Ever had a nice act from someone that wasn't a friend or relative?

Trust your feelings. If it is uncomfortable, then say “Thanks” and return the gift card.

I feel like it’s nice that she gave you the gift card, but I would wonder what her motives are, the way you are. I also wonder why you’re opening up about your personal life to someone in the position she’s in. Just me, cynical maybe yes, cautious definitely.

Maybe she feels that you are a friend. $50 isn’t that big a deal as a gift for a friend. This is her feeling and her gift. My parents used to say, “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” By which they meant a gift is a gift and you shouldn’t question the motivations of the person giving it. Nor should you question the form of the gift. You accept it gracefully and move on.

Re; What she said to you about some imbroglio in the past generated your response of “I don’t know if that was true but whatever.”

I would not like to be that nonchalant about the behavior of a woman to whom I am telling many of the secrets about my personal life.

“Whatever?” wouldn’t wash with me in regards to any friendship.

Accept it and think what a nice person she is.

My husband got laid off after a six-month internship. His co-workers took up a collection and gave us the money. They told us to pay it forward and we have.

You don’t know what he told her and what her response was but I think err on the side of caution. Are you desperate for friends that you need this one?

Well, I think I’m just going to continue to be cautious. I would probably treat her like a stranger meaning I wouldn’t meet up with her alone, at our houses, or get too close. Just be acquaintances and maintain a good connection. I don’t burn bridges if there’s not a reason to. Hope she’s not crazy lol

@chelle21689: I wasn’t thinking of your personal safety (as in your saying you wouldn’t meet up with her alone or at your houses), I was thinking more of your saying you reveal personal information about yourself, more so than she does about herself.

Ohh okay.

Comment: This question is mistitled. From the heading, I was expecting an invitation to describe the kind acts of strangers in people’s lives. You aren’t really asking people to share stories. You’re looking for personal advice. Your real question was “Should I be suspicious of this gift?” or “Can I trust the motives behind this unexpected gift?”

I don’t mean to pick on you, @chelle21689. This happens all the time. I just wish people would post the question they really want answered.

Sorry if it’s misleading, I still wanted to hear other people’s opinions. I had a brain fart and didn’t know what to question it as.

I personally would never have made friends with her. Simply because she had an issue with me long ago. I might sound cynical and hard, but I think to start with there would be limited trust. I also find her gift strange, I know some here don’t, but I would question it also. However, you kind of know how your gut feels about it, and you know her better than I do, so that is an outsiders opinion.

If she makes a lot of money and you know 50 bucks is nothing to her, than no big deal. I would put myself in her shoes. Maybe she is being honest and only felt threatened about your friendship because of his behavior and it has nothing to do with you personally.

I find her behaviour a bit odd and personally I would be suspicious of it. Is she trying to find out about your relationship with her boyfriend? Is he still her boyfriend or is he an ex?

Trust your instincts. You know how you have felt when interacting with this person in the past. If her behaviour now seems out of character and doesn’t feel right to you – hand the gift card back. I would also ask myself “what could she gain from me by doing this?” If there is a hidden cost, and you don’t want to pay it, again, hand it back. In some cultures, accepting a gift comes with the expectation that you are now beholden to the giver. As an educator, I am cautious about people offering me gifts.

In saying that, sometimes people just do kind acts with no ulterior motives. They do it because they can and it feels like the right thing for them to do. Listen to your instincts.

Many times, yes. Most of them turned out to be acts of that acquaintances just wanting to do something nice, no strings attached. Accept the gift, thank her but don’t tell yourself you have to feel about your relationship with her any deeper than you are comfortable with. If you’re not ready to call her a friend then don’t, it’s ok, even if she’s acting like you two are friends.

People move at their own speeds when going from acquaintance to friend and there are so many degrees and depth of friendship. To overthink this might be a waste of time if you don’t feel she’s highly manipulative or dangerous.

Do her parents have money? AKA, is money not an issue to her? If it’s not, maybe she thinks she can buy your friendship with this gift card. If not (and I usually don’t assume the worst, so I won’t here either) maybe she just doesn’t have many friends and really does like you and is grateful. Still, a monetary gift is kinda weird, but if you mentioned wanting new clothes, just thank her and take it. What could she possibly hope to gain if this whole act was malicious on her part? I can’t think of anything.

Thanks for answering, everyone!

I was wanting to post on this question, but didn’t really know what experiences I’d personally had that I could share, but I just stumbled upon this video:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=322_1347165360

A random act of kindness.
Enjoy.