An act of kindness made me feel old!

I am a mobility scooter user and am often amazed by the kindness of fellow shoppers, asking if I need a hand and drivers who stop for me to cross the road. Whether it's because I look old or am disabled matters not a jot, it's just very comforting to know that there is so much kindness out there.
One day last week as I was passing a bus stop, a little girl waiting for the bus with her parents shouted " Hello old Nan! "
I shouted hello back and carried on with a smile. A few years ago, I would have been horrified but now I just think it's nice to be noticed!

I think that it's extremely ungracious to refuse a kind offer, especially if it's just our vanity that's dented. A young girl offered me a seat on the last time I travelled by tube for work. Whichever way you looked at it I was far older than her and a quick glance around the carriage confirmed that I was indeed the oldest person present. Comes to us all, well the lucky ones I guess.

It's so nice when someone does an act of kindness for you no matter what age you are....I'm 64 today and I honestly love being this age....I'm retired and go at my own pace through life....Love it...

I don't use public transport a lot, but people often help to put my case in the overhead lockers on planes, as I'm only 5ft tall. When retrieving my luggage from the carousel I often co-opt a brawny young man to catch my suitcase for me, and haul it off the conveyer. They are always very obliging.
A friend and I were discussing how you should never haul someone to their feet, if they have fallen, but check that they haven't done any damage first. A few minutes later my foot went over the edge of the kerb and I overbalanced. No harm done, apart from a grazed elbow, but a lady immediately rushed over and tried to heave me up. She was surprised when we both burst out laughing.
If anyone offers assistance I usually accept it gratefully.

I had a very good friend and neighbour who sadly died suddenly in Jan, she was in her 80's, very independent, but in the past 2 years she slowed down considerably, when going for the bus to the shops, if the bus was coming up behind her and she didn't think she'd make it to the bus stop, she used to stick her hand our with her bus pass in it, and amazingly some (not all) bus drivers stopped for her. Well since she died I have taken a leaf out of her book and done the same thing, and lo and behold the drivers have stopped, some at the bus stop, but they have waited for me to catch up, I have thanked every one while getting on the bus and again when getting off. I never thought I would have trouble "putting a spurt on" to get to the bus stop, but age creeps up on us at different times in our lives, and I for one am thankful for good manners in a younger (much younger than me!) generation.

nadateturbe

I feel like that when drivers stop to let me cross the road.
I always think, I must look old.

Orkney drivers tend to slow down if they feel anyone, young or not might be thinking of crossing the road especially on the approach to a zebra crossing. That often reminds me that "Yes, I did mean to got to the library or the shop on the other side It's a lovely example of consideration of others and one of the many reasons we live here!

At the start of the pandemic my vanity was well and truly shown up. Two of my neighbours kindly offered to get shopping for me and one of them said "Are you over 70?"
My thoughts at the time? " How can you think that's even possible? "
I was, but had sucked up and believed all those polite " but you don't look it " remarks.
I now gratefully receive any offers of seats and help and remember that moment each time.
The first time anyone offers you a seat is always hard to take.

A couple of years ago I met my family at the Science Museum i can't express how completely mortified I was when the well meaning girl in the foyer offered me a wheelchair .

I limp .

I ate my lunch like an automaton and to be honest it spoilt my visit .

I was limping as I left a local hospital yesterday and a young woman offered to carry my bag. I was so touched by her kindness. I was only going to sit and wait for my car so didn’t need her help but her thoughtfulness will stay with me for a long time.

Maybe she thought you were pregnant??

I had a similar experience to the OP. A few years ago a school boy (probably aged about 15) got up and offered me his seat on the bus. I graciously accepted. I felt simultaneously old and heart-warmed. It was the first time that had happened (I was in my early 60s). Haven’t been on a bus during the pandemic and have probably aged considerably during the past 2 years. So, next time I travel by bus, I’m expecting lots of kind young people to offer this ‘old lady’ their seat. Of course, I shall graciously accept

When I was a child, many moons ago, I was taught to give up my seat to adults as a matter of course. They didn't;t have to be advance in years just an adult.

Him indoors fell over the other day. He was out by himself, coming home, when his knee just gave out and he went flat on his back. He's not a light person, to put it politely.
He was struggling to get up when another man stopped to help.
We laugh about it because this fella must've been in his 70s and was a fraction of the size, but he did a great job of helping HI up, and stayed to make sure he was alright (I bet he went home and cursed helping because his back hurt lol)! Him indoors is 57.
I think people are a bit more caring these days and we should all appreciate that, as well as help others!

I’ve always been grateful when people give me a seat on the tube. I was recently using a crutch and it worked like magic on the buses, not so much now I’m able bodied. I ask for help when necessary. Once when about to go on holiday I found I couldn’t lift my suitcase down the stairs to the front door so I asked a young man going past walking his dog. He bounded up the stairs and lifted it easily.

Sods Law that I now get more offers from handsome young men to lift my suitcase into overhead racks than I ever did when young ....

? me too ?

I think it's worth remembering that people offer help for all sorts of reasons, and not just assume it's because they think we look old. Some people are just kind and well mannered. I once got a tongue lashing from someone in a wheelchair when I offered to help her get around a tight bend on a ramp. She was obviously having difficulty and looked a bit frazzled. She did get up the ramp but looked in a furious temper by the time she got into the shop and I imagine some poor shop assistant paid the price.

I was standing at the trolley bank outside the supermarket for about three seconds looking for my 'trolley £1' when the girl behind me said 'are you getting a trolley today'? Definitely made me feel old - and quite violent, cheeky cow!

Baggs

My feeling is that if an act of kindness makes me feel old, I probably am old. I feel like this because throughout my life I have experienced random acts of kindness.

How about we stop being ageist about this and just accept kindness when it is offered as simply an act of kindness?

If the act is age-related, then it's age-related. And if it isn't age-related then it isn't.

But the point is, it's kindness! Enjoy it. We are forever being told to "be kind".

Absolutely what I was going to say, I will often offer help to people who look like they could do with it, whether younger or older, it's more down to whether they look like they're struggling / having a bad day / whatever, than age.

The same thing happened to me on the tube, at just 60, I said no thanks!
Pride comes before a fall, hopefully not literally!

Oh, I always accept with a smile. It's a perk of being old, as I tell the kind person... I only get annoyed when I am the one who gets up for someone older, because the young people pretend not to have seen them.

There was a programme on the radio today about kindness. Apparently many people do not offer help for fear of offending. We just have to remember that age is relative - a person of 60 is ‘old’ to someone in their thirties!

A few years we were on holiday in Vietnam, nearly every time we crossed the road a young Vietnamese person rushed up, took our arms and guided us over the road. Often they wanted to stop and chat for 5 minutes to practice English and on one occasion a student who helped us took us to a traditional Vietnamese house and a coffee house for traditional egg coffee. I said how nice and helpful people were and she said old people are always respected. I thought we looked young 60 years olds. ?

An opposite story ,I went to our local hospital to the physio dept waiting area shared with the maternity O. P.D A
very pregnant girl arrived, only 3 widely space chairs 2 occupied by men, not elderly. I offered her my seat which she took. Men sat looking at the floor!

The first time I was offered a seat on the tube it caught me totally off guard. To be honest I was horrified and declined, with grudging thanks. I was early 60s, in jeans, make-up, dyed hair. How could I possibly look like I needed a seat? It was quite a long and unpleasant journey and I was clinging on for dear life. The young man, and his mother as it happened, alighted at the same stop. I apologised to him for being so ungracious, thanked him for his kindness and told him I regretted my decision as soon as I had refused. His mum in turn thanked ME for speaking to him as he had felt guilty for maybe upsetting me!! Whoever knew a tube journey could be so complicated? What a lovely family. Lesson learnt on my part!

I gratefully receive any help and always thank the driver

Pre pandemic, I was coming home on the plane after holidaying at my son's. I was recovering from a heavy cold which had done the rounds whilst I was there. As I went to order coffee, I lost my voice! The man in the seat next to me was lovely, he got the coffee sorted for me, got my case down on arrival and generally made sure I was OK till we got in the airport.