(I take the bus from the north end of town to south to get to high school. I have one bus driver I get to know very well and he becomes sort of like a father figure to me. After I finish high school I don’t see him again… until the one night I go to our local Show and Shine car show. My mother and I are walking along and looking at the motorcycles when I stop and notice a familiar face; it is my bus driver! I walk over to say hi.)

Me: “Les! Hey… do you remember me?”

Bus Driver: “Remember you?! Of course I do, darling; how could I forget you? How’re you, sweetheart?”

(He gave me a hug and a huge smile and I can honestly say that I tried very hard not to cry. It’s hard to believe after all these years he remembered who I was. Made my week and I haven’t stopped smiling since.)

(I am traveling via Montreal. I am tired from hauling two suitcases, upset at leaving my mother, and coming down with a bad laryngitis (but don’t know it yet). I arrive from the U.S. by bus and buy a Metro ticket to downtown. An elderly man comes running after me:)

Elderly Man: “You forgot your wallet at the ticket window!”

Me: “Oh, my! It still has all my money in it, too! Thank you so much!”

(Downtown I escalate myself and suitcases up three floors to Information to find out where to catch the airport shuttle. One of my suitcases tips over and I don’t have the strength to pick it up. A man comes up.)

Man: “Where are you going?”

Me: “I’m trying to get to the shuttle.”

(He goes to the information desk to make sure of the location, then hauls the heavy suitcase two floors down and two streets over to the shuttle depot, makes sure it’s the right shuttle, puts my suitcases on the bus and wishes me a good trip. There are a few minutes before the shuttle leaves so I go into a nearby soda fountain. It’s nearly empty and the staff are obviously trading jokes. I smiled at the good cheer.)

Me: “Can I just get a soda water?”

Staff: “Are you very thirsty?”

Me: “Yes.”

(I pay for my drink, but when I took a sip it was the more expensive Sprite! I have never forgotten the three ‘angels’ and bless them whenever I think of Montreal.)

(I am driving down the motorway and my oil light comes on. I drive to the local petrol station and realise I have no purse. I decide to ask if I can get my boyfriend to pay over the phone.)

Me: “Excuse me, I was driving down the motorway and my oil light came on, and I have left my purse at home. Can I please get oil and pay over the phone? I can’t go anywhere without it.”

Cashier: “No.”

Me: “Oh, okay. Is there nothing you can do? I didn’t bring my purse with me.”

Cashier: “No, we don’t have any way to accept payment over the phone.”

Me: “Okay, thanks.”

(I left the petrol station and a woman, who was inside at the same time, found me and gave me the money to get oil. She told the cashier off for not helping me. I got her information to repay the money straight away. I am so incredibly thankful to her!)

(It’s the holiday season. This occurs outside a big name retail store that sells food of a big name fast food restaurant. Occasionally there will be those down on their luck asking for money out front. There is a man with a dog. I see an acquaintance I know, who is close to being in the same situation, come out the door with a bag of food.)

Acquaintance: “It is not much, but it’s a hot meal.”

(He proceeds to give the bag, a drink, and some one dollar bills. The man thanks him as the acquaintance walks off. I never saw the acquaintance again after that, but the man ended up getting a job at a nearby tire shop.)

(I am at a famous theme park in Australia, on holiday with my dad and stepmum. We split up shortly after arrival, and I make my way towards a Harry Potter shop. It’s small and rather full, but as a huge HP fan, I adore the decoration and end up staring at a replica of the Marauder’s Map, which is behind the glass case at the register. The attendant behind the counter eventually turns to me.)

Attendant: “Would you like to see it?”

Me: *still in fangirl awe mode* “Oh, could I?”

Attendant: *chuckling and removing it for me* “Of course!”

(I spend the next ten or so minutes pouring over the details of the map, and at this point the crowd dies down. We strike up conversation about the fandom and end up talking for a long time. Eventually, the daily parade comes by and the store empties. I stick around, help him straighten displays, and he takes me around the very small store to point out deco I had missed.)

Attendant: *leads me around* “We have the Nimbus 2000 model over there. We also have [Famous Giant Spider]’s children hanging from the ceiling. And oh, did you see we have bludger bats over here?” *he pauses and grins slyly at me* “Did you want to hold it?”

Me: “What? Are you serious? Could I really?!”

Attendant: *climbs up onto a ledge to take it down and passes it to me* “Of course! A few of do it every so often, anyway. It’s cool, huh?”

(I take time to look at it before giving it back to him. For the rest of the day I hang out at the shop in between lunch. I barely go on any rollercoasters or rides. At the end of the day, before I leave, he hands me a packet of stickers without charge.)

Attendant: “Here you go!”

(I was only 16 and at a very awkward stage of life, just coming out of suicidal thoughts, and this entire day helped so much. Till this day I regret not having taken my picture with the attendant or asking his name. I’m hoping to one day go back, although chances are he doesn’t work there any longer. Small things really do matter.)