It Sometimes Really Amazes Me: The Kindness Of Strangers
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
February 27, 2008 12:31am CST
I just had to share this with you about something.
I do happen to be a fan of Oprah Winfrey and if anyone has seen her show recently beginning next Monday, on March 3rd will be a special on-line webcast that deals with the book "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle, which is on her "book Club" list as a must read. From what I gather, it's one of those books that's inspirational and transforming, and can help a person become all they can be....uh, maybe similar to changing one's attitude like a Law Of Attraction thing (uh, right up my alley..hehe).
So one can join up with this exclusive webcast by also becoming a member of the Oprah.com website...I happened to have joined her site sometime ago, and did sign up for this webcast as I really want to participate in it. There was one really big major problem..I didn't have the book. I tried to get it from my libraries near me...no good, all are out on reserves until next year practically with a long waiting list. Also, just couldn't buy it, not even used (I looked at the prices at Amazon.com)...This month has been tight financially, and so will next month be a winner..NOT..
So I went to the Message Boards that they have there and posted a message there....that I would love to read the book...but...I explained how tight funds are, couldn't get the book at the library, nor could buy as am on SSI Disability..and asked can one get some sense of the book just by the webcasts and the "lessons" alone with the idea that at a future time could get the book
Well, so I log off for awhile, and went back to MyLotting..this was last night by the way. So I was multi-tasking back and forth, then decided to check if there was any response to my post...OMG! ....This woman from Calif (I'm in NY) posted a reply...that she knew what it was like to be broke and was on SSI herself...AND.....she was sending me a copy of the book...She gave me her private email address and did email her...so back and forth, back and forth...She asked my address...gave it to her, and she told me she was mailing it Priority Mail and I should have it by Friday....I offered to pay her for the book as soon as I could but she refused payment...she told me..to simply pass the baton so to say...to do the same for someone in the future...with no strings attached....Holy Moly!
So..to make this a discussion...has a virtual stranger ever done a rather unexpected kindness for you and asked nothing in return, but to pass on the favor to someone else??...and yes, you better believe that I will reciprocate and do the same myself one day...In fact there are a few good deeds I plan to pass on when I can as someone else once did a wonderful favor for me when I was at one of my lowest points.
7 people like this
16 responses
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
27 Feb 08
Well... I had a lot of people giving me things along the years... but I always repayed them by doing things for them.
But it only did happen once that a total stranger helped me out... and I repayed him in the following hour.
Some people give you things without any expectations... while some other like Plooker... want your eternal gratitude until you go to your grave... and even then... he would object of me dying.
I am saying this... because he is stalking me again and will probably add his two cents to it. For the record... after all the things I did for him over the years... he owe me... not the other way around.
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
28 Feb 08
Yeah... that is what I meant...
I repay them with my time and skills.
As well as being a painter... I am also an handyman... and with those skills... I can help just about anyone.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Feb 08
I might not always be able to repay someone's kindness with a monetary thing but I've often in the past offered my time when someone needed help in anyway
2 people like this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
27 Feb 08
That is so wonderful!!
She's an amazing person for doing that :)
I hope you enjoy the book and I hope you find a worthly candidate to pay it forward. I just love the idea of it all!
It really warms my soul :)
I hope you too made another new friend out of the deal.
I can't help but saying it again : It's just wonderful :)
3 people like this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
28 Feb 08
That's so wonderful :) Again I said it LOL. I'm sorry...
It would be really cool if it was the SAME book!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Feb 08
I know, that woman really is amazing! I nearly fell out of my chair when I read of her offer to me. And oh, yes, I hope to pay it forward too..it might not necessarily be money, but my time or who knows, maybe I have a book someone would like to have and can send to them!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Feb 08
I can't wait....she emailed me again and I should be getting the book tomorrow. This was really so unexpected and I'm still flabbergasted
1 person likes this
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
27 Feb 08
Wow, that was nice of her. There are still very nice people in the world. I had a lady come up and give me a $20 phone card when my son was in the hospital. I was glad, that way I had more access to the real world. She made my day.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Feb 08
That was so wonderful of that woman to give you that phone card, that was nice of her to do, especially at that time when your son was in the hospital
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
27 Feb 08
I have and I have done so. I think that this action is both recognized by the Christian faith and by others as a good thing.
As a pagan friend of mine say, what good or evil you do comes back 3 times to you. So, you do a good thing and it comes back at you with 3 times of good things, you do evil and it comes back at you 3 times.
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63594)
• United States
28 Feb 08
I know I sure believe in bad things coming in 3s. I was eating lunch with mom and some friends and the one lady was telling us that her grand daughter was in a terrible accident, is probably permanately phyiscally disabled, then her son, the father of the girl, fell off his tractor and broke his leg. I can but hope that nothing more will happen to this family!
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Feb 08
Yes I'm familiar with that threefold law...I really hope to reciprocate and do something good for someone else too
1 person likes this
@joyceshookery (2057)
• United States
27 Feb 08
It's so good when someone like her comes along. It's enough to restore faith in human kindness -- that it's alive and well -- sometimes hard to see in day to day happenings.
I'm glad to hear your story, pye.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Feb 08
Yes, it does restore faith in kindness. I'm still flabbergasted by the woman's offer
1 person likes this
@mansha (6298)
• India
27 Feb 08
This is really touching. But then it was oprah's message board. You were bound to meet kind and good people opver there. I also am a member of Oprah's book club. just read the book reviews and discussions. I am never able to buy them as I am from India and most books are either not available or too expensive for me to buy them. Though I read whenever I can through the libraries. My dream is to have a library of my own some day. I am pretty sure it will happen one day. Infact Oprah touches so many lives in so many ways without ever realising it. We only get reruns of her shows here but I still watch them. She is my favorite.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Feb 08
I have so many books of my own that I've collected over the years...I'd be willing to do the same and offer one of my books if someone was interested over at the message boards. Yes, Oprah does touch so many people, it's amazing
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
27 Feb 08
how wonderful for you!
and yes it is our way to help others with no return to that person but to pass it on when ya can . as once we were plum broke waiting for a job and a Uninon brother shook hands with hubby and when he got his hand back he had a $50 bill in it. we have done the same to others the same way from then to now!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
29 Feb 08
Oh wow, that was fantastic of that guy and I bet you're hubby nearly fainted...LOL
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
29 Feb 08
Well unfortunately we only hear the bad and negative in our lives through the media...how often do they report kindness? People's kindness is probably more often than we think...we just don't hear of it
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
27 Feb 08
Yes, this kind of thing has happened to me on various occasions. I've said many times that while we certainly hear a great deal about the rotten deeds done in this world by rotten people, when it comes right down to it there are many more wonderful, kind people than there are bad ones. I've had my faith in human nature restored many times in my lifetime and it makes me really believe in the concept of passing the baton" as you put it. I think we should all, in whatever large or small way we're capable of, commit a random act of kindness on a regular basis. It feels great and it WILL come back to you.
Here's a story I have to tell; we had made plans well in advance to go to a local amusement park, Knoebles, back on September 16, 2001 - yes, the Sunday following the 9-11 attacks. We'd tried all that summer to get our whole family together for a day at the park but with our various work schedules, my daughter chronic illness, my mom's various health concerns which made it hard for me to get away and, of course, every time we managed to pick a date the weather refused to cooperate so this was our last chance, more or less, so we decided to go anyway since the kids were so looking forward to it. We were standing in the line to get the wrist bands so we could ride all the rides all day and trying to figure out how much it was going to cost us. For our whole family it would have come to close to $200, as I recall. This well-dressed young man approached us and asked how many of us were in our party and we told him, I think there were about 8 of us. He then handed us passes for each one of us so we didn't have to pay a single penny. It turned out his company had their picnic planned there months in advance and understandably there were many who didn't show up so he was going through the line looking for families who could use the passes. He simply said, "Here, take these and you and your family have a good time!" At that highly emotional time to begin with I literally couldn't control the tears. We did have a great day which was much needed after the horrible thing we'd all gone through that week!
Annie
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
2 Mar 08
I can't imagine what it must have been like for you, Pye, living there. It sure was bad enough for us here in Pa., I was in a state of shock I think for days myself and I couldn't turn on the TV without sitting there crying over the various personal stories and seeing the replays over and over again. The kids were only 6 and 4 at the time so we all did our best to shelter them from seeing and hearing too much about it. We sure did have a great time that day and I think about that kind man all the time. We all needed to just relax and forget about all the grief and horror for a few hours. Thanks so much for the BR!
Annie
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
29 Feb 08
Forget about that week! Remember I live in the NYC area in the borough of Queens, next door neighbor to Manhattan and one of my friends a few blocks away from me lives in a high rise apt building and could see the 9/11 incident happen right from her window--I think for weeks and weeks after that, everyone including me, was walking around in some kind of daze not believing what had happened
What a wonderful gesture of that man to give you those passes, and I bet you and your family had one of the greatest times ever that day, right?
1 person likes this
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
28 Feb 08
Thats wonderful! I'm so happy for you. It is really a nice thing the woman is doing for you.
I really can't ever recall a stranger doing anything like that for me.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
29 Feb 08
Aw--irishmist someone must have done something nice to you in the past that was unexpected
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
27 Feb 08
Good for your kind (new!) friend, and good for you!
I've always been a believe in 'pay it forward'. You never know what sort of effect your actions will have on another person, just with a simple act of kindness.
It doesn't even have to be something tangible or monetary, it can be a simple kind word and a smile.
Congratulations on your good fortune, and for your new friendship!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
29 Feb 08
I often can't do a pay it forward with anything monetary, but will often give my time to someone who needs a favor without any thought of a "reward"...like the woman down the block from me who needed computer lessons..LOL And yes, quite often the best service one can give to another, especially when they are down is to just be there for them and listen
@pankajlot (252)
• India
28 Feb 08
Thats so nice of her,it has happened to me several time so i can understand your feelings for that lady!
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
29 Feb 08
I'm glad to hear you've been on the receiving end of someone's kindness
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
27 Feb 08
It is always a pleasant surprise to find someone that cares about something enough to make a commitment like that. It sure doesn't happen often and thats a fact. Never happened to me that I can recall.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
29 Feb 08
Yes, her offer certainly was a surprise...I got the book today in the mail..gee, that was fast!
@mrsjbelle (1640)
• United States
15 Mar 08
That brings a tear to my eye. Makes me realize the world can be such a great place:) Thanks for sharing.
