Naturally helpful!

[Gemini]

Are you always helping people? Are you the type to ask tourists if you can give them directions before they ask you? Do you help the elderly and people with buggies through shop doors, off buses etc? Or do you just sit back as it's nothing to do with you?!

Out with friends last night, OH was making them laugh telling them how an elderly-ish man had latched himself onto me at the hospital last week. It was the blood taking department which has recently been relocated and revamped. You now have to use a touch screen to get numbered ticket, then you wait for your number to come up on a screen. Previously you just took a ticket from a dispenser. The man had been told by someone else 'to go the machine'. I could see him looking all round and not seeing machine, 'what machine?!', he was saying in a cross voice! Up jumps I to take him to the machine. 'I can't do those things!' he said crossly. I asked him if he was sent from hospital or GP, then did the rest and gave him his ticket. Despite there been lots of empty seats he came and stood next to mine and chatted to me about fishing, the NHS etc etc!! OH was most amused.
One of my friends said I was' naturally helpful'. I am, as I help others as I wish they would help me and sometimes they do!
A couple of friends' said they wouldn't have bothered to help this man unless directly asked. It set me thinking, how different people are, so I thought I would ask the question here!

[Oma]

I always tend to put my nose in if they ask or not Brian said that's why all the Village idiots gravitate to me hahaha But you do see people struggling with trolleys or Buggies through doors and no one helps it drives me mad . Just yesterday we parked up and the car next to us had there window open and there was a bag on the back seat and what looked like a purse on top , the people in the car on the other side said look the windows are open they deserve to have thing stolen I couldn't believe what I was hearing then they just walked off so Brian stayed by the car while I went in to shopping centre with the reg number and they put a announcement out for the owner to return to the car . we stayed there a few minutes then a man came running over he had totally forgot the windows were down ,it turned out it wasn't a purse but a card holder and all his cards were in there . It took minutes to help so why would people not ?
Another thing I hate is when a elderly person is packing there bags and chatting to the cashier and people behind are tutting and grumbling , don't they ever think this might be the only chat they will have had with someone for days , Show some compassion for goodness sake we will all god willing be that old some day

[Mimi]

Yes I always seem to be the one to jump in and help when we are out and about.
Once we were in a lift of a large hotel and an elderly lady said she didn't know what floor she was on and she couldn't understand her room number. Never fear Mrs Nosey Parker stepped forward. Our room was on the first floor so I told OH to carry on to our room and I would take the lady up to her room on the third floor. But not only am I Mrs Nosey Parker ,I am also Mrs Forgetful. After seeing the lady into her room I couldn't remember what floor we were on or what number room number we were.I had to go back to reception, wait in the queue and ask what floor and room I was. When I finely arrived at our room OH was sat outside the room,on the floor surrounded by our cases. He was unable to get into the room because I had the keys in my handbag and written on the fob of the keys was our room number and floor number. Strangely OH didn't see the funny side of this 😏

[Nanto2girls]

Love it Mimi.

I do try to be helpful, whenever I can.

[Elisi]

Oh what lovely stories like Nano I do try to be helpful whenever I can. I did once get an old lady into hospital after she had collapsed in the Co-Op. I put her in the recovery position and covered her with my coat and yelled at the (slightly) dopey assistants to ring for an ambulance.

[Daisy]

I can't stand by and watch anyone struggle, whatever the situation. I once spent quite a while in the lift of a multi-story car park helping an elderly lady find her car. She was sure she'd used that car park (good start) and her car was a mini. What Colour? I asked. Bright yellow, she said - so I can find it!!! Sure enough, when we eventually got to the right floor it stood out like a beacon!

[Shemadee]

I'm another one who just can't turn a blind eye! Lovely stories.

[Qwerty]

Ooohh I don't know how to answer that one I hope I do my bit when I can

[Nanto2girls]

Oh what lovely stories like Nano I do try to be helpful whenever I can. I did once get an old lady into hospital after she had collapsed in the Co-Op. I put her in the recovery position and covered her with my coat and yelled at the (slightly) dopey assistants to ring for an ambulance.

We were in a shop once, and a customer fell to the floor, having an epileptic fit,and we had to ask the assistants to call for an ambulance.This was in the days before we had mobile phones.

[Daisy]

You can come a bit unstuck, though, being helpful. One day when I was still working in College, a noticed a student sitting on the floor (not unusual in itself!) but looking rather lost and lonely. As it was only a few weeks into the Autumn term I thought perhaps he didn't know anybody or was literally lost in the campus. I stopped and asked if he was ok, could I help him etc. He burst into tears, and of course I was very sympathetic and took him to his Senior Tutor, whose office was next door to mine. For the rest of his 2 years every time he had a "crisis" (several times a week) and his ST wasn't available he would find me! It sounds unkind, but in the end I regretted ever having set eyes on him!

[Gemini]

I have loved reading these, it seems most of us are extremely helpful!

Re the epileptic fit Shemadee - My mum and I were walking along my street many years ago with DDs 1 and 2 who were about 5 and 7 at the time. A woman fell on the pavements in a fit. A little boy of about 4 was with her. He just stood by her looking stricken. This street was busy at that time with mums and and kids walking home from school. Everyone saw the woman and child but no one did anything! Mum and I comforted the boy and waited for his mum to come round which didn't take too long. She was dazed and we comforted her and stayed with her. As I didn't live far away we asked if she wanted to come in for a while. She accepted, but wouldn't have drink of anything and asked me for a newspaper before she sat down as she had wet herself a little. I felt so sad for her. Her head was bruised from past falls. It must have been so hard for her and the boy. I was amazed that the other mums did nothing.

[Shemadee]

I went on an expert patient course and, as we all got along so well, I organised lunches so we could keep in touch. One young man befriended an elderly lady who was very lonely. All went well at first but then she started throwing Wobblies when he and his partner went anywhere without her which is possibly why her own family kept their distance.