@SCityCuddler I JUST FREAKING LOVE THIS!!! What a tender story of that little mister. The fearlessness of the young ones absolutely astounds me sometimes. 💗
I agree with comments about having so many lovely moments in my life, the paying it forward idea, the beauty of being part of the perpetuation of kindness.... It has brought on a few tears this lovely Colorado rainy morning.
I'll go with my most recent interaction.
I was getting on a flight to go see some lovely peeps at a park in MO.... The plane was extremely full and the flight had been delayed quite a bit. I decided to sit IN A MIDDLE SEAT..... which is never my fav. (I love love love the window.) There was a lovely human by the window with a fantastic 6'4" hefty guy smile and a tall drink of water in the aisle with kind eyes. I asked them if they were ok if I sat in the middle.
The aisle gentleman was very careful to silently delineate his "bubble" of personal space which I wanted to honor. The big guy on the other side of me was so cheerful and brimming with joy we IMMEDIATELY struck up conversation and before I knew it we were laughing so loud that the whole plane started to have a shift in energy. I shouted out "I got the BEST seat mate!!"
Here's the BEST PART!!! I asked him about touching and consent and his boundaries so I would have clarity about whether or not I needed to balance in the middle without ever putting my arms on the arm rest and he said wholeheartedly.... ."GIRL get yourself on over here and snuggle up!!!!" We wound up spending the whole flight talking about cuddling and consent (and motorcycles and family and world ideologies) and I felt like I made a new friend. The kindness he exuded permeated the entire flight and I'm pretty sure I will never forget that airplane ride. In this aftermath of pandemic, I found a human willing to engage and connect for no other reason than we happened to collide.
My heart was full. 😊
7 years ago we lost our family cat whom my daughter named "Baby". Baby was 17 years old and we all loved her, she was such a sweet and loving kitty. My daughter who was then 5 years old had found her wandering in the street when she was just a tiny kitten and she brought her home and begged me to let her keep her. One day she suddenly became ill. I took her to the vet, and she was prescribed some medication and she seemed to be improving until a few days later when she started meowing in terrible pain. I was driving her back to the vet but she died on the way. I was on the phone with my daughter who was now 22; she had gone to California with friends a few days before. We were both crying hysterically. It was extremely hard losing Baby especially at this time as she died just a few weeks after losing my mother who was extremely fond of her. I took Baby to the vet and arranged to have her cremated. When I arrived, there was a woman ahead of me who had brought her Labrador Retriever in to be examined. I was completely heartbroken and was still crying. I didn't have the money with me to pay the vet so I arranged to pay when I came back to pick up Baby's ashes. When I returned a few days later, I was told the woman with the Lab had paid for Baby's cremation. It was very kind of her. It was an extremely difficult time for me and this woman's thoughtfulness made things a little easier. I wish I knew her name to thank her. This is a picture my daughter drew of Baby shortly before we lost her.
In 2019 I was part of an organized bike ride from the Indiana-Illinois border to the Indiana-Ohio border (160 miles). It was in July on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year (about 95F and 85% humidity). A little over half way through the route a woman had pulled off the road in a pick up truck and had a huge stack of wash clothes and a big water tank full of ice water. She was passing out bottles of cold water and offering cold, wet clothes to any cyclist who wanted to cool off for a moment.
I don’t know her name but she said she had done that ride the year before was unable to ride it that year but she wanted to support her fellow cyclists. I will never forget her act of kindness.
After my paternal grandfather died, who had been the last of my remaining grandparents, I grieved hard. I continued to work after a week, but was noticeably sad between the times I put on a brave face for customers. My gaze drifted from my cubicle to one across the way, and the coworker I saw there gave me a comforting smile. I felt seen, understood, and encouraged. Just that smile made such a difference! It only took her a moment to give me that smile, yet I recall it vividly 18 years later.
Oh, and @SCityCuddler , I just read your original post and teared up. Out of the mouths of babes!
There's very few times I've been on a plane, & only once I've been on one by myself. I missed the time I was supposed to fly back from Cali. While I went to get this sorted, my anxiety was through the roof. Even worried I might have a panic attack. Not only was it my first time flying alone, but my first time missing a flight to. Despite talking with the person about getting the next flight home, my energy still gave off very anxious vibes. There was a woman standing behind me, just her & her baby, while I was trying just to breathe. She looked me straight & the eye, most empathetic pair of iris' I've ever seen on someone's face, & told me "everything's going to be ok..."
Almost every day she enters my thoughts.
@BamaCuddleKat What an incredible chance encounter you had with that woman! For her to go out of her way to help you and your daughter out, especially at the height of C-19 makes it even more of a beautiful gift. I'm so glad you crossed paths with her and I'm also glad that you were able to give her a huge bear hug that she was in need of.
@Blackadder The story of your friend Jackie saying goodbye to you, made me tear up. Such a sweet story! I've got to ask have you ever reached out to her since, do you still have the gold box? I only ask cause well....I'm super nosey!
The story about your beloved Baby was heart breaking. My heart goes out to you and your daughter for the loss. What a kind and selfless woman to pay for Baby's cremation and to remove one less thing for you to have to deal with. Adorable picture, btw.
@sillysassy Dang gurl you were getting your cuddle on in a plane while you were on the way to a cuddle meet up. That's pretty bad ass of you! Awesome you crossed paths with and sat next to such a cuddle bug and character. I bet all the other passengers were jealous. And, probably super curious about what all that cuddle talk was about.
@JohnR1972 That was so sweet of her to stop and offer ice water and to get your clothes cold and wet. I can't even imagine how hot and uncomfortable you were before you crossed paths with that woman. I watch cyclists compete once a month in my area and I cheer them on from the side, they're intense and their dedication shows.
@nurturingman Something as simple as someone acknowledging your pain goes such a long way. I'd prefer a comforting smile over a 'I'm so sorry for your loss" any day. I'm so glad that that coworker let you feel seen, understood and encouraged.
@Shake49 I had a very similar experience, my first time flying alone. I was late due to inexperience, and definitely shed tears as I walked away from the counter to call my boyfriend at the time and figure out what to do. I wound up going back to the counter and the very nice woman scheduled me for a slightly later flight with a layover.
A year later, I was making my second flight alone, and due to the above experience, I was in panic mode. My hands were shaking so bad, I just felt sure the same thing was going to happen. To compound my anxiety, one of my bags was too heavy to be accepted. The woman at the counter was soooo sweet, telling me I didn't have to go back to put stuff in my car...she said my other bag was underweight, so I could just switch some things over. She wouldn't even take the next person and make me go to the side, she told me it would be okay and to just switch stuff over and she would wait for me. I was so grateful.
Now, years later, I have flown alone and with my current boyfriend many times, and have flying down to a science. ✈️ But I'm so glad for kind people, when it was so anxiety-inducing!!
~ Sunset Snuggles
@SunsetSnuggles so happy for you she was able to ease that anxiety. God bless these considerate people.
@SCityCuddler I have not seen Jackie since the day we moved. We went back to California during my Dad's vacation about a year and a half later and we returned to our old neighborhood to look at our former home and visit our next-door neighbors who were my God parents. I was eager to see Jackie, but when I walked down to her house I discovered that her family had also moved away. The house was vacant and the yard was overgrown with weeds. I walked across the street and sat in the middle of our field, thinking About her for awhile. It looked exactly the same. Wild daisies still grew there. I missed her. I can't recall her last name so I doubt if I will ever know whatever became of her. It makes me very sad.
@SCityCuddler I forgot to mention, yes, I still have the little gold foil box with the now crumbled daisy, the penny and our photograph. I will keep it for the rest of my life.
@Blackadder If you know her old address (or can figure it out using Google Maps), and look it up online, you may be able to see a list of people who owned it.
@SunsetSnuggles That's a very good idea. Yes, I do know the address but remember this was over 50 years ago. I just wonder if I could find such information that old online.
@Blackadder True. I've seen addresses from my parents listed back into the 80's, but I don't know how far back that might go. Perhaps a call to the county clerk's office would shed some light. Good luck!!
@JohnR1972 I know how that feels. The longest ride I ever made was a century run. I spent most of the ride leaning forward on the drop handle bars, which, it turned out, was not a good idea. When I got up the next morning, both hand were so swollen, that I was completely unable to open from a clenched position.
When I went for breakfast, I was absolutely unable to pick up a fork. One of my buddies fed me for the rest of the day.
For a couple years I lived with some friends in a dinky ski resort town (we'll it was at the time anyway). When I first got there a guy I'd barely met offered to teach me how to drive in the snow and ice. He took me up to a loose gravel flat and had me cause then correct from power slides in his pick up.
I didn't realize at the time how well connected he was and how much people valued his judgment. He totally vouched for me and spread the word. There were multiple people who often let me drive thier cars off the mountain to run errands or to just get away for a bit ~ no matter the conditions.
That's the just the being of the kindnesses I received while living up there ~ there were so many!! How I got there in the first place is another major kindness.
To date, I've never had an issue driving in the elements and I owe the bulk of that to him.
Small act of kindness ~ My supervisor reminding me of how horrible things were for her while I was out with Covid. After modifying something for a student today, she told me about a specific trouble she'd had and I couldn't help but laugh. She's like, "I had to go get help from two people because I couldn't figure it out, even with phone support and two Youtube videos, and the whole time I knew you'd have figured it out right away." And she's right! It was something I did yesterday without even thinking about it. Lol. It's nice to be appreciated for the things you're good at and to be told when you're missed.
One morning, I went out with my camera into the mountains, and wound up deep within a national forest. As the day wore on, it started raining hard, and I came around a bend in the mountain and panicked when I was faced with huge exposed rocks ahead of me. Usually I'm good in tense situations, but this time I acted without thinking, and tried to turn the car around. There was no room to do so on the tiny road with a drop on one side, and I wedged my tail pipe into the mountain. I knew I couldn't make it over the rocks ahead, and it was too late to try to back down. I even tried to physically push my car away from the mountain, but it was stuck.
Two sweet men came to help me, that day. The first was on a motorcycle, and he took my mom's phone number so he could tell her that I might be stuck on the mountain overnight. Unbeknownst to me, he also went home to get his truck in hopes of finding me before nightfall and pulling me out.
Meanwhile, after about three hours, another man pulled up and was able to crawl under my car and hook up his tow cable and pull me away from the mountain. He insisted that we could make it over the rocks that had stopped me, initially. I knew we couldn't, but I followed him. I got stuck two more times, completely nose-dived into the rocks. He pulled me out two more times, still in the pouring rain. We finally made it out, and I called the first man to let him know I was safe.
Three things resulted from that experience... One, I put together an extensive emergency kit to keep in my car at all times. Two, the next vehicle I bought was a 4-wheel drive SUV with a high clearance. And three, I always pull over and offer to help people in need, whenever I see the opportunity.
This will sound stupid. I was probably 5 or 6 years old. My neighbor, a guy I really looked up to, gave me a Matchbox Jeep to add to my little collection. I remember tearing up and not understanding that people can cry for reasons other than sadness. It really confused me. I thought that it meant I was sad! I wish that I could be that innocent again. It's probably impossible at this point.
When I was a kid, there was this old retired couple who lived next door, Tom and Eva Peace. They basically adopted me and my siblings as grandkids.
I still remember Tom showing how I could twist the nozzle of a squirt bottle to make the water go farther so I could reach him across the fence, then pretending to yelp and be unable to escape when I sprayed him (before he sprayed me back). Our water fights are some of my best childhood memories.
His wife taught me how to make play moccasins out of leftover fabric, and crocheted Christmas stockings for every kid who'd been born at that point.
One day it had rained and Tom looked over the fence to see me playing in the mud puddles.
He seemed sad that day, but he smiled when he looked at me splashing around and laughing. "Promise me you'll never get too old to play in mud puddles," he said, and I was happy to give my word. At the time I understood my promise literally, but now I know what he meant: never get so old that your self-imposed 'maturity' keeps you from enjoying life's simple pleasures.
It's the best promise I've ever made.
@Shake49 I'm so glad that woman was there and offered you some comforting words. You got the comforting mom look to boot, those are the best.
@Blackadder Had a feeling you still had that gold box, flower and picture. You've got to reach out and find Jackie. This is just too adorable not to pursue.
@SunsetSnuggles So, glad you met that woman at the counter on that stressful day. That was kind of her to help diffuse what could have been an even more stressful situation.
Stuck on a mountain, is their anything you haven't done? You really lucked out that day. I'm so glad those kind souls stopped to help you out. And, kudos to you for paying that forward.
@quixotic_life That was so sweet of that man to teach you how to drive in the elements. Also, to vouche for you and let you confidently get away no matter the road conditions.
It's so nice to be missed at work and for someone to express their appreciation twords you. Makes a lady feel special!
@UCpaaHVg6u0 I don't think that sounds stupid at all. It sounds like someone gave you a gift that was very meaningful to you and you were overcome with appreciation. I'm willing to bet you're very in touch with your emotions, to be that young and to grasp the diffrence of crying for sadness and happiness is powerful.
@DaringSprinter I'm so glad you had Tom & Eva to be there for you and your siblings. So, kind of them to spend time with and to teach you the art of crocheting and to play water fights with you. Nothing beats a good water fight IMO! Tom left you with the best life lesson, never forget how to play.
@SCityCuddler posted: "Stuck on a mountain, is their anything you haven't done?" Actually most things, I'm just making up for lost time! 😆