Kindness of Strangers

Hello! I have returned.

Well I haven't actually been anywhere, but I've not been blogging due to work and life and such (at least this time it was planned). I've seen what full-on August is like at work now, so hopefully I'll be more prepared for next year.

I thought I'd start on a positive note and mention some nice real life stuff that has happened to me. There have been some specific occasions over the past few months when total strangers have been really kind (not that they are normally horrible or anything) and I thought it was worth sharing.


I went to Homebase after work to buy seed potatoes and a paint sample (it was kinda random) but when I got to the till I discovered that I didn't have my wallet on me (I remembered almost straight away that I'd left it at home). Bit awkward, but I have a bus pass so I don't need cash to get about. When I left the shop the woman who had been behind me at the till came over to me in the car park. She said she'd overhead my predicament and asked if I needed any help or any money. Looking back I think she was concerned about whether I was really stuck and needed help getting home or something. I think my facial expressions can come off more sad/worried than I actually am. At the time I briefly wondered if she was offering to help buy my random non-essentials. Either way I thanked her for her generosity but said I was fine.

The day my first rat died (as mentioned here in July) I'd booked to give blood in the afternoon. Obviously I was pretty sad when I got to the appointment and it's possible that that combined with the heat (July was so hot!) was what made me feel faint afterwards. I had to lie down for a bit with a fan pointed at me. A woman who had also been giving blood asked how I was getting home and said she'd give me a lift rather than me waiting for the bus. The Blood Service people seemed to know her and made clear that I was texting my husband about coming home (I sensed no threat, but best to be on the safe side and all). Actually we had quite a nice chat about the city we lived in.

After the busiest day at work (by which I mean the specific day we have to come in early for and get other people in to help out with) I stumbled to the bus stop feeling a little punch drunk. In fact I missed the bus going past, so I legged it down the footpath to the next bus stop. when I got on the bus I realised I didn't have my phone on my any more. On the bus home I was making plans to phone it as soon as I got in. At home I had an answer phone message from a woman who had found my phone, she'd also added me on facebook and sent me a message there. Luckily she was doing research at the University where I work, so we exchanged some messages on facebook, arranged to meet  and she gave the phone back to me the next day.

Part of my bus pass fell out of its wallet (same bus stop where I lost my phone). I got things sorted out to get a new one, but in the meantime a letter came to me from the bus company with my missing bus pass inside. There was also a letter from a woman who said she had found it and wanted the bus company to try and get it back to me. Not found her to thank her, unlike the others.


I guess the moral of this is that people can be very nice and considerate, or possibly that I lose things.

Normal service will return shortly.