Would you take a gift from a stranger?

frazzled1
Mon, 15 Dec 2014 12:41:09 +0000

I think random acts of kindness are great, but I wouldn’t want to take a gift from a stranger. However, I had a very strict “be nice” upbringing, so I might say “oh, how kind but really, I’d love it if you gave this to someone else” and try to make a quick getaway; if that failed, I might say “how nice,” accept the gift, then pass it along or dump it somewhere. I would have put an envelope from a stranger in the trash unopened, I know it. It might be a character flaw, but I’m deeply uncomfortable in having unscripted moments with strangers.

I like practicing anonymous acts of kindness. Sometimes we’ve asked a waitress for someone’s check but said we didn’t want to be identified, and then left. There is probably a degree of awkwardness in receiving even that!