[Thorners (a.k.a. Claire)]

Hello my lovelies.

As we approach K10, I was wondering....what has been your best RAoK ever, and why?

Looking forward to reading some great stories, and perhaps gaining some inspiration!

[Joinee Mum White]

Well, I don't know about best ever - It's a bit hard to say as there are things that are good for all sorts of different reasons, some more or less random.

Over the years I have loved some of the secret RAOKs that we have done as a group, sending cards to people in hospital and things like that - part of the fun has been conspiring and keeping it a secret. We should do more of those.
My favourite of late has been a very random and opportunist RAOK. We were at the fireworks championships as Stanford Hall, and a girl sitting near us found that the sole had come almost completely off her shoe. She was really stuck, and then I thought of tying the sole to the shoe using the lanyard that my phone and keys were on. It worked a treat (it looked a bit odd!) and she was so glad to be able to walk back to her car and drive home! It made me feel really pleased to be able to help someone out of a sticky situation Mum White x

This post has been edited by Joinee Mum White: 19 November 2011 - 05:43 PM

[Rachel Rose]

Firstly, this is really cool, Claire.

Secondly, my favorite RAoK would be the year I spent taking one day a week to walk through my neighborhood, pick out something lovely a person had done to their yard to beautify the area and then mail them an anonymous card telling them thanks for making our neighborhood pretty. I could tell one lady really liked the card, because I thanked her for the delightful banners she had hanging from her porch. They changed with the holidays and seasons. The day after she would have received the card she changed the banner. I smiled. I still send those people an occasional hello although one of my favorites, an elderly lady who had fairy lights all over her house, passed away.

I loved walking past her house.

[PJ Hannah B-R]

I still think one of my best was sending a hospital package to Caz in Australia.

[Gold Joinee Abad]

GJ Hannah B-R, on 20 November 2011 - 03:59 PM, said:

I still think one of my best was sending a hospital package to Caz in Australia.

Yes, I was thinking her doctor and the ties, and also that time when we got REM to send a parcel to that boy in hospital, does someone remember this one?

Personally a little while ago I bought an apple pie to a girl that I noticed saying her boyfriend that she preferred apple to chocolate when he was ordering a cake but he didn't hear her and bought chocolate, she was really surprised and delighted!

And also I did the 'pay for the next car in the motorway's toll' this summer (as I've seen in this forum) and it was very funny as I wasn't even driving and the guy in the toll didn't believe it for a while (and the boy who was driving is doing his raoks from them on, brilliant!)

[Hernaic Tom]

One that sticks in my mind is when I overheard an Irish lad on the c2c train on his phone to a friend, saying how he had no idea how he was supposed to get to Embankment station once he got off at Fenchurch street. After he'd finished his conversation, and everybody was getting off at Fenchurch street, I approached and did the whole "I couldn't help overhearing" thing and offered to help him get to Embankment, as I was heading in that direction anyway!

I helped him with his luggage up and down stairs and we chatted on the way. He was carrying a load of equipment as he was costume designer (if I remember correctly) on the film The Scouting Book for boys(I thought I remembered him saying "Scouting for girls" but I've since looked it up and I don't think there's a film with that name!).

He explained to me what a relief it was to have bumped into "One of the few friendly Londoners" he had ever met, and then we separated, no doubt both with a little bit more joy in our days!

I suppose I really like the spontaneous and opportunistic RAoKs, as they surprise you and the RAoKee!! Even if you just help carry someone's luggage up or down the stairs in a railway station, it brightens everyone's day!

Once I remember doing it at My home town's station for a Ghanaian man, before showing him where the taxi rank was, and he was very pleased as he'd been carrying a massive suitcase all the way across London, and it was his first visit to the U.K.

It made me feel strangely patriotic (rare for me), as one of his first experiences in the country was a positive one!!

Great topic Claire!!

[Worm]

Sending gifts to random people with an Amazon wedding list always cheers me up.

Especially the ones who got the 'Newlyweds Guide To Sex' . Odd thing to put on your wedding list, but there you go.