Random Acts of Kindness

C'mon ...... this isn't looking good!!!

I bought 16 cases of bottled water for the stall cleaner at the barn where we board our horse, does that count? There is a small 'fridge so she can put in about 20 bottles and always have cold water. (We live in the desert, don't ask me why...). I also gave her a western saddle I no longer use that she can use on a horse she is working with.

Several of us also clean our horse's stall when we are there so she has less to do and my horse has a water barrel in addition to his auto-waterer and I clean that out once a week .

Now that I think about, we are a small barn, 18 horses, 7 of which belong to the owner, and we all know each other and do little things for each other all the time, like one lady there knows I am never at the barn on Sundays and she puts my horse in the pasture so that he gets out of his stall every day. I fly spray her horse and my horse's neighbor when I can see they need it. And everyone keeps an eye on each other's horses in general. It's the reason I stay at this barn even though I could pay less elsewhere. I am totally comfortable with the care he receives from not only the owner and stablehand, but from the other boarders at the barn. I am very lucky.

I pulled up to a red stop and go light. Nearby I saw a young lady very clean cut with a remarkably groomed Pomeranian. She had a sign saying stranded and hungry. I opened up my wallet and gave her all the money I had and wished her well

I thought the person she had been traveling with dumped her and she needed a way back home. It was a very hot day and I felt she needed a chance to find her way home. I don't know if police nowadays help stranded people but it was the least I could do. Normally don't do this type of thing but both the lady and dog were clean and not street person.

That was so generous of you, Nagrom. I hope she and the dog will be ok. Your heart was in the right place.

Mews, sounds like you have a perfect place there for your horse - it's the kindness all of you have toward each other that makes it that way. Of course the bottled water counts! That was so nice of you, I'm sure she appreciates it very much. She was probably surprised someone thought of her.

On 7/22/2014 BigOrangeKitty said:

Today I was in a store at the register, half way thru my transaction, when the phone rang, the salesperson answered it, immediately asked the caller to wait, put them on hold and continued waiting on me. I was amazed. I never see that. Of course it's the right thing to do, but I never see it. Usually the salesperson answers the phone and carries on a long conversation answering all the caller's questions, etc. while I wait... and wait... and wait. So I had to compliment her. She fully agreed with me saying if I take the time to come into her store, she will wait on me before someone who just makes a phone call. It wasn't a biggie, but she appreciated the compliment. Which got me thinking .... are there any random acts of kindness you've done lately?

Guess I don't see this as a "random act of kindness" and I see it more as this person doing their job. I am a pretty patient person but when a salesperson or clerk is, what I consider being rude to me? And that includes talking on a phone, I speak up and say if you want to talk on the phone get someone else to help me.

I like random acts of kindness like paying it forward for drinks or some food and things of that nature. But someone doing their job? Not high on my list of "random acts".

On 7/22/2014 hckynut said:

On 7/22/2014 BigOrangeKitty said:

Today I was in a store at the register, half way thru my transaction, when the phone rang, the salesperson answered it, immediately asked the caller to wait, put them on hold and continued waiting on me. I was amazed. I never see that. Of course it's the right thing to do, but I never see it. Usually the salesperson answers the phone and carries on a long conversation answering all the caller's questions, etc. while I wait... and wait... and wait. So I had to compliment her. She fully agreed with me saying if I take the time to come into her store, she will wait on me before someone who just makes a phone call. It wasn't a biggie, but she appreciated the compliment. Which got me thinking .... are there any random acts of kindness you've done lately?

Guess I don't see this as a "random act of kindness" and I see it more as this person doing their job. I am a pretty patient person but when a salesperson or clerk is, what I consider being rude to me? And that includes talking on a phone, I speak up and say if you want to talk on the phone get someone else to help me.

I like random acts of kindness like paying it forward for drinks or some food and things of that nature. But someone doing their job? Not high on my list of "random acts".

Thank you hckynut. I had the same impression when I first read this thread yesterday and thought I'd get flamed if I posted that I didn't really see BigOrangeKitty's experience of the clerk putting the person on hold or BOK's subsequent compliment as qualifying as an RAOK.

I know some people that choose a certain day during the month as a goal to do an RAOK. If it helps them, fine, but for me, I just try to be observant and do something when I get an opportunity. It doesn't always have to cost my financially, it could be something as simple as letting someone go ahead of me in line, stopping to help someone load their groceries in their car, having a kind word for a stranger. Lately, one of my favorite ROAK's to do is when I observe a serviceman (currently enlisted or veteran) at a restaurant and I can privately pick up their dinner tab. I also overtip at restaurants when get the feeling our waitress could really use it. I can't do either of those as often as I might like, but do it when I can.

Where I come from, giving someone a compliment IS a random act of kindness. But, there are highly intelligent people on this board who know far more than I do, so just to be sure I checked it out. THERE IT IS ..... Idea #185 on the randomactsofkindness.org website .....BE GENEROUS WITH COMPLIMENTS. A compliment is a compliment, for whatever reason.

On 7/23/2014 BigOrangeKitty said:

Where I come from, giving someone a compliment IS a random act of kindness. But, there are highly intelligent people on this board who know far more than I do, so just to be sure I checked it out. THERE IT IS ..... Idea #185 on the randomactsofkindness.org website .....BE GENEROUS WITH COMPLIMENTS. A compliment is a compliment, for whatever reason.

That's really unfortunate. I would never have thought that people would need to be told to do something so simple. And FYI, I'm not trying to insinuate that I know more than you, it's just good raising and common sense that people should treat each other with kindness and respect without being told to. It doesn't require anyone going out of their way, as they might with some other random act that requires spending money or giving up your right to something so someone else could benefit from it (place in line, parking spot, etc.)

On 7/23/2014 BigOrangeKitty said:

Where I come from, giving someone a compliment IS a random act of kindness. But, there are highly intelligent people on this board who know far more than I do, so just to be sure I checked it out. THERE IT IS ..... Idea #185 on the randomactsofkindness.org website .....BE GENEROUS WITH COMPLIMENTS. A compliment is a compliment, for whatever reason.

BigOrangeKitty:I agree, If someone does something that deserves a compliment... I think they should appreciate the compliment just the same as any "act of kindness".

I have done a few things lately, but the 1 that I will always remember.....several yrs ago, I was Christmas shopping (cold). When I got to my car there was a couple standing next to my car, they had locked their keys in their car. she was about 7-8 mo. pregnant, wearing a sleeveless shirt, he was wearing a tank shirt. I loaded my items in my car & had a sweater in the back seat. I gave it to her to wear while they waited on someone to come get them. Neither of them ever said a word to me, not even Tks.