(I’m walking through a big dog park, where people often leave their used dog bags behind them, and it gets kind of gross over time. I see a mom bag up her dog’s poop, and then drop the bag on the trail.)

Four-Year-Old Son: “Mommy, you forgot the bag.”

Mom: “Oh, honey, we’ll get it on the way back out.”

Four-Year-Old Son: “But we need to throw it away.”

Mom: “It’s too far to the next trash can. We’ll get it later.”

Four-Year-Old Son: “But Mommy, we can’t just leave poopy behind.” *picks up the bag and hands it to his mom* “We’ll find a trash can soon.”

(It’s my first visit to New York and the only place I can afford to stay is a really tatty motel in New Jersey beside a major road. I’m from the UK where most places are walkable and most bus stops clearly marked, so am very confused as I try to discover where to catch a bus back into the city. I go into a donut shop but no one will answer when I try to ask them. I’m 19 and the area is really rough, so I’m pretty worried. I head next door to a garage where I figure that people will need to get away by public transport sometimes.)

Me: “Excuse me, can anyone tell me where I can catch the bus into New York?”

Mechanic: “You’re catching the bus?”

Mechanic #2: “You okay, kid?”

Man In Queue: “There’s a stop outside [Store], isn’t there? But that’s across the freeway.”

Woman Halfway Down The Queue: “I have my car booked in at 10, but I’m taking this girl to the stop first. Come on, honey.”

Mechanic: “No problem, ma’am.”

Mechanic #2: “Travel safely, kid.”

(Bemused I follow her and we drive off.)

Woman: “So, how did you get here?”

Me: “I caught the bus out yesterday. I stayed at [Motel] but it was pretty grim so I decided I’d head back to Boston this evening rather than tomorrow.”

Woman: “Hmm. I’m taking you to the train station. I’m not putting you on the bus when you are all shaken up.”

(We pull up outside a railway station.)

Me: “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Woman: “I have kids your age. Now, do you have enough for the train ticket? Here, have a candy bar to eat on the way. You take care now.”

(That was almost 20 years ago and I haven’t forgotten the lovely lady who rescued a very confused English teenager! It is also the story of how I broke the golden rule: never get into a car with a stranger…)

(Every weekday morning my church has a coffee bar where anyone can come in and have unlimited tea, coffee, cakes, and biscuits for £1. One of our regulars is a mentally disabled woman in her 40s who comes in almost every day with a carer. One morning as she’s coming in she runs into my friend, who is trying on his costume to be Santa at the children’s Christmas party the following week.)

Regular: *to carer* “It’s Santa. I don’t like Santa. Santa’s loud.”

Carer: “It’s all right. Remember I told you Santa’s a nice man. ”

Friend: *gently* “Hello, [Regular].”

Regular: *amazed* “Santa knows my name!”

Friend: “Of course I do, [Regular]. That’s why I came here this morning. I was checking my list and I saw you’d been a good girl this year. I wanted to make sure I got you the right present for being so good. Would you like some nice chocolates?”

Regular: “Yes, please, Santa.”

Friend: “Well, I’ll make sure they get to you on Christmas morning. Is that okay with you, [Regular]?”

Regular: “Yes, Santa. Thank you, Santa.”

Friend: “You’ve earned it by being so good. Now I have to go upstairs and make sure [Minister] remembers to put the carrots out for Rudolph. She forgot last year. Merry Christmas, [Regular].”

Regular: “Merry Christmas, Santa.”

(She told all of us for the rest of the week that Santa knew her name and my friend made sure a box of chocolates was given to her carer so she did get her present from Santa that year.)

(I have just finished my shift as a cashier when my ride calls to say she’ll be an hour or two late. I’d had minor foot surgery the day before and I’m in a lot of pain so I find some nearby grass to sit on while I wait. A truck drives by, then turns around and parks not far away. Two guys and a girl get out and walk over.)

Guy #1: “Hey, we saw you crying and had to come back. Are you okay?”

Me: *rubs my eyes, embarrassed* “Oh! Uh, yeah. My foot hurts and I can’t walk, and my ride is late. It’s no big deal.”

Girl: “We could give you a ride home if you want. Do you live nearby?”

Me: No, that’s okay. I don’t want my ride to worry about me. Thanks, though.

Guy #2: “Well, we can’t leave you here, so we’ll wait with you.”

(The three of them sit on the grass with me and start showing off their tattoos, talking about video games, and trying to make me laugh. When my ride finally calls to say she’s only a few minutes away, they wish me a better day and leave. I don’t think I even learned their names, but I’ll never forget their kindness.)

(At my workplace we have a lot of teddies given us to sell. We have placed them in a basket ready to be sold. A little girl, about 5 to 7, comes in along with her mother. The mother goes off to browse while the daughter walks over to the basket and picks each one up, one by one, hugging them and giving them a kiss.)

Me: “Excuse me, madam, what’s your daughter doing?”

(The mum called her daughter over towards us, she came over and the mum asked the girl to explain what she was doing.)

Mum: “Please tell the lady why you were hugging and kissing the cuddly toys?”

Little Girl: “I wanted to show them all the love till they went to another home, so they weren’t alone and feel unloved.”

(I almost cried at how cute and caring she was. The little girl bought two of the toys. As they were leaving her mum told me that she did it in every shop that had cuddly toys.)