Today I went snowboarding and as I went down a slope I saw someone fall. I thought it a good idea to stop and ask if all is well.
As I stopped and asked, the girl who fell said that no she is not alright because she is struggling with her ski goggles. She seemed a bit hysterical and I thought that the best thing I could do to calm her down was ask general questions that forced her to think, so I asked where she is from, how long it took to get here from where she is from, how long she has been in Switzerland, and so on.
Whilst doing this I took her goggles, cleaned them, gave her a tissue, adjusted her goggles, fitted them to her helmet and helped her to fit her helmet (as she was struggling with her hair at that stage)
I really feel good about my random act of kindness.
I wish I had the courage to show more random acts of kindness.
Good for you. I think sometimes it is simply shyness or our own lack of confidence that prevents us from acting in such circumstances. Which is a shame.
In general I feel the urge to help people, but I hold back as I think maybe people will just think I'm creepy or that they don't need my meddling, etc. I mean, I start thinking maybe they will feel insulted if I tried to help, like as if I thought they were incapable.
Of course I don't mean if they fall down or were injured. In that case, I hope I would help.
I understood such behaviour to be the rule of the slopes. When I was learning, I was helped quite a few times by strangers, so now helping others is second nature.
For beginners, it's remarkably helpful when some apparently patient, competent soul makes sure you're alright, and gets you back on your skis.
Personally, I love a skier who, while whizzing by, gives me a quick tow as I (a snowboarder) run out of steam on a flat. If by chance I saw the same person in the lodge, I'd buy them a Jagertee.
Good job Mother Theresa and Jesus are dead, otherwise this thread would have these abso-frickin-endless list of good deeds that these mortals have bestowed upon their fellow humans.
I stopped at a pedestrian crossing with Fasnachtlers on the stripes yesterday, do I earn a Scooby snack?
Indeed. I help someone in one way or another, sometimes rescuing a runaway ski, sometimes just pointing them at the run home, probably about every other time I'm out skiing. People are nearly always very pleased to be helped, oddly enough.
Just found a wallet lying in the middle of road in front of local COOP at noon. Nobody was caring, so I took it, pretty dusty, and found few dozens francs and driver's license (some portugese guy, had swiss license) and postfinance card. After asking local colleagues what's the best place for return I walked out, scanning streets for cops. Where are they when you need them?
Disappointed, after 15 minutes returning back to work, I see police car, so stopped them, and although they didn't understand english, they were able to pick what I am gesticulating about and took it.
A while back I picked up a single 1000 Franc note at my local post office. I didn ́t see anyone around so left the money with a teller at the post office and told her the story (my German is non-existent but I think she got most of what I was saying). A couple of days later my wife reported seeing a notice posted at the post office thanking someone for recovering the lost money. To date, I haven ́t seen the thank you note nor do I know the person who lost the money but I can ́t describe how good I still feel inside when I think back...the best part of the great feeling I get when my wife reminds my kids about doing the right thing even in temptation and then goes on to use my story as an example
I was at Coop this morning when an Italian bloke was paying for his goods at the till in front of me. I noticed he separated his items into 2 bags.
As I walked out of Coop, this Italian bloke was heard in Italian and Swiss German giving a bagful of sandwiches and biscuits to a well known Somalian asylum seeker who was doing his job of working for a magazine for daily flyer distribution to patrons.
The beneficiary of that kind deed thanked him profusely and I know it certainly made his day ( and probably mine as well ).