when I shared there that I am going through a really difficult time, I immediately received words of support and encouragement from lots of different people. Thank you, my fellow Spring-Nuts!

How have strangers been there for you in your time of need? I look forward to reading your comments about kindnesses shown to you.