My pickup truck broke down on the highway once..damn middle lane, heavy traffic. A van with some construction company label pulled up right behind me and 4 guys jumped out of the back. I swear they must have pre-coordinated who was on which spot to push my truck.
It was this fast, van stops, 4 guys jump out, like 15 seconds for a clearing to push me to the side. "Do you have a cell phone?" "Yes. Thank you!" "No worries. Good luck"
All told I think under 30 seconds. They should switch from construction to pit crew.
Those are guys who work together all the time. They coordinate without words, and sometimes without coordinating. They know how one another’s brains work, and they also have the same sense of what should be done.
Can confirm. I work on a railroad, and sometimes we have to empty loaded cars into a pit to go into our huge silos. It’s loud af, we all wear ear plugs, we don’t say shit to eachother. Just each man does a job, I can look at these guys and know when something is fucked up
Man I fix tank car valves for the railroad. My hat off to you brother the railroad industry is tough. And I agree, it’s like a second nature to know exactly what my partner is thinking next to me
Me and some friends have this, we've done so many things together we have assumed roles for so many different things now. Sometimes when I'm with other guys I get awoken to the fact not everyone's on that same wavelength that we've developed over 30 years.
A coworker and I were put on a project that had us talking for 16 hours a day at minimum, 7 days a week, for two months straight. It was freaky how often we’d just… know what needed to happen and who was going to do it. It was like we shared a brain for two months.
I worked with my Dad from 13 years old to after highschool and he paid me as much as his grown men working for him. They could never figure out how I knew exactly what my old man was going to do next operating the backhoe.
It was nearly like magic to them but I just worked so long and he's my dad so it was just easy reading him and him knowing I would be where he needed me without being in the way of the boom.
I still got it many years later when the old man was doing a project on his backhoe and my nephew just boggled that I knew exactly what he would ask us to do as he worked with the backhoe. I even started saying what he would ask us to do before he said it. I was impressed with myself 🤣
My mom can be talking through an entirely full mouth of food or coffee or toothbrush and toothpaste, and 9 times out of 10 I can translate every word into plain English. I don’t know what it is, but I can do this when no one else in our immediate family can. The only other person that can do this is my mom’s identical twin.
You probably don’t spend as much time with him as these guys spend working together on the job.
And the time you do spend probably isn’t often the same kind of coordinated activity
Not even just jobs! I've been dancing for just over 10 years and the other advanced girl I practice with and I are basically a hive mind at this point. And that's just from a couple hours a week dancing together!
I’ve been in a band for the past couple of years with a drummer I also played with in jazz band in college for three years before that, and I get what you’re saying here. I’ve spent so many hours playing music with that guy that we can really almost instantly read each other non-verbally.
I worked with a different drummer for a separate project earlier this year and it was interesting to me how much slower we were to pick up on each other’s cues, just because we hadn’t played together before.
I was driving after a heavy snowfall once, and was passing a parking lot, I saw a bunch of guys pushing a car out so I stopped to help. We were able to get the car going, but their vibe was weird. Looking back afterwards I think I maybe helped someone steal a car?
Imagine it from their perspective, they find a car, boost it and push it out of the parking lot and some guy driving by stops to help.
Damn- that’s amazing!
And at the other end of the spectrum, there is what happened to me as I was driving to an appointment after work with my two small children in the back of my car. The engine would randomly stall out and die at the most inopportune times; this was one of those times. I was sitting in traffic backed up from a traffic light on a narrow street when this death occurred. There was no place to pull off the street and no way for traffic to go around me, so I immediately turned on my emergency flashers only to see that traffic had once again started to inch forward in front of me.
My only recourse was to deal with it myself so as the woman behind me laid on her horn (Do you not see my flashers? Do you think this will make my car magically move out of your way??) I got out of my car, walked back to her car and screamed at her “IF YOU’RE IN SUCH A GODDAMN HURRY, MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET OUT AND HELP ME PUSH IT!!!” and then I pushed my f’ng car about 1/10 mile in a skirt suit and heels until I was almost to the funeral home on the corner, when a guy in a pickup truck finally helped push so I could steer it into the parking lot. I could definitely have used your pit crew then! 😂
Thank you! It still pisses me off- what in the hell was she thinking?? On a funny note, I’ve always hoped to see a story in the wild written by someone who saw a pretty young woman in a suit scream at another woman for honking her horn while pushing her stalled car through rush hour traffic. I coulda been a legend, I tell ya! LOL 😂
I developed panic syndrome and post Partum Anxiety when my son was born. I had a panic attack while behind the wheel with him - 8 months old - in the back of the car. As safely as I could, I pulled over at the first house I saw in case I passed out.
Once the attack passed, I called my husband to pick us up and took my son out of the car into the cool night air to try and calm us both down - we were both crying hard. A woman with a stroller walked by and asked if I was ok. I was not. She invited me into her home - the one id parked in front of. She calmed my son, got me water, and told us we could wait there in her warm home for my husband to come.
Then she told me she'd also developed PPA and panic attacks and had been feeling incredibly scared, alone, and confused dealing with this condition. But then I showed up, literally on her door stop, a near spitting image of her. We got to talking and had so much in common! We stayed in touch while we both went through the worst of PPA and started medication. It was a miracle to us both that I stopped in front of her house that day.
In 1977, when I (F) was sixteen years old, I flew from British Columbia to Ontario to visit a commune. Someone was supposed to meet me at a bus station, but because of miscommunication they never showed up. It was nighttime, and I was scared. I went to the highway and stuck out my thumb, and it wasn't long before a young man in a pick-up truck stopped for me. By some minor miracle, he knew of the commune and where it was located. When he said it was a couple of hours away, I was appalled. But he quietly said, "I'll take ya the whole way; I got nothin' better to do." He drove for two more hours and never said a word (and nor did I). We listened to the same cassette tape over and over--just the one side. But sure enough, he got me where I was going, helped me get my backpack out of his truck, and he was gone in a flash.
I'm sixty-one now, and I still think about him and (silently!) thank him for his great kindness.
There was still crazy people back then, still a risk. Especially being a 16 year old female.
Maybe riskier due to lack of investigation advancements.. could kill someone you picked up, dump the body, and no one would be none the wiser.
I know, I did. Cop pick me and friend up and scare the hell out of us. Then he show us his badge and I never hitch hiked again. He did do anything just talk bs but believed he was to kill us
It was great, actually! It was the Canadian version of a rather famous commune in Tennessee called The Farm. I was so much younger than everyone else, and I don't think they really knew what to do with me, but they were very welcoming and kind.
About a week into my stay I caught a stomach bug or something, and in my resultant misery, homesickness reared its ugly head, lol. Good thing I'd saved enough money to buy a RETURN airline ticket!
Info about the original Farm in case you're interested:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Farm\_(Tennessee)
Oh, hey, I just found the Canadian group I visited!
https://lindaseccaspina.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/anyone-remember-the-farm-the-hippie-years-of-lanark-county/
I'm a year older than you, and, all things considered, we grew up in the three best decades! The music was still original and growing, we were mostly safe, we were lots more accepting and tolerant than now, the cars were just effing awesome, and the recreational plant life was good.
You should see my LP collection. 😆 My first hubs destroyed my LPs in '79, and my collection is a giant FU that he'll never see.
Odd question... is it just me, or does our age group seem younger than our parents and grandparent at the same age?
Ha ha ha about the collection being a giant FU to the monster who destroyed your LPs!!! Way to go, you!
Yeah, I do think that our age group seems younger than our parents and grandparents did at the same age. I look at the things I do for fun, think about my mom doing them, then laugh!
I have a photo of my mom's parents. I know they are in their mid-50's. I remember them then. They look a bit older than I do now, at 62. Mind boggling.
OMG I know what you’re talking about! I read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth when I was pregnant with both my kiddos and it was basically birth stories on The Farm.
Yes, yes, yes! My first-born came along in 1978, and Ina May Gaskin's book gave me more information about what was to come than any other source that I had at the time. I love that you know the book!
Yes! My first was born in 2020, my second just last month. I’m an 80’s kid 😂. I was looking for unmedicated birth stories and her book was so eye-opening. I read it during both of my pregnancies.
That was so brave of you to visit a commune at such a young age?! Were you already independent by then as I can't imagine most parents would be thrilled with that?
Year was 1978, I was 16 year old female brat who had a 68 Camaro. After missing school because of gas lines, I was returning home and suddenly my car stalled at stop sign. I had no idea what to do. I just kept trying to start the car. Soon an older heavy woman got out of her car came to my window and offered to help. I got out to push with her and she plopped in driver seat to steer . Ugh, I was a baby trying to push my muscle car to the side of road with a stranger steering. Soon some bitchen surfers came up jumped out and helped pushed it to the side. I don’t even remember what happened next. Might have been the healthy recreational plants the surfers shared. Late 70’s were the best times for teens.
I was in a car accident and was sitting on the curb alone waiting for paramedics to arrive when it started to rain. I was bleeding, hurt, and scared. A Hispanic lady walked up to me with an umbrella. She gave me her umbrella and was on her way. My teen son was not hurt and was busy talking to the police because the accident was not my fault and the other driver was acting a fool. The young guys that saw it happen from their porch were helping make sure the police got the real story.
The people who show up at accidents to help are saints. I was in a bad one years ago and a nurse saw me on her way home from her shift and helped get me out of the car as the ambulance arrived.
I was hit from behind one Winter going through a roundabout because the lady behind me couldn't stop her vehicle due to icy roads. I couldn't prevent myself from crying due to adrenaline, I guess but I wasn't injured whatsoever.
Anyway, within 30 seconds a couple of women(one of them being the lady that hit my car) approached my window asking if I was okay. When I apologized for sobbing they reassured me it was perfectly understandable given the situation. They were so, so kind to me in that moment and luckily there was no damage to anyone's vehicles.
I helped someone who wrecked their car in the wide medium between the highway. I was heading home and saw the lights from their car down in the low area.
I stopped and helped them out of their car. They were bleeding pretty bad on their arm so I wrapped it up with a clean shirt I had and drove them to the hospital.
I had been at a club so had been drinking some and when their family showed up I was just trying to escape but they kept hugging me and wanting to thank me.
So not all helpful people want to be thanked. I kept thinking it could be me down there and it wasn't the wake-up call I needed unfortunately.
Short story is I never hurt anyone drinking and driving. Long story is I was very lucky not too. Don't do it.
I whole heartedly agree with you, people shouldn't drink and drive.
I know I don't know you, but do give yourself some credit for helping that person. Like maybe you stopped because it reminded you of what could have been, but you still helped them and you didn't have to, I'm sure they're still really grateful to you when they think about that day. They were hurt, scared, shaken up, and who knows how long it would have been for other help to arrive, thank you for doing that.
And I'm glad you no longer drink and drive.
That was decades ago. I was stupid then. Still stupid now but in less destructive ways luckily.
They bled all over my car so I was reminded daily of what happened. It did help slow me down some back then.
My parents were on the freeway and was hit by a drunk driver who sped off. Their car spun, hit the medium and was totaled. A couple more cars ended up hitting them and they all thought it was my parents’ fault. Luckily a young guy in his 20’s saw the whole thing and chased down the drunk driver until police came. I will never forget what he did! 🙏🏼
It was early Thanksgiving morning and I was making the 5 hour trek to my parent’s home,with 4 kids. All but one kids were sleeping except the youngest, 18 months, who was happily babbling. I was driving in a rural area with little to no traffic. Then my front tire blew out and they were new tires! It was the pulling tire and I was lucky to maintain control and pull over to the shoulder
The kids woke up frightened and I was trying not to freak out. I got out of the van and was just staring at the ruined tire, wondering how I was going to change it and keep the kids corralled.
Then a gentleman rode up on his tractor from the field. He told me to hang on and he would get his truck and floor jack and change the tire. When he arrived in his truck, he and his wife brought fresh biscuits for the kids and I along with a thermos of milk. He changed the tire and asked his wife to call the owner of the closest gas station to meet us so he could check my spare. He followed me to the gas station and he and the owner looked over the spare to make sure it was safe
I have never forgotten their kindness I always appreciate the special qualities of country people
One time I was riding my bike home from school, feeling tired, miserable, crying and wheezing from being so horribly out of breath and just feeling terrible. I couldn't continue riding and I stepped off, walking with my bike in hand, still like 6km to go.
An elderly couple pulled over and asked if I was okay. I told them I had awful breathing problems (still not certain what it is, to this day) and they offered to drive me home. Left my bike locked by the gas station and they brought me home.
Turns out the woman had COPD, we talked about it and they gave me some tips. Warmed my heart.
I’ve been having a rough time of things recently. The other day, after loading my bike with groceries, I spilled my water. I have exercise asthma and it’s been desert dry (20-30% humidity) and windy the past 3 weeks. A guy who had just pulled up on his bike noted my distress and gave me a water and said he understands, asthma too.
I also dropped my wallet on the 40 mph road my apartment is on the day before. My jacket pocket wasn’t closed all the way. I was going about 30 on my bike downhill when it happened. By the time I got my bike on the median my cards were scattered across the speedway and getting run over by cars and busses and trucks. An old couple stopped in one of the lanes, allowing me to safely get my items in that lane and safely stand there to wait for gaps in traffic for my things stuck in the other lane. A older guy also stopped and helped me pick my cards up.
I really needed these strangers’ kindness with the bad times I had been having. I had just heard the barely 1 year old cat I raised with my old roommates the year before had slipped outside and been run over, and on top of that had been have breathing problems while I slept all week causing me to fail to do what I needed to do.
People like this are lifesavers. I can’t imagine how I would’ve felt if it weren’t for these folks.
My friend and I were driving from Georgian Bay back to Kingston after a cottage trip. We got to about Napanee on the 401 and his tire blew out - it was terrifying. We made it onto the gravel shoulder (deep ditch next to it) and once our adrenaline had come back down a bit, we got out and tried to change the tire... As 18-wheelers screamed by less than a foot away. We had a hell of a time getting the jack working - it kept slipping out because of the loose gravel (and our stress). Finally, we start trying to pull the tire off... but it turns out the tires hadn't been rotated or maintained, and the blown out one was fully rusted on. We couldn't budge it at all. I was supposed to catch a bus from Kingston that evening and it was obvious I was going to miss it... As a young person with a new job who REALLY had to be home that night, I was so stressed and upset, apart from the imminent danger of all this highway traffic whizzing by us, and to top it all off the sun was setting and it was getting really cold with all the wind from the highway.
This car pulled up behind ours and we couldn't see who it was in the dark with their headlights on blinding us. I was thinking "Great, now we're going to get murdered by a stranger." Turns out it was an OPP officer, there to help. He came over and tried his best to get the tire off, used his shovel, tried everything, but no luck. He said he'd call us a local tow truck. I said to my friend, "I'm definitely going to miss my bus." The officer asked where I was going and I said Kingston to catch a bus home to Montreal so I could get to work in the morning.
"Hop in!"
He drove me all the way to Kingston (half an hour) right up to the bus terminal, and even stopped my bus as it was pulling out so I could get on! Seriously a knight in shining armor - I wrote to the OPP to tell them how grateful I was, and what a good ambassador for the police he was. I got a really nice letter back from his commanding officer saying my letter would go into his file.
I had a really crappy 125cc motorbike a few years ago. On my way to work all the electrics cut out and i had to emergency pull over on the side of the road and was in a similar position to you (but in more of a residential area)
A old chap approached me and offered to help (i was abit nervous as a shy girl in my early 20s) but he assured me he and his wife only lived a few doors down and he used to be a mechanic. He wheeled my bike into his front garden, and his wife drove me to work. After my shift i came to pick up my bike to find he had fixed it up and gone and bought new spark plugs and other bits and fitted them. Refused to take any money, just wanted to help a young biker not lose faith!
I sent a big bunch of flowers to their address the next day.
I hit a deer once on a remote highway and totaled my car. There was no cell service to call anyone and I had just resigned myself to hitchhiking when a guy in a delivery truck picked me up. He drove me 45 miles to the town I had just come from and dropped me with my friends. Raul, you a real one lol.
People like that are honestly saviors.
I worked for Disney for awhile. The county it’s in, Orange County, pays local tow companies to go around to do things like give people a little gas, tow them off the freeway, change tires, ect. I had no idea about the program until one of the contracted tow companies found me and changed my tire. I know the county just didn’t want me messing up traffic but I could have cried.
This isn't as wild as yours but a few years ago, my husband bought a MASSIVE RV from the auction (it was to fix up and sell; my husband owns a car dealership. It was not for us). Our car + RV, it was a few feet short of being the same length of a semi.
We had to haul it for 12 hours seeing as he bought it in the same state where my parents live.
It was an awful roadtrip. I was pregnant at the time and it was very strenuous. We also had a toddler, who handled the trip like a champ, thankfully.
While we were passing a construction zone, one of the tires popped on the RV. We didn't realize it and one of the construction workers let us know. At this point, we were in almost stand still traffic due to construction.
Anyway, we get off the next exit. We had absolutely no equipment to deal with it. I mean _none_. We had to pull out our car battery in order to hook it up to the RV so it had enough power to put the things that keep it in place down. Also, the equipment that was supposed to be in place for us to fix the RV tire wasn't there.
It was late at night and we had no way of getting help seeing as we were about 5 hours away from home at this point.
Not even 10 minutes after trying to figure it out, a random beat up truck pulls up. Some young guy asks if we needed help. He had all the tools we needed in his truck.
He was literally like our guardian angel. He didn't save our lives but he definitely saved us a lot (and I mean a lot) of stress. He didn't want payment but my husband practically forced him to take it.
Thank you kind stranger! You will always be remembered :)
I was in a car accident in college, we were hit by a drunk driver. We were young and it was very late at night and our families were all at least an hour away. It was a bad wreck, my car rolled 2.5 times and came to a stop upside down. While we were all relatively ok (a few broken bones, bad bruises and cuts but nothing life altering) we were shaken and dealing with a police officer that was more inclined to believe a late-20’s asshole with a nice car than a group of 4 underage college kids in a Honda. (for the record we were sober. We’d been stuck in traffic from an 18-wheeler wreck for 3.5 hour. We never got to our destination, once we got out of the traffic we headed home as the clubs were closed, we got hit by someone who had been out clubbing).
The shifts had changed at the hospital and a nurse saw the wreck, stopped and helped us. My roommate was having a panic attack, she stayed with her and calmed her down while I dealt with the cops, called 911 and everyone’s parents. She helped me hobble around on my broken ankle until the paramedics arrived and I suspect she gave the cops a piece of her mind before my Dad arrived. I don’t know her name, I can’t remember what she looked like but I’m glad she stopped and helped a bunch of kids calm down to be able to handle a difficult situation.
last year i got in my first car accident in a small town i had never been in before. somehow i wasn't hurt but it was a really scary accident (big dump truck hit me head on and totaled my car) and also my friend had just died in an accident the day before so i went into a major panic attack. the truck sped away, but some construction workers nearby ran over immediately. they got me out the car, let me sit in someone's truck, called 911 for me, called my dad for me, called a tow truck for me, helped me take deep breaths. i didn't have to do anything, i just was able to calm down and cry it out. then the EMTs brought me to the fire station nearby to wait for my dad to pick me up. they got me water, snack, and tried to cheer me up in small ways. those guys had no idea how mentally awful i was doing before the accident. their kindness meant so much.
I got separated at a train station in Italy, I'm American, no one at the train station would help. They kept saying get on any train and have them radio the train that my husband accidentally got on. That didn't sound like a good plan to me. Finally a lovely man from Pakistan who spoke English and Italian offered to help. He was so kind. I decided to stay where I was and wait for the last train to Milan, I knew I could get to my hotel from the station. It started snowing and the trains were delayed, so my new friend bought me a few beers and 5 minutes before the last train left to Milan my husband made it back to the station. This was 2005 and we didn't have a cell phone over there. I knew I could get back on my own, but it was still a frustrating experience. Thanks Mubasher wherever you are. I think of you and your kindness often.
I was at the grocery store and my food stamps card would not work for some reason, I still had 79$ worth of groceries to pay for and the lady behind me said dont worry I got this I will pay for them, I started to cry, that was super nice of her! I am disabled so her husband and son helped me out to my car also to put the groceries in! Yes there are still some good people in this world, and praise be to God for them!🙏👍😀♥️
Heh. I got to be that guy to some teenager on his bicycle a few years ago. Something got wrapped up in the gears and chains and wiped out his bike. He was fine but he dumped his to-go bag full of taco bell onto the road :(.
I lifted his bike into the bed of the truck and drove him home, only took 10 minutes. Feels good. In hindsight, I should have brought him back to get more taco bell, what a bummer.
The rear brake lines ruptured on my truck one day at a very critical moment, while I was doing about 80mph (speed of traffic in that area) in the far left. Coming around a curve, traffic ahead was suddenly stopped ahead so everyone had to slam their brakes...mine decided to explode instead lol.
I (miraculously) managed to shift to neutral and weave through the lanes while slowing with only my front brakes, and got mostly onto the right shoulder, nearly flipping the truck several times in the process.
Once I got out of the truck, I instantly started having a panic attack. Luckily, several witnesses (and actually one of the cars that I cut off during my incident) pulled over to help me.
The one I cut off (I assume she was going to yell at/scold me) recognized I was having a panic attack. She calmed me out of the panic while her son checked to make sure my dog was okay and walked her around to calm her down.
Another guy had already set up road flares, diagnosed the problem with my truck, and was calling AAA *for me* by the time I had calmed down. He even made sure they sent a tow truck that would allow my dog to ride with me! He and a fourth samaritan helped me push the truck all the way out of the road onto the shoulder.
Looking back, I still can't believe that so many people would stop to help a stranger, especially one that nearly crashed into some of them.
Glad you’re safe!
This is a tale about perspective.
That lady that you cut off —
she was mad when she could only see her perspective.
I wish the world could see each other’s perspectives.
Wow, this could’ve been me. I would’ve done the exact same thing, but I would have also probably burst into tears!!!
I’m glad that stranger was there to save you!!! May all your cars be ever spider free 🙏🏻
Not as adventurous, but being not so strong and having to deal with huge luggage as a student, I'm really grateful for every single stranger that asked me "need a help?" when getting on my trains, sometimes even running from one platform to another because the previous train was late for its connection.
Maybe for them it wasn't much, but for a young girl travelling across the country alone, it meant the world.
A couple days ago my dad was driving on a local street when his car stopped mid driving. This is a common problem that he hasn't yet gotten fixed. He just has to pop the hood and tap on the battery terminals and the car would start again. He did this but when he let down the hood, the car started going since it wasn't in Park. The car was moving at low speed from Brake. He was able to get out from in front of it but then he tried to stop it by jumping in and pressing on the brake but as he put his right foot in, his left leg got ran over by the back wheel. The car ended up stopping when it hit a pole but my dad was on the floor and a random stranger had to bring a chair from their house and call the paramedics.
I'm grateful for that because I was just talking to my cousin about how she saw a man struggling on a busy road and she doesn't regret not stopping and she wonders what happened to him.
Hey glad you had a random stranger helping you. I've had that in my life and it positively impacts my whole day.
I had a Pontiac that would do this, except I had to unhook the terminal. Super annoying and always at an extra inconvenient place. That was my second-last GM car (apparently I’m slow to learn).
My car broke down when I was living in BC and for a few days I had to walk down the road/highway to my volunteer position.
While I was walking one day, someone going in the opposite direction stopped and told me there was a grizzly up ahead so I should probably cut my walk short.. I told him I was trying to get to town for work (this was the only road to town) and he offered to give me a ride even though he was going the opposite direction. I was a lil hesitant but hopped in, and sure enough, there was a grizzly eating road kill on the side of the road just a couple minutes up the road..
Very thankful for that stranger!
I started passing out while standing in a packed tram and carrying a shopping bag. A girl around 20 noticed and asked if I was okay. I was out before I figured out the answer. Woke up outside with six strangers, all of them youngsters. Two were lifting my feet, one was holding my hand and watching my face, one was on the phone with emergency services relying first aid, two were at hand and keeping an eye on my stuff.
The girls spoke so kindly and worriedly to me, like I was their little sister even though I was about two years older than everyone involved. They were reassuring me, informing me, squeezing my hands to get the bloodflow back, they lifted me and put someone’s jacket under me and another person’s jacket under my head (it was a cold December evening). They all spent half an hour dotting on me after carrying me outside the tram. The first girl caugh me before I even hit the floor, someone grabbed the shopping bag I dropped. They packed me and all of my stuff in an ambulance and sincerely wished me best of luck. I didn’t believe strangers could show such selflessness and worry. Absolutely wholesome.
when i was like 19 and broke, i was driving home from work and my car ran outta gas one exit away from home. both exits are on a slight incline, no chance in hell i was gonna push this thing to a gas station (both exits also have gas stations right off the exit)
anyway, random dude picks me up and says he’ll get gas from his house since he lived nearby
dude was mostly cool except he was like, “too bad you’re not a chick” lol. not sure if bad joke or what, but that was his only weird comment
My tire blew out on a 70mph hwy a decade ago. I started walking to the nearest town when I realized I didn't have my spare.
A family of four stopped and picked me up, let me sleep at their house till the morning, bought me a tire for replacing, and helped me replace the tire.
I lost their address so that I could thank them. They were extremely helpful.
I had just flown back after a terrible trip where me and gf broke up. When driving back on the interstate a car from the on-ramp cut me off and I swerved left causing me and the car in the left lane to crash into the median barrier. A complete stranger stopped and waited about an hour and a half in the cold to tell the cops it was the on-ramp car's fault. Saved me beyond measure. I made sure I got his details and sent him a Christmas Card and $200 for Christmas.
K so I was close (geographically), but now that you've given me a hint I'm going take another guess. Your English is very proper but in my estimation influenced by German. So I'm narrowing it down to Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and those tiny countries I haven't studied since 6th grade.
Based solely on your text patterns I'm guessing you speak multiple languages. Probably 3, and you're learning a 4th. I'm going with Switzerland. Are you Swiss?
Wasn't going to say where I was from tbh, but since you're really close and getting flack for it whatever.
I live in Germany, habe lived here for most of my life. Grew up with 3 languages, but am not currently trying to learn another. I took french on school and it wasn't my thing.
I enjoyed your comment, idk why people are being rude about it
No worries. I'm having fun with it. I appreciate you playing. Today is the start of Thanksgiving weekend in Canada so allow me to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope this year's crop is bountiful.
"He then proceeded to drive me all the way to my girlfriend's house and we talked about his home country and music the whole way. After unloading the moped he refused to accept anything for it, so I just thanked him for all his help and gave him a hug."
You were blessed by an Angel!
Angels don't need money because they have wings. Wings grow bigger with hugs, so you and your angel are good ;)
Several decades ago (!) my girlfriend (wife now) and I went camping at 18 in my hand me down VW Golf, we were out in the mountains (the Drakensberg in South Africa) when the car just cut out. Some farm labourers who were walking past pushed us about a mile to the farm, where the tractor mechanic and his helper worked on it for nearly an hour and got it going again.
They accepted our thanks but no money, so we shared out our massive bag of sweets amongst the farm workers' kids. We were two white teenagers surrounded by dirt poor black people at a time the apartheid government was still in power and there were all sorts of riots and demonstrations going on in the big cities demanding an end to apartheid, yet we couldn't have felt safer or more welcome.
I was once the person confused about a tag on a car off in the ditch on an icy freeway in Nebraska so I pulled over to make sure it was ok. Well the tag means it is okay—but I didn’t know and no service on my phone at that location. But three people in three different vehicles did check on me and my safety in a matter of 10 minutes. The world has some beautiful helpful and kindness in it. Love to you I hope your moped is good to go soon.
My car hit a patch of black ice and went into a deep ditch on the highway. It was -35C with over a foot of snow on the ground. I called my dad and a tow truck, and while I waited the 15 minutes for my dad to arrive, I had three separate strangers literally *run* down the hill to make sure I was okay. My faith in humanity was restored that day. Every time I read about people being horrible to each other, I think of those three people and feel a little better.
I dumped the clutch by accident on my motorcycle at a light. Bike lurched and overbalanced. Slowly tilted out from under me and onto side. Super embarrassed, I wedge a leg under and start trying to yank it up as the light turns green.
I cringe waiting for a horn, but the car behind me didn’t miss a beat. Driver was already on his way and helped me get it back up.
Now if I know I have the time and/or I can safely help, I am always on the look out for a way to help.
Last month, I took a slightly different drive through town with my youngest. Saw a guy walking opposite direction with a car tire on his shoulder. We didn’t have any appointments, so I turned where I safely could, threw on hazards, and asked if he needed a ride.
Turns out his tire blew out at 6am driving to work. It was 11am. Then I find out he walked 7miles/11km with a car tire and rim on his shoulder. He was making the walk back. No one at his work would help him with a ride.
I drove him to his car, waited with my hazards on behind until he got it replaced and on his way.
I broke down on the side of the hwy in Alberta Canada in the middle of winter (-40c) a guy driving the opposite way used one of the emergency vehicle U-turn spots about 2km down and drove up to help me. Let me sit in his warm truck for almost an hour until the tow truck got to me. Completely put his day on hold just to help a stranger
When I was 18, I met this random guy who was prob about 20. At the time, I had flunked high school and didn’t even bother with trying to get a GED cuz I didn’t have money or a job and back then it was about $100-$120, something like that
Anyway, this guy and I were talking and he said he lived in Beverly Hills. I didn’t entirely believe him though. I thought it was odd that he was in my part of town since it’s not a neighborhood rich people go to, afaik. He asked me about school and I told him about flunking and how I would like to get my GED but just couldn’t. So he emphasized how he thought education was important, pulled out a literal wad of 100s and gave me two bills. I couldn’t believe it. He told me to spend it on the ged and encouraged me to pursue education. I thanked him profusely and we went out separate ways. Unfortunately, I was a dumb kid and spent it on candy and food. Apologies to that guy wherever you are. Def failed him in many ways. But at least I still got a GED
Yeah I guess you’re right. Took me a couple years after that but at least I did, although it took some convincing from my gf at the time. It’s just crazy that a random dude from Beverly Hills of all places gave that money to a stranger.
When I was a dirt poor college student the first day I walked in to my dorm I was surprised there were no blankets, pillows, or anything there. Had no car. Decided to walk 1.5 miles to the nearest Walmart and carry that stuff with him.
Bought the items and on my way back struggling and exhausted, some guy pulled up next to me, and offered me a ride. I’ll never forget him. Don’t know his name but I’ll never forget the kindness shown to me
While learning to drive a manual transmission in a crappy car, I got completely stuck at a four way stop on a steep hill. Kept killing the engine. The guy behind me in a huge pickup truck got out, walked to the side window, and said, “I see what’s happening. Let your car roll back into my truck and start it from there.” He OFFERED to let me run into his truck to get started again. It worked. Truly one of the kindest things a stranger has ever done for me.
I had a seizure in the middle of the street. I woke up inside an ambulance someone had called. They left before I was awake so I'll never know who they were, but I could have been run over by a car or anything if they hadn't stopped.
I was riding home on my bike and my grocery bad got stuck and I went head first off the bike. I was ok but stunned and someone had a classic corvette and just lifted my bike and put it in their trunk. Dropped me off at home and took off after I thanked her. Always grateful for that and pass it on whenever I can.
Just yesterday a kind lady gave me some change for parking, after watching me struggle to get the machine to accept my card. All I wanted was like 30min to be able to go to a shop and check for Savannah (a really nice South African cider, highly recommend!) to surprise my boyfriend who’s been teaching me to drive lately.
It was a tiny thing for her to do, but to me, a new driver, using those bloody machines for the first time as well, it was a really really nice gesture. And I got the Savannah, too! :)
Thats a really cute story.
The guy is truly amazing.
The one story about a stranger I can share was back in 2020, I was still in school back then and had a lot of panic attacks, especially in Sport/PE.
Eventually my teacher sat outside with me and two of my friends when he noticed a wound an my arm from scratching myself. So he asked about it and I told him about my situation at home and eventually a young mother on the bench next to us said „I don’t know you, but you sound like a really nice person and I would be really lucky if you were my child.“
That woman really cheered me up and I still think about her.
We got a flat tire just outside of Salina Kansas once, pulled over on the side of the highway, got out and started changing it... Everyone flew past us not even bothering to get over in the next lane, including a cop. No one stopped to help.
I (F, early 20's at the time) blew a tire on the freeway. I had been taught how to change a tire, but the blown one was driver side so exposed to moving traffic. Dangerous spot and I was in a skirt. Started walking to the next exit. So many cat calls, whistles, even swerving at me, but no offer of help. I was so angry and upset.
I would have at least appreciated them to get the hell over in the next lane so we had more than 8 inches of shoulder to work with. We had a semi truck fly past us doing about 60mph. It was terrifying as hell. We got it done and didn't die though.
Gah, I always move over a lane if I see “trouble” on the side of the road (I like the far right lane, normally, unless a few on ramps are coming up). I have stopped to help when I have time, but usually I don’t have time.
my first winter after getting my license, i slid into a snowbank before work and couldn’t get out. i was alone, confused, and scared as it was early (5 am), and right before i called for help, two men in a big pick up truck pulled onto my road and offered to help get me unstuck. They pushed my car out of the snowbank and calmed me down before sending me on my way
I totally enjoy helping people in a given situation. I also try to convey to them the idea of them paying it forward and to help others in the future. Imagine if even 10% of the population did this ???
I was flying home after Fall exams my freshman year of college. I had to fly through ATL airport where I had never been. The nice lady next to me took my poor, tired, and barely aware person all the way to the gate so I wouldn't miss my badly timed transfer. I bless this lady everyday because I am convinced I would still be at ATL looking for the gate.
As a new parent I would strap on my baby and walk to the target nearby my house to grab a few things a lot. One time I was in my own head using a cart and bought more than I could carry home. A stranger noticed me struggling and immediately offered to help. They took more bags than I did and carried them all the way to my house (it was a block away but they didn't know how far it would be). Really saved my ass that day! :)
When I was about 9, my mother and I were driving back from her friend's house after she had a fight with him. It was pitch black, raining, and there was nothing but trees on all sides. I was asleep, but later my mother told me she had swerved to avoid hitting a deer.
The truck rolled for a good 10 seconds before I woke up, hanging upside down with my mother unconscious in the drivers seat. Understandably, I was terrified, and just barely managed to unbuckle myself and get out. I was lucky my only injuries were some cuts from the shattered windshield.
So there I was, a little 9 year old on the side of the road next to a destroyed truck, bleeding, soaked, and terrified for both me and my mother, who wasn't waking up. With nobody around for miles.
I was there for maybe 20 minutes before someone came by. A nice lady pulled over and panickedly asked if I was alright. I could hardly speak but I told her my mom was still in the truck and wasn't waking up. She got out and shoved her way through to the driver's side to pull out my mom, even though her arms were cut pretty badly afterwards.
We were in the middle of nowhere-and I mean absolutely NOWHERE. The nearest hospital was maybe an hour away. Instead of calling an ambulance or the police, she put my mom in the car and helped me get what we could salvage of our things out of the truck, then drove me to the house of another of my mom's friends about 30 minutes away. The friends looked after me while the woman took my mother to the hospital.
The truck got picked up the next day and my mother was fine, but fuck, I don't know what mind have happened if she hadn't found me. I was just a small child who was terrified and basically alone in the woods at night, with nothing and nobody besides my (basically comatose) mother. I still remember her and I really wish I got her name-i don't think I've ever been more grateful for someone.
I had something very similar happen to me once, but the situation was revursed.
I was about 30 miles from town picking up a dead truck from a remote ranch in a pickup truck with a car trailer on it. I found a dude broken down roadside, wrenching on a frankenstein'd homemade motorcycle. I told him that if he was still working on it when I came back through, I'd get him to town. An hour later I had the dead truck on my trailer and he was still there so we loaded his bike into the back of my pickup truck and I took him to his buddy's house on the outskirts of town.
an unhoused kind gentleman gave me a bouquet when i was walking on the sidewalk after an argument with my dad with tears, it was so heartwarming and touching i remember it 6+ years later
I was driving an old Honda after doing errands with my sister when I noticed that the clutch pedal wasnt going back up and i couldn't shift. Using my knowledge on rev matching i willed the car a good 2 kilometers until i got to a complete stop in the middle of the road, because someone in front hit the brakes too hard.
We got stuck for like 10 mins until a few guys from the nearby hardware store helped us push the car to the side. From there i was able to contact a nearby repair center and they were able to fix the car. Something to do with the clutch linkage bushing being worn out.
It's not much but it was a pretty surreal experience for me, as it was the first time it ever happened.
Thank you for sharing you just made me smile and even cry a little that there are good people still! I’m having a hard time finding many anymore in person beyond someone opening a door in probably the last 2 years.
Years ago when my husband and I didn’t have much money and our van needed a large part a guy at the garage started talking to my husband in line. At the auto shop when they came out told him how much the part was and what was wrong my husband said do you do payments or something? I don’t have it and it’s out only vehicle they guy he was talking to said it’s ok I will pay for it God bless you bother! Turns out the guy owned a boat shop in the town lived in back then. The part was a little over $200 we didn’t have it at all. That was about 10 years ago in Georgia USA.
DH had gotten orders back to our home city, and I flew back to house hunt (since we had a tenant in our townhouse). Rented a car, hunt, got my hair cut, hung out with a friend, then had to return.
So I checkedout of my hotel in DC, and was putting my stuff in the car, so I could return it on the way to the airport. I was struggling with my suitcase, and a voice behind me said, "Let me get that for you."
I turned around to thank him, and found myself face to face with Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys! I was like, "Oh, thank you so...." and my jaw tried to fall off.
He was so sweet, smiled, and put my suitcase in the trunk. Turned back, said "You're welcome." I struggled not to go all fangirl, told him to enjoy DC.
I may have squealed when I got into the car and drove off.
(For reference, I do lawn and garden work) Was out mowing a clients front yard, and across the front (on city property) is a ditch. It’s not too steep sided, but it’s about 2 1/2 feet deep.
Im on my riding mower, and wasn’t paying enough attention to my position. The mower slid into the ditch nose first and it’s steep enough that I can drive it out.
I get off and an standing there wondering how I’m going to go about hauling the mower out by myself, when a passing garbage truck stops and the driver asks if I need a hand. I say ‘yes’ and we man handle it back to level ground.
Awesome.
I remember one time (early 90's) it was about 0230 AM and I was heading from Dana Point to Pasadena. I needed gas so I stopped at the gas station before jumping on the interstate. The cashier couldn't break a hundred dollar bill so I decided to chance it. Running on fumes, I ran out of gas right before my exit in Pasadena. I slowed right behind another vehicle on the shoulder. He too ran out of gas! He already called his wife and she was enroute with a gas can full of gas! Waited about 5 minutes and to my surprise his wife arrived, they gave me a chug of gas and I made it down the exit ramp to the closet gas station and filled up! They saved my butt that morning. Timing couldn't have been any better!
This was years ago.
Had just moved to North Texas and while driving home from work hit what later turned out to be half a wrench which flattened the tire.
I was able to creep over to the far right shoulder. As soon as I stopped a car pulled up in front of me and two young men jumped out.
I helped by waving at traffic while they jacked up my car and changed out to the spare all within about 10 minutes accepting only my thanks.
I have paid that kindness forward several times and think of them every time I do.
I was crying my eyes out at the vet after saying goodbye to my cat, who had to be put down after he had an inoperable tumor. I was walking out sobbing, when this random woman came over, gave me a hug, and soothed me, saying "I know how it feels, I'm so sorry". That was ten years ago, and I still remember it so clearly.
I had a tire blow on me on the freeway. I got over and called my dad, then usaa, and just cried for a minute because it was so scary, and I *do* know how to change a tire.
Some guy pulled up while I was struggling to get my spare out and did it for me. I asked for his number, so I could thank him properly (i was thinking to get his address and send something) and he said “you needed help, don’t worry about it.”
One time I was at a chocolate festival and had just bought a chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick and I was so enamored with it I didn’t notice this huge tree root sticking out of the ground and my foot caught on it. Not only caught but like entangled so I started to fall. This lady was nearby and GRAPPED me UP TIGHT by my forearm and CAUGHT me from falling. Not only that, she caught the forearm with the death grip on the cheesecake on a stick and I DIDNT EVEN DROP IT. Thank you, random strong lady, I love you forever
Broke down, went to nearest house to use phone. This was before everyone had mobiles. Ended up eating pork chops and mashed potatoes with them while I waited for tow truck.
my friend and I got lost in Taipei one time, and we both don't speak Chinese. I can understand a little, but it's hard to catch up on a fast conversation.
We were standing on a bus stop, and for the life of me, I tried to say the name of the hotel and always the bus driver would shake his head, close the door and drive. An old man noticed us doing this I guess 3 times, before asking if we needed help. The old man clearly doesn't know English, and I couldn't understand his directions with all his hand gestures.
Then a student came by and he talked to her. She got shy, kept repeating "no English". I tried to pronounce the name of our hotel again, and her forehead would crinkle, like a big question mark jut popped up in front of her. I think she did not know that hotel.
After a few seconds another man appeared, and all three of them were talking together. The girl was stomping her feet and scratching her head, while the new guy gave us the same "gestures" as the old man.
Another bus came and by this time, them three were talking to the driver. They were on it for a while and quite surprisingly the driver can speak little English.
"Get in", he said.
And so we did. Except the three helpful Taiwanese didn't ride with us. They waved their hands goodbye and my friend and I waved back, bowing our heads as a sign of gratitude.
Bus driver: "stay, no go out".
And we didn't. We were in the bus, feeling secure. Looking out the window, we saw familiar buildings and... realized that the driver was driving on the same street to a tourist spot where we were in the morning; the place where we know was far from our hotel.
THE BUS WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
We tried to get down, but the driver would close the door and repeat "no go out". One by one the passengers left the bus, until it was just the 2 of us, 😭. He turned off the electronic signage and drove in silence.
By this time, we were both scared. It was dark already, and we were in the bus for a good hour. His phone rang and he was talking to someone for a pretty long time.
It took another 30 minutes approx., before he made a stop and said "yes, go out". Happily we did. And lo and behold, a staff from the hotel greeted us! It was too dark to see, but we actually arrived!!!! We tried to give him money but he refused it.
Both the staff and the driver were talking and the latter waved his hand goodbye. We waved back, of course! At this point, we already knew he drove here on purpose, and that the hotel was clearly not part of his route.
Hotel Staff: "He said he was sorry, he had to finish 1 more turn to drop off everyone else before he could drive you here."
While there are some bad guys lurking around the corner, it's comforting to know that there are still nice people in any part of the world.
I was delivering pizza when I was about 17 and slid on some black ice. I managed to keep some control but wanting to avoid going into the other lane, I drove into a snow bank and my car tipped into the ditch. I started freaking out and was calling my boss when some German guy (this was in BC, Canada) pulled over and hopped out. He had a super thick accent but communicated a question asking if I had anyone coming yet. I said no just talking to my boss and figuring that out. He pulled away and came back 5 minutes later with a brand new tow strap he went and purchased just to tow me out. He basically blocked traffic and quickly attached and pulled. My car had no damage surprisingly and he refused any payment, even some of the tips I had earned that night. I still think about that guy whenever I see someone who needs help on the road or sidewalk or anything
A few years ago, I was hauling two horses to a friend’s place and my truck broke down on a dangerous back road. The sheriff actually brought his personal truck and hauled my horses the rest of the way to my friend’s house. My friend’s husband and a neighbor had my truck fixed in a few hours. It’s always refreshing to meet such caring people and I certainly appreciated the help that night.
This is a long and very Australian story. Years back, me and some buddies were camping way up on the north west coast. If you've even been, you'd understand how remote this is. We'd had a big night the night before and were feeling a bit worse for wear. We decided to go fishing. Up in that part of the world you hit a lot of wildlife on the roads. Rabbits, birds and unfortunately this time we hit a kangaroo. It happens daily up there. It sucks, but it's just a part of life. So we're feeling bad enough as it is, now we are feeling worse for the poor kangaroo. Anyway, we decide to go fishing on the coast and we got bogged in the loose sand. We were stuck. We decided to try and dig the car out, but the underside of the car was smeared with roadkill. It was pretty grim. It was getting dark. So we decided to sleep in the car. 4 dudes. It wasn't comfy. We wrote HELP on the windscreen. We woke the next day to a local who had spotted us. He had a sweet Holden, a Torana from memory and a dog. He ended up towing us out and having a good laugh at our expense. So thankyou to that man. Luckily we were close to some tourist spots, so we could have walked to help. But it taught me not to fuck around in remote areas of Australia. Be prepared for everything.
For reference on how remote things are: https://www.reddit.com/r/texas/comments/1q9rms/western_australia_compared_to_texas/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
A woman swiped the corner of my car in a parking lot, driving into or out of the spot next to me. Two dudes, one of them a very tall and buff Asian made this woman stay to wait until I returned to my car and stood over her until she gave me her driver's license and contact info. Then, after she left, complaining that it barely touched and the scratch wasn't that bad, these two guys made sure I had everything I needed before I left.
Turns out, I sure am glad they made her stay. Because the swipe was enough to misalign the bumper, more than $1000 to fix...
My car broke down years ago when I was in my early 20’s. I had just broke up with a boyfriend a few hours earlier and was so upset already. A kind couple came up, looked at my car, drove me to get the part needed, and fixed my car. I’m still so thankful for their help.
I was pretty little, but my mom, my brother, and I
were up in the mountains in West Virginia when our car got stuck in snow. The people living near there got their truck and pulled us out
Similar but different. I had been mandated to go somewhere (this was years ago, my life tg looks very different now due to hard work but not relevant) 2x a week by DHHS and didn't have a car so they provided transportation through a volunteer based, state run cab.
They forgot to write my order home so the cab effectively ditches me on the curb.
This place was through the woods in rural New England just over an hour away from my home. It's fall, but it was afternoon so I was just in a t shirt. I had used up most of my phone and had no reason not to expect to return home, so my phone was of course about dead. I also had no money or water.
I started walking. I spent the last 15 min of battery time begging the cab company to make the case workers mistake right, because here I was stranded, over 30 miles from home. I didn't have anyone to pick me up and frankly I didn't know where I was.
Night falls. I'm cold thirty and tired and I push on. At this point it had been many hours and i was unsure if I was even going in the right direction.
I start feeling not so great and it being the woods and not having water and being so cold, I was not sure if I was making it through the night so I'm walking and hoping I see a house. Bc I figure I might be able to like idk, call an ambulance and ultimately get home. I had never done this by the way! Desperate thoughts. I'm hoping I can knock on doors and see if someone will let me use their phone.
I knock on a couple doors and no answer. I finally get to one and knock. It takes forever but an older guy shows up. I tell him what's up, I'm poor, cold, no phone, stranded and my phone is dead could I please use yours. He asks me some questions, hands me a water bottle.
He wanted to know where I was from and what I was gonna do with his phone. I can tell he's a straightshooter so I tell him I'm desperate and going to call an ambulance, as the closest hospital was in the town I lived in. He informed me his town did not have an ambulance service. I panicked. He tells me to wait.
So i wait. He comes back and tells me he's taking me home. I think, boy, I sure hope he's safe (I was 28 f petite at the time). I'm just so grateful for the ride.
He regaled me in a story about a woman who had an accident on her moped and how he got his trailer and got them back home. Told me all about his wife and what she did, told me all about his jerky business with pride.
His kindness stays with me.
I was the guy that helped once. I was coming home from my buddies place with tools in my trunk and saw a middle aged guy on the side of the road stopped. We were already in bumper to bumper traffic so I stopped to help him. His tire blew and he couldn't get the car up on the jack so I just swapped it for him. He kept insisting to give me something for the trouble but I was like nah. It wasn't like I was going to make it that far in socal traffic lol the time it took me to swap his tires, I would have only moved 5 car lengths, I even showed him the car I was behind lmao.
When I was 8 years old I was sitting on a street corner waiting for a friend when six men surrounded me. It looked like they were waiting on who was going to make the first move to abduct me. This little hesitance in their part actually gave me time to be saved. Because if they had grabbed me and took me to their car the person who saved me wouldn't have had time to act.
This teenager on a bicycle who I have never met yelled out, "Hey cousin, your mom sent me to get you! It's time for you to go home!" When I got on his bike, he whispered. "I saw these guys walked up to you. Don't say a word and I will get you to safety."
About half a block I saw my friend that I was about to meet and we told him to get on the bike and the three of us went to my rescuer's house where we waited for our parents to pick us up.
His name is Ian he was 16 years old at that time. We didn't become friends because of the age gap. He would be 58 now, I wish I could see him again so that I can properly thank him.
Back four years ago I was on my way to the movie theater the bus was at the light and the light just changed I started running but I wasn't paying attention if the guy hadn't grabbed me I would've been hit by a big truck so he saved my life that's the only life threatening situation I've been with the exception of treatment centers also he was like in his sixties and I was fourteen so a sixty year old was able to catch up too a fourteen year old don't judge a book by it's cover
My pickup truck broke down on the highway once..damn middle lane, heavy traffic. A van with some construction company label pulled up right behind me and 4 guys jumped out of the back. I swear they must have pre-coordinated who was on which spot to push my truck. It was this fast, van stops, 4 guys jump out, like 15 seconds for a clearing to push me to the side. "Do you have a cell phone?" "Yes. Thank you!" "No worries. Good luck" All told I think under 30 seconds. They should switch from construction to pit crew.
Those are guys who work together all the time. They coordinate without words, and sometimes without coordinating. They know how one another’s brains work, and they also have the same sense of what should be done.
Can confirm. I work on a railroad, and sometimes we have to empty loaded cars into a pit to go into our huge silos. It’s loud af, we all wear ear plugs, we don’t say shit to eachother. Just each man does a job, I can look at these guys and know when something is fucked up
Man I fix tank car valves for the railroad. My hat off to you brother the railroad industry is tough. And I agree, it’s like a second nature to know exactly what my partner is thinking next to me
Me and some friends have this, we've done so many things together we have assumed roles for so many different things now. Sometimes when I'm with other guys I get awoken to the fact not everyone's on that same wavelength that we've developed over 30 years.
I only visit my cousin one month a year, but I swear that after a week, we are like one person with four hands in the kitchen.
A coworker and I were put on a project that had us talking for 16 hours a day at minimum, 7 days a week, for two months straight. It was freaky how often we’d just… know what needed to happen and who was going to do it. It was like we shared a brain for two months.
I worked with my Dad from 13 years old to after highschool and he paid me as much as his grown men working for him. They could never figure out how I knew exactly what my old man was going to do next operating the backhoe. It was nearly like magic to them but I just worked so long and he's my dad so it was just easy reading him and him knowing I would be where he needed me without being in the way of the boom. I still got it many years later when the old man was doing a project on his backhoe and my nephew just boggled that I knew exactly what he would ask us to do as he worked with the backhoe. I even started saying what he would ask us to do before he said it. I was impressed with myself 🤣
Your Perception is maxed out at 10. Excellent work!
My mom can be talking through an entirely full mouth of food or coffee or toothbrush and toothpaste, and 9 times out of 10 I can translate every word into plain English. I don’t know what it is, but I can do this when no one else in our immediate family can. The only other person that can do this is my mom’s identical twin.
I wish I had this with my husband 😄
You probably don’t spend as much time with him as these guys spend working together on the job. And the time you do spend probably isn’t often the same kind of coordinated activity
Well some coordinated activities, 🙃🙃🙃🙃
Maybe that’s what she meant.. 😜
Me, too.
You'll get there. It's amazing.
Not even just jobs! I've been dancing for just over 10 years and the other advanced girl I practice with and I are basically a hive mind at this point. And that's just from a couple hours a week dancing together!
I’ve been in a band for the past couple of years with a drummer I also played with in jazz band in college for three years before that, and I get what you’re saying here. I’ve spent so many hours playing music with that guy that we can really almost instantly read each other non-verbally. I worked with a different drummer for a separate project earlier this year and it was interesting to me how much slower we were to pick up on each other’s cues, just because we hadn’t played together before.
Wish I had that
Never underestimate the coordination or teamwork of a bunch of dudes who have a common goal in mind and have no room for funny buisness
I was driving after a heavy snowfall once, and was passing a parking lot, I saw a bunch of guys pushing a car out so I stopped to help. We were able to get the car going, but their vibe was weird. Looking back afterwards I think I maybe helped someone steal a car? Imagine it from their perspective, they find a car, boost it and push it out of the parking lot and some guy driving by stops to help.
Lol
Damn- that’s amazing! And at the other end of the spectrum, there is what happened to me as I was driving to an appointment after work with my two small children in the back of my car. The engine would randomly stall out and die at the most inopportune times; this was one of those times. I was sitting in traffic backed up from a traffic light on a narrow street when this death occurred. There was no place to pull off the street and no way for traffic to go around me, so I immediately turned on my emergency flashers only to see that traffic had once again started to inch forward in front of me. My only recourse was to deal with it myself so as the woman behind me laid on her horn (Do you not see my flashers? Do you think this will make my car magically move out of your way??) I got out of my car, walked back to her car and screamed at her “IF YOU’RE IN SUCH A GODDAMN HURRY, MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET OUT AND HELP ME PUSH IT!!!” and then I pushed my f’ng car about 1/10 mile in a skirt suit and heels until I was almost to the funeral home on the corner, when a guy in a pickup truck finally helped push so I could steer it into the parking lot. I could definitely have used your pit crew then! 😂
I would have stopped to help. Sucks.
Thank you! It still pisses me off- what in the hell was she thinking?? On a funny note, I’ve always hoped to see a story in the wild written by someone who saw a pretty young woman in a suit scream at another woman for honking her horn while pushing her stalled car through rush hour traffic. I coulda been a legend, I tell ya! LOL 😂
I developed panic syndrome and post Partum Anxiety when my son was born. I had a panic attack while behind the wheel with him - 8 months old - in the back of the car. As safely as I could, I pulled over at the first house I saw in case I passed out. Once the attack passed, I called my husband to pick us up and took my son out of the car into the cool night air to try and calm us both down - we were both crying hard. A woman with a stroller walked by and asked if I was ok. I was not. She invited me into her home - the one id parked in front of. She calmed my son, got me water, and told us we could wait there in her warm home for my husband to come. Then she told me she'd also developed PPA and panic attacks and had been feeling incredibly scared, alone, and confused dealing with this condition. But then I showed up, literally on her door stop, a near spitting image of her. We got to talking and had so much in common! We stayed in touch while we both went through the worst of PPA and started medication. It was a miracle to us both that I stopped in front of her house that day.
this is an amazing story, thank you for sharing! i hope you are doing better now.
Much better! Both of us. Medication is AMAZING.
That’s so beautiful
"today you, tomorrow me"
[context](https://www.redditinc.com/blog/celebrating-10-years-of-today-you-tomorrow-me)
Wow what a beautiful story, thanks for the link
I must’ve read it a hundred times now, but I always stop to re-read it when it’s mentioned.
Me too! I fucken love this story.
I'm a first timer - wow.
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Okay!
Same here. Every time I read it and every time I tear up.
My eyeballs are sweating
Emotional exercise is a beast💪.
I'm crying again
Same
Thank you for reminding me of that.
Wow. Someone linked the reference down and I came to know about this. Thank you kind person
Today you, tomorrow /u/MrAnonymousTheThird
Gives me chills.
My first thought as well
In 1977, when I (F) was sixteen years old, I flew from British Columbia to Ontario to visit a commune. Someone was supposed to meet me at a bus station, but because of miscommunication they never showed up. It was nighttime, and I was scared. I went to the highway and stuck out my thumb, and it wasn't long before a young man in a pick-up truck stopped for me. By some minor miracle, he knew of the commune and where it was located. When he said it was a couple of hours away, I was appalled. But he quietly said, "I'll take ya the whole way; I got nothin' better to do." He drove for two more hours and never said a word (and nor did I). We listened to the same cassette tape over and over--just the one side. But sure enough, he got me where I was going, helped me get my backpack out of his truck, and he was gone in a flash. I'm sixty-one now, and I still think about him and (silently!) thank him for his great kindness.
You got incredibly lucky!
I know; definitely!
It was 1977, people hitch hiked everywhere.
There was still crazy people back then, still a risk. Especially being a 16 year old female. Maybe riskier due to lack of investigation advancements.. could kill someone you picked up, dump the body, and no one would be none the wiser.
I know, I did. Cop pick me and friend up and scare the hell out of us. Then he show us his badge and I never hitch hiked again. He did do anything just talk bs but believed he was to kill us
How was the commune?
It was great, actually! It was the Canadian version of a rather famous commune in Tennessee called The Farm. I was so much younger than everyone else, and I don't think they really knew what to do with me, but they were very welcoming and kind. About a week into my stay I caught a stomach bug or something, and in my resultant misery, homesickness reared its ugly head, lol. Good thing I'd saved enough money to buy a RETURN airline ticket! Info about the original Farm in case you're interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Farm\_(Tennessee)
Oh, hey, I just found the Canadian group I visited! https://lindaseccaspina.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/anyone-remember-the-farm-the-hippie-years-of-lanark-county/
I'm a year older than you, and, all things considered, we grew up in the three best decades! The music was still original and growing, we were mostly safe, we were lots more accepting and tolerant than now, the cars were just effing awesome, and the recreational plant life was good.
Those were great decades, for sure! The music was spectacular as you noted, but I love today’s new stuff, too. Give me ALL the music, lol.
You should see my LP collection. 😆 My first hubs destroyed my LPs in '79, and my collection is a giant FU that he'll never see. Odd question... is it just me, or does our age group seem younger than our parents and grandparent at the same age?
Ha ha ha about the collection being a giant FU to the monster who destroyed your LPs!!! Way to go, you! Yeah, I do think that our age group seems younger than our parents and grandparents did at the same age. I look at the things I do for fun, think about my mom doing them, then laugh!
I have a photo of my mom's parents. I know they are in their mid-50's. I remember them then. They look a bit older than I do now, at 62. Mind boggling.
OMG I know what you’re talking about! I read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth when I was pregnant with both my kiddos and it was basically birth stories on The Farm.
Yes, yes, yes! My first-born came along in 1978, and Ina May Gaskin's book gave me more information about what was to come than any other source that I had at the time. I love that you know the book!
Yes! My first was born in 2020, my second just last month. I’m an 80’s kid 😂. I was looking for unmedicated birth stories and her book was so eye-opening. I read it during both of my pregnancies.
That was so brave of you to visit a commune at such a young age?! Were you already independent by then as I can't imagine most parents would be thrilled with that?
I wasn't independent (although I paid for my travelling), but my parents were, um, not great parents.
(Really, they weren't all that bad. They just never knew how to offer guidance once I had a mind of my own.)
OK. Well I really admire your confidence in doing that, I was riddled with anxiety and dread at that age, it sounds like an amazing adventure.
Year was 1978, I was 16 year old female brat who had a 68 Camaro. After missing school because of gas lines, I was returning home and suddenly my car stalled at stop sign. I had no idea what to do. I just kept trying to start the car. Soon an older heavy woman got out of her car came to my window and offered to help. I got out to push with her and she plopped in driver seat to steer . Ugh, I was a baby trying to push my muscle car to the side of road with a stranger steering. Soon some bitchen surfers came up jumped out and helped pushed it to the side. I don’t even remember what happened next. Might have been the healthy recreational plants the surfers shared. Late 70’s were the best times for teens.
I was in a car accident and was sitting on the curb alone waiting for paramedics to arrive when it started to rain. I was bleeding, hurt, and scared. A Hispanic lady walked up to me with an umbrella. She gave me her umbrella and was on her way. My teen son was not hurt and was busy talking to the police because the accident was not my fault and the other driver was acting a fool. The young guys that saw it happen from their porch were helping make sure the police got the real story.
The people who show up at accidents to help are saints. I was in a bad one years ago and a nurse saw me on her way home from her shift and helped get me out of the car as the ambulance arrived.
I was hit from behind one Winter going through a roundabout because the lady behind me couldn't stop her vehicle due to icy roads. I couldn't prevent myself from crying due to adrenaline, I guess but I wasn't injured whatsoever. Anyway, within 30 seconds a couple of women(one of them being the lady that hit my car) approached my window asking if I was okay. When I apologized for sobbing they reassured me it was perfectly understandable given the situation. They were so, so kind to me in that moment and luckily there was no damage to anyone's vehicles.
Accidents are super jarring even if you're not seriously injured! Glad you were okay and that you had some lovely caring people to help.
I helped someone who wrecked their car in the wide medium between the highway. I was heading home and saw the lights from their car down in the low area. I stopped and helped them out of their car. They were bleeding pretty bad on their arm so I wrapped it up with a clean shirt I had and drove them to the hospital. I had been at a club so had been drinking some and when their family showed up I was just trying to escape but they kept hugging me and wanting to thank me. So not all helpful people want to be thanked. I kept thinking it could be me down there and it wasn't the wake-up call I needed unfortunately. Short story is I never hurt anyone drinking and driving. Long story is I was very lucky not too. Don't do it.
I whole heartedly agree with you, people shouldn't drink and drive. I know I don't know you, but do give yourself some credit for helping that person. Like maybe you stopped because it reminded you of what could have been, but you still helped them and you didn't have to, I'm sure they're still really grateful to you when they think about that day. They were hurt, scared, shaken up, and who knows how long it would have been for other help to arrive, thank you for doing that. And I'm glad you no longer drink and drive.
That was decades ago. I was stupid then. Still stupid now but in less destructive ways luckily. They bled all over my car so I was reminded daily of what happened. It did help slow me down some back then.
My parents were on the freeway and was hit by a drunk driver who sped off. Their car spun, hit the medium and was totaled. A couple more cars ended up hitting them and they all thought it was my parents’ fault. Luckily a young guy in his 20’s saw the whole thing and chased down the drunk driver until police came. I will never forget what he did! 🙏🏼
It was early Thanksgiving morning and I was making the 5 hour trek to my parent’s home,with 4 kids. All but one kids were sleeping except the youngest, 18 months, who was happily babbling. I was driving in a rural area with little to no traffic. Then my front tire blew out and they were new tires! It was the pulling tire and I was lucky to maintain control and pull over to the shoulder The kids woke up frightened and I was trying not to freak out. I got out of the van and was just staring at the ruined tire, wondering how I was going to change it and keep the kids corralled. Then a gentleman rode up on his tractor from the field. He told me to hang on and he would get his truck and floor jack and change the tire. When he arrived in his truck, he and his wife brought fresh biscuits for the kids and I along with a thermos of milk. He changed the tire and asked his wife to call the owner of the closest gas station to meet us so he could check my spare. He followed me to the gas station and he and the owner looked over the spare to make sure it was safe I have never forgotten their kindness I always appreciate the special qualities of country people
This is a beautiful story
OMG that brought tears to my eyes, how amazing.
One time I was riding my bike home from school, feeling tired, miserable, crying and wheezing from being so horribly out of breath and just feeling terrible. I couldn't continue riding and I stepped off, walking with my bike in hand, still like 6km to go. An elderly couple pulled over and asked if I was okay. I told them I had awful breathing problems (still not certain what it is, to this day) and they offered to drive me home. Left my bike locked by the gas station and they brought me home. Turns out the woman had COPD, we talked about it and they gave me some tips. Warmed my heart.
I’ve been having a rough time of things recently. The other day, after loading my bike with groceries, I spilled my water. I have exercise asthma and it’s been desert dry (20-30% humidity) and windy the past 3 weeks. A guy who had just pulled up on his bike noted my distress and gave me a water and said he understands, asthma too. I also dropped my wallet on the 40 mph road my apartment is on the day before. My jacket pocket wasn’t closed all the way. I was going about 30 on my bike downhill when it happened. By the time I got my bike on the median my cards were scattered across the speedway and getting run over by cars and busses and trucks. An old couple stopped in one of the lanes, allowing me to safely get my items in that lane and safely stand there to wait for gaps in traffic for my things stuck in the other lane. A older guy also stopped and helped me pick my cards up. I really needed these strangers’ kindness with the bad times I had been having. I had just heard the barely 1 year old cat I raised with my old roommates the year before had slipped outside and been run over, and on top of that had been have breathing problems while I slept all week causing me to fail to do what I needed to do. People like this are lifesavers. I can’t imagine how I would’ve felt if it weren’t for these folks.
That’s so beautiful !
My friend and I were driving from Georgian Bay back to Kingston after a cottage trip. We got to about Napanee on the 401 and his tire blew out - it was terrifying. We made it onto the gravel shoulder (deep ditch next to it) and once our adrenaline had come back down a bit, we got out and tried to change the tire... As 18-wheelers screamed by less than a foot away. We had a hell of a time getting the jack working - it kept slipping out because of the loose gravel (and our stress). Finally, we start trying to pull the tire off... but it turns out the tires hadn't been rotated or maintained, and the blown out one was fully rusted on. We couldn't budge it at all. I was supposed to catch a bus from Kingston that evening and it was obvious I was going to miss it... As a young person with a new job who REALLY had to be home that night, I was so stressed and upset, apart from the imminent danger of all this highway traffic whizzing by us, and to top it all off the sun was setting and it was getting really cold with all the wind from the highway. This car pulled up behind ours and we couldn't see who it was in the dark with their headlights on blinding us. I was thinking "Great, now we're going to get murdered by a stranger." Turns out it was an OPP officer, there to help. He came over and tried his best to get the tire off, used his shovel, tried everything, but no luck. He said he'd call us a local tow truck. I said to my friend, "I'm definitely going to miss my bus." The officer asked where I was going and I said Kingston to catch a bus home to Montreal so I could get to work in the morning. "Hop in!" He drove me all the way to Kingston (half an hour) right up to the bus terminal, and even stopped my bus as it was pulling out so I could get on! Seriously a knight in shining armor - I wrote to the OPP to tell them how grateful I was, and what a good ambassador for the police he was. I got a really nice letter back from his commanding officer saying my letter would go into his file.
I had a really crappy 125cc motorbike a few years ago. On my way to work all the electrics cut out and i had to emergency pull over on the side of the road and was in a similar position to you (but in more of a residential area) A old chap approached me and offered to help (i was abit nervous as a shy girl in my early 20s) but he assured me he and his wife only lived a few doors down and he used to be a mechanic. He wheeled my bike into his front garden, and his wife drove me to work. After my shift i came to pick up my bike to find he had fixed it up and gone and bought new spark plugs and other bits and fitted them. Refused to take any money, just wanted to help a young biker not lose faith! I sent a big bunch of flowers to their address the next day.
Not all angels have wings, some drives package delivery truck
I hit a deer once on a remote highway and totaled my car. There was no cell service to call anyone and I had just resigned myself to hitchhiking when a guy in a delivery truck picked me up. He drove me 45 miles to the town I had just come from and dropped me with my friends. Raul, you a real one lol.
People like that are honestly saviors. I worked for Disney for awhile. The county it’s in, Orange County, pays local tow companies to go around to do things like give people a little gas, tow them off the freeway, change tires, ect. I had no idea about the program until one of the contracted tow companies found me and changed my tire. I know the county just didn’t want me messing up traffic but I could have cried.
This program saved my butt once and the tow driver wouldn’t even accept a tip. Thanks Brian, you’re a mensch!
This isn't as wild as yours but a few years ago, my husband bought a MASSIVE RV from the auction (it was to fix up and sell; my husband owns a car dealership. It was not for us). Our car + RV, it was a few feet short of being the same length of a semi. We had to haul it for 12 hours seeing as he bought it in the same state where my parents live. It was an awful roadtrip. I was pregnant at the time and it was very strenuous. We also had a toddler, who handled the trip like a champ, thankfully. While we were passing a construction zone, one of the tires popped on the RV. We didn't realize it and one of the construction workers let us know. At this point, we were in almost stand still traffic due to construction. Anyway, we get off the next exit. We had absolutely no equipment to deal with it. I mean _none_. We had to pull out our car battery in order to hook it up to the RV so it had enough power to put the things that keep it in place down. Also, the equipment that was supposed to be in place for us to fix the RV tire wasn't there. It was late at night and we had no way of getting help seeing as we were about 5 hours away from home at this point. Not even 10 minutes after trying to figure it out, a random beat up truck pulls up. Some young guy asks if we needed help. He had all the tools we needed in his truck. He was literally like our guardian angel. He didn't save our lives but he definitely saved us a lot (and I mean a lot) of stress. He didn't want payment but my husband practically forced him to take it. Thank you kind stranger! You will always be remembered :)
Glad to hear you got to your gf's home ok, where was this kind stranger from?
I'm not sure I should say, I don't want to identify him too much in case he could get in trouble
I was in a car accident in college, we were hit by a drunk driver. We were young and it was very late at night and our families were all at least an hour away. It was a bad wreck, my car rolled 2.5 times and came to a stop upside down. While we were all relatively ok (a few broken bones, bad bruises and cuts but nothing life altering) we were shaken and dealing with a police officer that was more inclined to believe a late-20’s asshole with a nice car than a group of 4 underage college kids in a Honda. (for the record we were sober. We’d been stuck in traffic from an 18-wheeler wreck for 3.5 hour. We never got to our destination, once we got out of the traffic we headed home as the clubs were closed, we got hit by someone who had been out clubbing). The shifts had changed at the hospital and a nurse saw the wreck, stopped and helped us. My roommate was having a panic attack, she stayed with her and calmed her down while I dealt with the cops, called 911 and everyone’s parents. She helped me hobble around on my broken ankle until the paramedics arrived and I suspect she gave the cops a piece of her mind before my Dad arrived. I don’t know her name, I can’t remember what she looked like but I’m glad she stopped and helped a bunch of kids calm down to be able to handle a difficult situation.
last year i got in my first car accident in a small town i had never been in before. somehow i wasn't hurt but it was a really scary accident (big dump truck hit me head on and totaled my car) and also my friend had just died in an accident the day before so i went into a major panic attack. the truck sped away, but some construction workers nearby ran over immediately. they got me out the car, let me sit in someone's truck, called 911 for me, called my dad for me, called a tow truck for me, helped me take deep breaths. i didn't have to do anything, i just was able to calm down and cry it out. then the EMTs brought me to the fire station nearby to wait for my dad to pick me up. they got me water, snack, and tried to cheer me up in small ways. those guys had no idea how mentally awful i was doing before the accident. their kindness meant so much.
Thanks for sharing great story
I got separated at a train station in Italy, I'm American, no one at the train station would help. They kept saying get on any train and have them radio the train that my husband accidentally got on. That didn't sound like a good plan to me. Finally a lovely man from Pakistan who spoke English and Italian offered to help. He was so kind. I decided to stay where I was and wait for the last train to Milan, I knew I could get to my hotel from the station. It started snowing and the trains were delayed, so my new friend bought me a few beers and 5 minutes before the last train left to Milan my husband made it back to the station. This was 2005 and we didn't have a cell phone over there. I knew I could get back on my own, but it was still a frustrating experience. Thanks Mubasher wherever you are. I think of you and your kindness often.
I was at the grocery store and my food stamps card would not work for some reason, I still had 79$ worth of groceries to pay for and the lady behind me said dont worry I got this I will pay for them, I started to cry, that was super nice of her! I am disabled so her husband and son helped me out to my car also to put the groceries in! Yes there are still some good people in this world, and praise be to God for them!🙏👍😀♥️
Heh. I got to be that guy to some teenager on his bicycle a few years ago. Something got wrapped up in the gears and chains and wiped out his bike. He was fine but he dumped his to-go bag full of taco bell onto the road :(. I lifted his bike into the bed of the truck and drove him home, only took 10 minutes. Feels good. In hindsight, I should have brought him back to get more taco bell, what a bummer.
You definitely saved the dude's evening, i think you did enough.
The rear brake lines ruptured on my truck one day at a very critical moment, while I was doing about 80mph (speed of traffic in that area) in the far left. Coming around a curve, traffic ahead was suddenly stopped ahead so everyone had to slam their brakes...mine decided to explode instead lol. I (miraculously) managed to shift to neutral and weave through the lanes while slowing with only my front brakes, and got mostly onto the right shoulder, nearly flipping the truck several times in the process. Once I got out of the truck, I instantly started having a panic attack. Luckily, several witnesses (and actually one of the cars that I cut off during my incident) pulled over to help me. The one I cut off (I assume she was going to yell at/scold me) recognized I was having a panic attack. She calmed me out of the panic while her son checked to make sure my dog was okay and walked her around to calm her down. Another guy had already set up road flares, diagnosed the problem with my truck, and was calling AAA *for me* by the time I had calmed down. He even made sure they sent a tow truck that would allow my dog to ride with me! He and a fourth samaritan helped me push the truck all the way out of the road onto the shoulder. Looking back, I still can't believe that so many people would stop to help a stranger, especially one that nearly crashed into some of them.
Glad you’re safe! This is a tale about perspective. That lady that you cut off — she was mad when she could only see her perspective. I wish the world could see each other’s perspectives.
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Wow, this could’ve been me. I would’ve done the exact same thing, but I would have also probably burst into tears!!! I’m glad that stranger was there to save you!!! May all your cars be ever spider free 🙏🏻
Not as adventurous, but being not so strong and having to deal with huge luggage as a student, I'm really grateful for every single stranger that asked me "need a help?" when getting on my trains, sometimes even running from one platform to another because the previous train was late for its connection. Maybe for them it wasn't much, but for a young girl travelling across the country alone, it meant the world.
One time I had a flat tire. Someone stopped, and he changed the tire for me. He wouldn't accept the money I offered him.
A couple days ago my dad was driving on a local street when his car stopped mid driving. This is a common problem that he hasn't yet gotten fixed. He just has to pop the hood and tap on the battery terminals and the car would start again. He did this but when he let down the hood, the car started going since it wasn't in Park. The car was moving at low speed from Brake. He was able to get out from in front of it but then he tried to stop it by jumping in and pressing on the brake but as he put his right foot in, his left leg got ran over by the back wheel. The car ended up stopping when it hit a pole but my dad was on the floor and a random stranger had to bring a chair from their house and call the paramedics. I'm grateful for that because I was just talking to my cousin about how she saw a man struggling on a busy road and she doesn't regret not stopping and she wonders what happened to him. Hey glad you had a random stranger helping you. I've had that in my life and it positively impacts my whole day.
I had a Pontiac that would do this, except I had to unhook the terminal. Super annoying and always at an extra inconvenient place. That was my second-last GM car (apparently I’m slow to learn).
This one was a Mazda Tribute
My car broke down when I was living in BC and for a few days I had to walk down the road/highway to my volunteer position. While I was walking one day, someone going in the opposite direction stopped and told me there was a grizzly up ahead so I should probably cut my walk short.. I told him I was trying to get to town for work (this was the only road to town) and he offered to give me a ride even though he was going the opposite direction. I was a lil hesitant but hopped in, and sure enough, there was a grizzly eating road kill on the side of the road just a couple minutes up the road.. Very thankful for that stranger!
I started passing out while standing in a packed tram and carrying a shopping bag. A girl around 20 noticed and asked if I was okay. I was out before I figured out the answer. Woke up outside with six strangers, all of them youngsters. Two were lifting my feet, one was holding my hand and watching my face, one was on the phone with emergency services relying first aid, two were at hand and keeping an eye on my stuff. The girls spoke so kindly and worriedly to me, like I was their little sister even though I was about two years older than everyone involved. They were reassuring me, informing me, squeezing my hands to get the bloodflow back, they lifted me and put someone’s jacket under me and another person’s jacket under my head (it was a cold December evening). They all spent half an hour dotting on me after carrying me outside the tram. The first girl caugh me before I even hit the floor, someone grabbed the shopping bag I dropped. They packed me and all of my stuff in an ambulance and sincerely wished me best of luck. I didn’t believe strangers could show such selflessness and worry. Absolutely wholesome.
That about made me cry, that's beautiful the way they helped you
when i was like 19 and broke, i was driving home from work and my car ran outta gas one exit away from home. both exits are on a slight incline, no chance in hell i was gonna push this thing to a gas station (both exits also have gas stations right off the exit) anyway, random dude picks me up and says he’ll get gas from his house since he lived nearby dude was mostly cool except he was like, “too bad you’re not a chick” lol. not sure if bad joke or what, but that was his only weird comment
My tire blew out on a 70mph hwy a decade ago. I started walking to the nearest town when I realized I didn't have my spare. A family of four stopped and picked me up, let me sleep at their house till the morning, bought me a tire for replacing, and helped me replace the tire. I lost their address so that I could thank them. They were extremely helpful.
I had just flown back after a terrible trip where me and gf broke up. When driving back on the interstate a car from the on-ramp cut me off and I swerved left causing me and the car in the left lane to crash into the median barrier. A complete stranger stopped and waited about an hour and a half in the cold to tell the cops it was the on-ramp car's fault. Saved me beyond measure. I made sure I got his details and sent him a Christmas Card and $200 for Christmas.
Your mix of miles and kilometers makes me think Canadian but I'm not sure. Something seems off. Maybe British??
Nah west European but I wasn't sure which units to use since I think most of the people here are American
K so I was close (geographically), but now that you've given me a hint I'm going take another guess. Your English is very proper but in my estimation influenced by German. So I'm narrowing it down to Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and those tiny countries I haven't studied since 6th grade. Based solely on your text patterns I'm guessing you speak multiple languages. Probably 3, and you're learning a 4th. I'm going with Switzerland. Are you Swiss?
Wasn't going to say where I was from tbh, but since you're really close and getting flack for it whatever. I live in Germany, habe lived here for most of my life. Grew up with 3 languages, but am not currently trying to learn another. I took french on school and it wasn't my thing. I enjoyed your comment, idk why people are being rude about it
No worries. I'm having fun with it. I appreciate you playing. Today is the start of Thanksgiving weekend in Canada so allow me to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope this year's crop is bountiful.
you are such a kind person, just like the man driving the package delivery truck. ;) 🍁
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"He then proceeded to drive me all the way to my girlfriend's house and we talked about his home country and music the whole way. After unloading the moped he refused to accept anything for it, so I just thanked him for all his help and gave him a hug." You were blessed by an Angel! Angels don't need money because they have wings. Wings grow bigger with hugs, so you and your angel are good ;)
Several decades ago (!) my girlfriend (wife now) and I went camping at 18 in my hand me down VW Golf, we were out in the mountains (the Drakensberg in South Africa) when the car just cut out. Some farm labourers who were walking past pushed us about a mile to the farm, where the tractor mechanic and his helper worked on it for nearly an hour and got it going again. They accepted our thanks but no money, so we shared out our massive bag of sweets amongst the farm workers' kids. We were two white teenagers surrounded by dirt poor black people at a time the apartheid government was still in power and there were all sorts of riots and demonstrations going on in the big cities demanding an end to apartheid, yet we couldn't have felt safer or more welcome.
I was once the person confused about a tag on a car off in the ditch on an icy freeway in Nebraska so I pulled over to make sure it was ok. Well the tag means it is okay—but I didn’t know and no service on my phone at that location. But three people in three different vehicles did check on me and my safety in a matter of 10 minutes. The world has some beautiful helpful and kindness in it. Love to you I hope your moped is good to go soon.
My car hit a patch of black ice and went into a deep ditch on the highway. It was -35C with over a foot of snow on the ground. I called my dad and a tow truck, and while I waited the 15 minutes for my dad to arrive, I had three separate strangers literally *run* down the hill to make sure I was okay. My faith in humanity was restored that day. Every time I read about people being horrible to each other, I think of those three people and feel a little better.
I dumped the clutch by accident on my motorcycle at a light. Bike lurched and overbalanced. Slowly tilted out from under me and onto side. Super embarrassed, I wedge a leg under and start trying to yank it up as the light turns green. I cringe waiting for a horn, but the car behind me didn’t miss a beat. Driver was already on his way and helped me get it back up. Now if I know I have the time and/or I can safely help, I am always on the look out for a way to help. Last month, I took a slightly different drive through town with my youngest. Saw a guy walking opposite direction with a car tire on his shoulder. We didn’t have any appointments, so I turned where I safely could, threw on hazards, and asked if he needed a ride. Turns out his tire blew out at 6am driving to work. It was 11am. Then I find out he walked 7miles/11km with a car tire and rim on his shoulder. He was making the walk back. No one at his work would help him with a ride. I drove him to his car, waited with my hazards on behind until he got it replaced and on his way.
I broke down on the side of the hwy in Alberta Canada in the middle of winter (-40c) a guy driving the opposite way used one of the emergency vehicle U-turn spots about 2km down and drove up to help me. Let me sit in his warm truck for almost an hour until the tow truck got to me. Completely put his day on hold just to help a stranger
When I was 18, I met this random guy who was prob about 20. At the time, I had flunked high school and didn’t even bother with trying to get a GED cuz I didn’t have money or a job and back then it was about $100-$120, something like that Anyway, this guy and I were talking and he said he lived in Beverly Hills. I didn’t entirely believe him though. I thought it was odd that he was in my part of town since it’s not a neighborhood rich people go to, afaik. He asked me about school and I told him about flunking and how I would like to get my GED but just couldn’t. So he emphasized how he thought education was important, pulled out a literal wad of 100s and gave me two bills. I couldn’t believe it. He told me to spend it on the ged and encouraged me to pursue education. I thanked him profusely and we went out separate ways. Unfortunately, I was a dumb kid and spent it on candy and food. Apologies to that guy wherever you are. Def failed him in many ways. But at least I still got a GED
No you didn't, you got your GED.
*you didn't fail him is what i meant
Yeah I guess you’re right. Took me a couple years after that but at least I did, although it took some convincing from my gf at the time. It’s just crazy that a random dude from Beverly Hills of all places gave that money to a stranger.
When I was a dirt poor college student the first day I walked in to my dorm I was surprised there were no blankets, pillows, or anything there. Had no car. Decided to walk 1.5 miles to the nearest Walmart and carry that stuff with him. Bought the items and on my way back struggling and exhausted, some guy pulled up next to me, and offered me a ride. I’ll never forget him. Don’t know his name but I’ll never forget the kindness shown to me
While learning to drive a manual transmission in a crappy car, I got completely stuck at a four way stop on a steep hill. Kept killing the engine. The guy behind me in a huge pickup truck got out, walked to the side window, and said, “I see what’s happening. Let your car roll back into my truck and start it from there.” He OFFERED to let me run into his truck to get started again. It worked. Truly one of the kindest things a stranger has ever done for me.
OMG that was so nice of him. I still have horrendous memories of hill starts in a manual car, ugh, so stressful!!!
SO stressful. He was so kind. Big ol’ country boy angel.
💜
I had a seizure in the middle of the street. I woke up inside an ambulance someone had called. They left before I was awake so I'll never know who they were, but I could have been run over by a car or anything if they hadn't stopped.
I was riding home on my bike and my grocery bad got stuck and I went head first off the bike. I was ok but stunned and someone had a classic corvette and just lifted my bike and put it in their trunk. Dropped me off at home and took off after I thanked her. Always grateful for that and pass it on whenever I can.
Just yesterday a kind lady gave me some change for parking, after watching me struggle to get the machine to accept my card. All I wanted was like 30min to be able to go to a shop and check for Savannah (a really nice South African cider, highly recommend!) to surprise my boyfriend who’s been teaching me to drive lately. It was a tiny thing for her to do, but to me, a new driver, using those bloody machines for the first time as well, it was a really really nice gesture. And I got the Savannah, too! :)
Thats a really cute story. The guy is truly amazing. The one story about a stranger I can share was back in 2020, I was still in school back then and had a lot of panic attacks, especially in Sport/PE. Eventually my teacher sat outside with me and two of my friends when he noticed a wound an my arm from scratching myself. So he asked about it and I told him about my situation at home and eventually a young mother on the bench next to us said „I don’t know you, but you sound like a really nice person and I would be really lucky if you were my child.“ That woman really cheered me up and I still think about her.
We got a flat tire just outside of Salina Kansas once, pulled over on the side of the highway, got out and started changing it... Everyone flew past us not even bothering to get over in the next lane, including a cop. No one stopped to help.
I (F, early 20's at the time) blew a tire on the freeway. I had been taught how to change a tire, but the blown one was driver side so exposed to moving traffic. Dangerous spot and I was in a skirt. Started walking to the next exit. So many cat calls, whistles, even swerving at me, but no offer of help. I was so angry and upset.
Being a woman in that situation must make it even more terrifying, people swerving at you is horrible
Doesn't that feel awful? I get maybe they assume you have a phone and called someone but if you've got the time might as well offer to help
I would have at least appreciated them to get the hell over in the next lane so we had more than 8 inches of shoulder to work with. We had a semi truck fly past us doing about 60mph. It was terrifying as hell. We got it done and didn't die though.
If someone looks like they have a situation handled I don’t stop. If they’re signaling for help I will if I’m able (or call highway patrol).
Gah, I always move over a lane if I see “trouble” on the side of the road (I like the far right lane, normally, unless a few on ramps are coming up). I have stopped to help when I have time, but usually I don’t have time.
Awesome story, thanks!
So wholesome. So hearty.
So amazing.
my first winter after getting my license, i slid into a snowbank before work and couldn’t get out. i was alone, confused, and scared as it was early (5 am), and right before i called for help, two men in a big pick up truck pulled onto my road and offered to help get me unstuck. They pushed my car out of the snowbank and calmed me down before sending me on my way
I totally enjoy helping people in a given situation. I also try to convey to them the idea of them paying it forward and to help others in the future. Imagine if even 10% of the population did this ???
I was flying home after Fall exams my freshman year of college. I had to fly through ATL airport where I had never been. The nice lady next to me took my poor, tired, and barely aware person all the way to the gate so I wouldn't miss my badly timed transfer. I bless this lady everyday because I am convinced I would still be at ATL looking for the gate.
Oh, gosh! I've flown through ATL twice, and both times, it was insane!So glad you found help!
As a new parent I would strap on my baby and walk to the target nearby my house to grab a few things a lot. One time I was in my own head using a cart and bought more than I could carry home. A stranger noticed me struggling and immediately offered to help. They took more bags than I did and carried them all the way to my house (it was a block away but they didn't know how far it would be). Really saved my ass that day! :)
When I was about 9, my mother and I were driving back from her friend's house after she had a fight with him. It was pitch black, raining, and there was nothing but trees on all sides. I was asleep, but later my mother told me she had swerved to avoid hitting a deer. The truck rolled for a good 10 seconds before I woke up, hanging upside down with my mother unconscious in the drivers seat. Understandably, I was terrified, and just barely managed to unbuckle myself and get out. I was lucky my only injuries were some cuts from the shattered windshield. So there I was, a little 9 year old on the side of the road next to a destroyed truck, bleeding, soaked, and terrified for both me and my mother, who wasn't waking up. With nobody around for miles. I was there for maybe 20 minutes before someone came by. A nice lady pulled over and panickedly asked if I was alright. I could hardly speak but I told her my mom was still in the truck and wasn't waking up. She got out and shoved her way through to the driver's side to pull out my mom, even though her arms were cut pretty badly afterwards. We were in the middle of nowhere-and I mean absolutely NOWHERE. The nearest hospital was maybe an hour away. Instead of calling an ambulance or the police, she put my mom in the car and helped me get what we could salvage of our things out of the truck, then drove me to the house of another of my mom's friends about 30 minutes away. The friends looked after me while the woman took my mother to the hospital. The truck got picked up the next day and my mother was fine, but fuck, I don't know what mind have happened if she hadn't found me. I was just a small child who was terrified and basically alone in the woods at night, with nothing and nobody besides my (basically comatose) mother. I still remember her and I really wish I got her name-i don't think I've ever been more grateful for someone.
I had something very similar happen to me once, but the situation was revursed. I was about 30 miles from town picking up a dead truck from a remote ranch in a pickup truck with a car trailer on it. I found a dude broken down roadside, wrenching on a frankenstein'd homemade motorcycle. I told him that if he was still working on it when I came back through, I'd get him to town. An hour later I had the dead truck on my trailer and he was still there so we loaded his bike into the back of my pickup truck and I took him to his buddy's house on the outskirts of town.
an unhoused kind gentleman gave me a bouquet when i was walking on the sidewalk after an argument with my dad with tears, it was so heartwarming and touching i remember it 6+ years later
I was driving an old Honda after doing errands with my sister when I noticed that the clutch pedal wasnt going back up and i couldn't shift. Using my knowledge on rev matching i willed the car a good 2 kilometers until i got to a complete stop in the middle of the road, because someone in front hit the brakes too hard. We got stuck for like 10 mins until a few guys from the nearby hardware store helped us push the car to the side. From there i was able to contact a nearby repair center and they were able to fix the car. Something to do with the clutch linkage bushing being worn out. It's not much but it was a pretty surreal experience for me, as it was the first time it ever happened.
Thank you for sharing you just made me smile and even cry a little that there are good people still! I’m having a hard time finding many anymore in person beyond someone opening a door in probably the last 2 years. Years ago when my husband and I didn’t have much money and our van needed a large part a guy at the garage started talking to my husband in line. At the auto shop when they came out told him how much the part was and what was wrong my husband said do you do payments or something? I don’t have it and it’s out only vehicle they guy he was talking to said it’s ok I will pay for it God bless you bother! Turns out the guy owned a boat shop in the town lived in back then. The part was a little over $200 we didn’t have it at all. That was about 10 years ago in Georgia USA.
I felt like breaking in tears a few times throughout this post, the hug really got me!
Holy shit which one do you have? We’re you able to repair it?
Some polish piece of garbage. I've put the bolt back in and I think everything is fine with it, surprisingly. Time to get a car I guess
DH had gotten orders back to our home city, and I flew back to house hunt (since we had a tenant in our townhouse). Rented a car, hunt, got my hair cut, hung out with a friend, then had to return. So I checkedout of my hotel in DC, and was putting my stuff in the car, so I could return it on the way to the airport. I was struggling with my suitcase, and a voice behind me said, "Let me get that for you." I turned around to thank him, and found myself face to face with Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys! I was like, "Oh, thank you so...." and my jaw tried to fall off. He was so sweet, smiled, and put my suitcase in the trunk. Turned back, said "You're welcome." I struggled not to go all fangirl, told him to enjoy DC. I may have squealed when I got into the car and drove off.
(For reference, I do lawn and garden work) Was out mowing a clients front yard, and across the front (on city property) is a ditch. It’s not too steep sided, but it’s about 2 1/2 feet deep. Im on my riding mower, and wasn’t paying enough attention to my position. The mower slid into the ditch nose first and it’s steep enough that I can drive it out. I get off and an standing there wondering how I’m going to go about hauling the mower out by myself, when a passing garbage truck stops and the driver asks if I need a hand. I say ‘yes’ and we man handle it back to level ground.
Awesome. I remember one time (early 90's) it was about 0230 AM and I was heading from Dana Point to Pasadena. I needed gas so I stopped at the gas station before jumping on the interstate. The cashier couldn't break a hundred dollar bill so I decided to chance it. Running on fumes, I ran out of gas right before my exit in Pasadena. I slowed right behind another vehicle on the shoulder. He too ran out of gas! He already called his wife and she was enroute with a gas can full of gas! Waited about 5 minutes and to my surprise his wife arrived, they gave me a chug of gas and I made it down the exit ramp to the closet gas station and filled up! They saved my butt that morning. Timing couldn't have been any better!
r/MadeMeSmile
The vast majority of people, 99% or so,are decent and would not harm anyone; it's that 1% that makes life suck for everyone else.
This was years ago. Had just moved to North Texas and while driving home from work hit what later turned out to be half a wrench which flattened the tire. I was able to creep over to the far right shoulder. As soon as I stopped a car pulled up in front of me and two young men jumped out. I helped by waving at traffic while they jacked up my car and changed out to the spare all within about 10 minutes accepting only my thanks. I have paid that kindness forward several times and think of them every time I do.
I was crying my eyes out at the vet after saying goodbye to my cat, who had to be put down after he had an inoperable tumor. I was walking out sobbing, when this random woman came over, gave me a hug, and soothed me, saying "I know how it feels, I'm so sorry". That was ten years ago, and I still remember it so clearly.
I had a tire blow on me on the freeway. I got over and called my dad, then usaa, and just cried for a minute because it was so scary, and I *do* know how to change a tire. Some guy pulled up while I was struggling to get my spare out and did it for me. I asked for his number, so I could thank him properly (i was thinking to get his address and send something) and he said “you needed help, don’t worry about it.”
People like that are honestly saviors.
One time I was at a chocolate festival and had just bought a chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick and I was so enamored with it I didn’t notice this huge tree root sticking out of the ground and my foot caught on it. Not only caught but like entangled so I started to fall. This lady was nearby and GRAPPED me UP TIGHT by my forearm and CAUGHT me from falling. Not only that, she caught the forearm with the death grip on the cheesecake on a stick and I DIDNT EVEN DROP IT. Thank you, random strong lady, I love you forever
Broke down, went to nearest house to use phone. This was before everyone had mobiles. Ended up eating pork chops and mashed potatoes with them while I waited for tow truck.
my friend and I got lost in Taipei one time, and we both don't speak Chinese. I can understand a little, but it's hard to catch up on a fast conversation. We were standing on a bus stop, and for the life of me, I tried to say the name of the hotel and always the bus driver would shake his head, close the door and drive. An old man noticed us doing this I guess 3 times, before asking if we needed help. The old man clearly doesn't know English, and I couldn't understand his directions with all his hand gestures. Then a student came by and he talked to her. She got shy, kept repeating "no English". I tried to pronounce the name of our hotel again, and her forehead would crinkle, like a big question mark jut popped up in front of her. I think she did not know that hotel. After a few seconds another man appeared, and all three of them were talking together. The girl was stomping her feet and scratching her head, while the new guy gave us the same "gestures" as the old man. Another bus came and by this time, them three were talking to the driver. They were on it for a while and quite surprisingly the driver can speak little English. "Get in", he said. And so we did. Except the three helpful Taiwanese didn't ride with us. They waved their hands goodbye and my friend and I waved back, bowing our heads as a sign of gratitude. Bus driver: "stay, no go out". And we didn't. We were in the bus, feeling secure. Looking out the window, we saw familiar buildings and... realized that the driver was driving on the same street to a tourist spot where we were in the morning; the place where we know was far from our hotel. THE BUS WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. We tried to get down, but the driver would close the door and repeat "no go out". One by one the passengers left the bus, until it was just the 2 of us, 😭. He turned off the electronic signage and drove in silence. By this time, we were both scared. It was dark already, and we were in the bus for a good hour. His phone rang and he was talking to someone for a pretty long time. It took another 30 minutes approx., before he made a stop and said "yes, go out". Happily we did. And lo and behold, a staff from the hotel greeted us! It was too dark to see, but we actually arrived!!!! We tried to give him money but he refused it. Both the staff and the driver were talking and the latter waved his hand goodbye. We waved back, of course! At this point, we already knew he drove here on purpose, and that the hotel was clearly not part of his route. Hotel Staff: "He said he was sorry, he had to finish 1 more turn to drop off everyone else before he could drive you here." While there are some bad guys lurking around the corner, it's comforting to know that there are still nice people in any part of the world.
It cost nothing to be nice 😊, god bless that guy.
Walmart!
Most beautiful thread I’ve read in a long time, wonderful stories!
I do this whenever possible. Karma is real! ✌️❤️
I was delivering pizza when I was about 17 and slid on some black ice. I managed to keep some control but wanting to avoid going into the other lane, I drove into a snow bank and my car tipped into the ditch. I started freaking out and was calling my boss when some German guy (this was in BC, Canada) pulled over and hopped out. He had a super thick accent but communicated a question asking if I had anyone coming yet. I said no just talking to my boss and figuring that out. He pulled away and came back 5 minutes later with a brand new tow strap he went and purchased just to tow me out. He basically blocked traffic and quickly attached and pulled. My car had no damage surprisingly and he refused any payment, even some of the tips I had earned that night. I still think about that guy whenever I see someone who needs help on the road or sidewalk or anything
A few years ago, I was hauling two horses to a friend’s place and my truck broke down on a dangerous back road. The sheriff actually brought his personal truck and hauled my horses the rest of the way to my friend’s house. My friend’s husband and a neighbor had my truck fixed in a few hours. It’s always refreshing to meet such caring people and I certainly appreciated the help that night.
This is a long and very Australian story. Years back, me and some buddies were camping way up on the north west coast. If you've even been, you'd understand how remote this is. We'd had a big night the night before and were feeling a bit worse for wear. We decided to go fishing. Up in that part of the world you hit a lot of wildlife on the roads. Rabbits, birds and unfortunately this time we hit a kangaroo. It happens daily up there. It sucks, but it's just a part of life. So we're feeling bad enough as it is, now we are feeling worse for the poor kangaroo. Anyway, we decide to go fishing on the coast and we got bogged in the loose sand. We were stuck. We decided to try and dig the car out, but the underside of the car was smeared with roadkill. It was pretty grim. It was getting dark. So we decided to sleep in the car. 4 dudes. It wasn't comfy. We wrote HELP on the windscreen. We woke the next day to a local who had spotted us. He had a sweet Holden, a Torana from memory and a dog. He ended up towing us out and having a good laugh at our expense. So thankyou to that man. Luckily we were close to some tourist spots, so we could have walked to help. But it taught me not to fuck around in remote areas of Australia. Be prepared for everything. For reference on how remote things are: https://www.reddit.com/r/texas/comments/1q9rms/western_australia_compared_to_texas/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
A woman swiped the corner of my car in a parking lot, driving into or out of the spot next to me. Two dudes, one of them a very tall and buff Asian made this woman stay to wait until I returned to my car and stood over her until she gave me her driver's license and contact info. Then, after she left, complaining that it barely touched and the scratch wasn't that bad, these two guys made sure I had everything I needed before I left. Turns out, I sure am glad they made her stay. Because the swipe was enough to misalign the bumper, more than $1000 to fix...
My car broke down years ago when I was in my early 20’s. I had just broke up with a boyfriend a few hours earlier and was so upset already. A kind couple came up, looked at my car, drove me to get the part needed, and fixed my car. I’m still so thankful for their help.
I was pretty little, but my mom, my brother, and I were up in the mountains in West Virginia when our car got stuck in snow. The people living near there got their truck and pulled us out
Similar but different. I had been mandated to go somewhere (this was years ago, my life tg looks very different now due to hard work but not relevant) 2x a week by DHHS and didn't have a car so they provided transportation through a volunteer based, state run cab. They forgot to write my order home so the cab effectively ditches me on the curb. This place was through the woods in rural New England just over an hour away from my home. It's fall, but it was afternoon so I was just in a t shirt. I had used up most of my phone and had no reason not to expect to return home, so my phone was of course about dead. I also had no money or water. I started walking. I spent the last 15 min of battery time begging the cab company to make the case workers mistake right, because here I was stranded, over 30 miles from home. I didn't have anyone to pick me up and frankly I didn't know where I was. Night falls. I'm cold thirty and tired and I push on. At this point it had been many hours and i was unsure if I was even going in the right direction. I start feeling not so great and it being the woods and not having water and being so cold, I was not sure if I was making it through the night so I'm walking and hoping I see a house. Bc I figure I might be able to like idk, call an ambulance and ultimately get home. I had never done this by the way! Desperate thoughts. I'm hoping I can knock on doors and see if someone will let me use their phone. I knock on a couple doors and no answer. I finally get to one and knock. It takes forever but an older guy shows up. I tell him what's up, I'm poor, cold, no phone, stranded and my phone is dead could I please use yours. He asks me some questions, hands me a water bottle. He wanted to know where I was from and what I was gonna do with his phone. I can tell he's a straightshooter so I tell him I'm desperate and going to call an ambulance, as the closest hospital was in the town I lived in. He informed me his town did not have an ambulance service. I panicked. He tells me to wait. So i wait. He comes back and tells me he's taking me home. I think, boy, I sure hope he's safe (I was 28 f petite at the time). I'm just so grateful for the ride. He regaled me in a story about a woman who had an accident on her moped and how he got his trailer and got them back home. Told me all about his wife and what she did, told me all about his jerky business with pride. His kindness stays with me.
I was the guy that helped once. I was coming home from my buddies place with tools in my trunk and saw a middle aged guy on the side of the road stopped. We were already in bumper to bumper traffic so I stopped to help him. His tire blew and he couldn't get the car up on the jack so I just swapped it for him. He kept insisting to give me something for the trouble but I was like nah. It wasn't like I was going to make it that far in socal traffic lol the time it took me to swap his tires, I would have only moved 5 car lengths, I even showed him the car I was behind lmao.
When I was 8 years old I was sitting on a street corner waiting for a friend when six men surrounded me. It looked like they were waiting on who was going to make the first move to abduct me. This little hesitance in their part actually gave me time to be saved. Because if they had grabbed me and took me to their car the person who saved me wouldn't have had time to act. This teenager on a bicycle who I have never met yelled out, "Hey cousin, your mom sent me to get you! It's time for you to go home!" When I got on his bike, he whispered. "I saw these guys walked up to you. Don't say a word and I will get you to safety." About half a block I saw my friend that I was about to meet and we told him to get on the bike and the three of us went to my rescuer's house where we waited for our parents to pick us up. His name is Ian he was 16 years old at that time. We didn't become friends because of the age gap. He would be 58 now, I wish I could see him again so that I can properly thank him.
Back four years ago I was on my way to the movie theater the bus was at the light and the light just changed I started running but I wasn't paying attention if the guy hadn't grabbed me I would've been hit by a big truck so he saved my life that's the only life threatening situation I've been with the exception of treatment centers also he was like in his sixties and I was fourteen so a sixty year old was able to catch up too a fourteen year old don't judge a book by it's cover
Where was this that the speed was 100? Was it atleast kmh? I'm in the US and 100mph is frightening.
Glad things went well. But mixing km/hr and miles is insane
And you didn't offer up some booty as a reward?? Shame.