(A lady is looking at our local honey display and comes over to me to ask how much bee pollen someone should take a day. I have no idea, so I go to some coworkers and see if they have any idea. None of us has any idea, so I get on my coworker’s cell phone to see if I can find a quick answer. The customer comes to where we are standing.)

Me: “I’m looking to see if this website has any recommendations about what dosages to take.”

Customer: “All right, I was surprised you have it so cheap here. At natural foods stores, you would pay in the 100s for this product.”

Coworker: “Yeah, local honey can be really expensive, but it is good for you.”

Customer: “Yeah, it builds up your immunity to local pollutants. That’s the reason I’m trying this. I’m allergic to pollen.”

(My coworkers and I stare at her for a second, horrorstruck.)

Me: “Ma’am, if you’re allergic to pollen, please do not use this bee pollen. I’m scared you’re going to get really sick!”

Customer: “But it’s for building up your immunity.”

Coworker: “Well, the honey is good for that but it’s probably not a good idea to use that product.”

Me: “Yeah, please talk to your doctor or even our pharmacist before you take this!”

Customer: “But I am not allergic to tree pollen; I’m only allergic to flower pollen.”

Me: “But, ma’am, the bees get their pollen from flowers, and this is local honey, so that pollen would probably do awful things to your body.”

(This lady didn’t believe a word I said until the website I pulled up said that pollen was a trigger. She eventually put the bee pollen back, but I’m still worried she is unintentionally going to kill herself.)

Me: “All right, and do you want any sauce on this?”

Customer: “Mustard. And white pepper.”

Me: “Um… Okay, mustard. And you said pepper?” *holding up the pepper*

Customer: “White pepper.”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, we don’t have white pepper at this store. Only black pepper.”

Customer: “Nooo, you do have white pepper. I want the white.”

Me: *putting all the shakers on the counter* “Sorry, ma’am. I’ve got black pepper, oregano, and salt.”

Customer: “That’s it.” *points to the salt*

Me: “Salt? All right.”

Customer: “No, it’s white pepper.”

Me: “It’s salt. Did you still want this on?”

Customer: “No, I can’t have salt. I can have white pepper. I want white pepper.”

Me: “All righty.” *puts on “white pepper”*

(At the counter:)

Customer: “The doctor said that I can’t have salt because of my blood pressure. He didn’t say I couldn’t have white pepper.”

My mother-in-law is an amazing, sweet, kind, and generous woman, who I am lucky to call family. 

Yesterday, I was being released from hospital following major abdominal surgery. My husband was due to collect me after visiting his mum in a hospital local to our home. She had been in intensive care for the past three weeks with sepsis that wasn’t responding well to treatment. As he was about to leave his hospital, the doctor told him that his mum was not going to last much longer and he needed to stay with his dad and his sister for the end. He phoned me and told me the news and we agreed I would have to get a cab home despite the cost. 

I made the arrangements via the hospital’s concierge and sat to wait near another lady in the lobby. We sort of smiled at each other, and then she gestured to a bag the other side of her and asked if it was mine. I said no and pointed to my suitcase next to me and said that was all I had. 

We then struck up a short conversation about our reasons for being there. She asked what was wrong and said I seemed upset. I explained that my husband couldn’t collect me as his mum was dying and not expected to last long and that I was waiting for a cab. She instantly waved her hand and said her driver would take me home. I protested, as I already had the cab booked and it would be too far as I live the other side of the river, but she insisted and told the concierge to cancel my cab. Then, she told a gentleman outside the entrance to take my address and ensure her driver took me home as soon as possible. 

I was definitely overwhelmed by this point and forgot to ask for her name, but I did give her a hug and thank her for making my day so much easier. She then left with her assistant. When her car arrived, I got in with my suitcase, and then my husband called to tell me his mum had gone. Thanks to that incredibly generous stranger, I was able to be with him and the rest of our family when it really mattered and, yes, faith in humanity restored.

(I am an American working as a foreign English teacher in China. I have high-functioning Autism and it causes me to be face-blind. This evening, I am in our kitchen cooking some treats with a class of five- to six-year-old boys while their regular teacher has a progress meeting with their parents. Towards the end of the hour, the teacher comes to visit us. It is then I notice something about two of the boys.)

Me: “Wait… Why are these two boys wearing the same clothes? Are they identical twins?”

Teacher: “Yeah, you didn’t notice?”

Me: “No. I’m face-blind, remember?”

Teacher: “Oh, yeah.” *points to two other boys* “They’re identical twins, too.”

Me: “Seriously?!”

(Yep, I went through a full hour of class with eight boys without realizing that I had two sets of identical twins.)

(I have PTSD and, while I’ve learned to cope with it fairly well, I can still have an episode now and then. Thankfully, I’m pretty good at telling when it’s coming. My managers know about this and are more than happy to let me take a quick break when I feel a panic attack coming on — all but one. We’ll call her “Bratty,” thanks to her attitude when she thinks people are faking it, which is often.)

Me: *talking to a customer when I feel an attack coming on* “Hey, [Coworker], can you cover me while I take a few to gather myself? I’m feeling panicky and I want to stop it before I’m in a full-blown panic attack.”

Bratty: “She’s busy. You can wait.”

(I’m in the back window so I can’t see up front. I have to take her word for it.)

Me: “Just sometime soon. I don’t want to go home because I couldn’t calm down in time.”

(Time slowly ticks by as I feel myself falling into a panic attack more and more. I try breathing, but it isn’t helping. I continue to ask for help, but Bratty denies me. Finally, I burst into panicked sobs and shut down.)

Me: *barely through stutters and sobs* “I can’t… Someone…”

(I rush to the back and immediately collapse to my knees. After that, it gets kind of hazy but my coworker tells me what happened.)

Bratty: “What is [My Name] doing?! She needs to get her lazy a** back to work!”

Customer: *pulls up and sees Bratty yelling* “Excuse me! That poor girl back there is having a f****** panic attack and you say she’s lazy?! Mental health is important! Go back there and help her!”

(My coworker covered my spot while my manager came back to get me. During this time, the general manager walked in. Suddenly, I screeched. Everyone rushed to the back to see Bratty trying to jerk me back up as I kicked and screamed. The general manager jerked her away from me and dragged her into the office before coming to help. After I’d calmed down and come to, they asked if I want to pursue a case against Bratty. Still in a daze, I said no and went home. When I came back, Bratty was on suspension. The general manager was scared that I would want to press charges because I had a known disability and Bratty refused a reasonable accommodation and then assaulted me. I told him I wouldn’t press charges but I would not work with her again until she was trained on disabilities. He agreed and she was put on night shift for a few months while she was retrained on everything.)