What is the kindest, nicest, or most wonderful thing a total stranger has ever done to/for/with you?

My own life has been one of amazing coincidences and adventure, but of all the places I’ve been, and of all the experiences I’ve had, and of all the souls I’ve encountered, I must admit that some of the things done for me by folks who didn’t know me at all, left the greatest impression on me.

I once saw an elderly lady put a nickel into my expired parking meter, when she saw a police officer about a block away, issuing parking tickets. Another time, I was $1 short on my grocery bill, and the cashier smiled and said, “Catch me next time you’re here,” then reached into her pocket, pulled out that extra $1, and placed it in the cash register. (Those kind of simple gestures have happened to me so many times, I get a lump in my throat, trying to recount all of them.)

But the stranger who “wins the prize,” was the gentleman who came up from behind me when I was choking on some meat in a restaurant, and performed the Heimlich Maneuver on me, dislodging that morsel from my throat, and saving my life.

There were just no words I could utter to him, to thank him for that unselfish act, and my public embarrassment and feelings of humiliation (that I had been so stupid to get that meat stuck in my throat, in the first place) caused me to quickly exit that place, after I insisted that my rescuer write down his name and address, so I could more properly and completely thank him, later on.

I ran off with that slip of paper clutched in my hand, hearing him say, “I really don’t want anything of value from you; I’m just glad you are OK.”

When I mailed him a thank-you card with a gift certificate enclosed (for use at a major department store chain), the letter was returned to me by the post office, with the notation, “this address doesn’t exist.”

Have you been the recipient of the kindness of strangers? What happened to you, and how did it affect your life?