This post is inspired by Shot@Life, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation dedicated to using vaccines as a cost-effective way to save children’s lives in developing countries. (Image courtesy United Nations Foundation.)
Hi team, I need help. Here’s why:
For every comment on this post, Shot@Life gets $20 to vaccinate a kid.
Twenty. Dollars.
Twenty dollars is what it costs to give one child four vaccines that help protect them against measles, pneumonia, diarrhea, and polio. During Shot@Life’s Blogust: Blog Relay for Good, 31 bloggers have been helping to secure $200,000 in sponsor donations. We need 10,000 comments, and we’re about 1,000 away from that goal right now.
Over the years, your comments have shaped my life. Whether you were celebrating Hank’s birth with me, or cheering my Life List, or comforting me when things took a difficult turn. I know you guys care about helping other people because of how much help you’ve already heaped on me.
So let’s do this.
Can you comment twice? Yes. Yes you can. And if you have a means of spreading the word, please Tweet, Pin, link on Facebook, or post a quick link on your own site.
Let us know the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you in comments. And thanks to you for being so nice to other people. I like you.
Yesterday Fadra Nally of All Things Fadra wrote about the comments you never see. Tomorrow, I’m passing the baton to my friend Stacey Ferguson of Justice Fergie — so you can help us reach our final goal by commenting on her site as well. We have until August 31. Thanks again.
Mighty Girl 
The nicest thing anyone ever did for me was courtesy of my dad. When I was 20 and broke, stranded in Las Vegas where I’d been living for 6 months, he flew to Nevada, helped me pack and we drove back to Oklahoma.
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My cancer kiddo patients have thought me how to live my life to the fullest. They have taught me how to live.
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My husband always writes me really nice cards for my birthday. They have become the part of my birthday that I look forward to most!
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When I was getting ready to graduate from high school I couldn’t afford the senior fees, which meant that I wouldn’t get a cap and gown and graduate with all my friends. Someone anonymously paid them for me. It was all in the middle of a hugely turbulent time with my abusive stepfather, and it meant a lot to me that someone noticed that I was struggling.
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My dad helping my write my paper for The Trial in second year university. I really needed help, and it became one of my favourite memories when WE got a good mark!
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Reading through the already-posted comments and loving all the nice things people do for each other. It gives me hope! My husband and kids tell me they love me every day, which is pretty much the nicest thing ever. Yay for vaccines!
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The nicest thing anyone has ever done for me is on the worst day of my life I found out my brother had an accident and was in the hospital on life support. We knew he wasn’t going to ever wake up and would soon be pulling the plug. I was living in Jacksonville and I needed to get home to Pensacola.
I found out while my best friend and roommate was home for lunch. After I found out I needed to get home and couldn’t handle getting to the airport and getting on a plane due to shock. My friend dropped everything, called work said she was going to be gone indefinitely put me in the car and drove me the 6 hours straight home. Another good friend immediately called when she found out and was about to get on a plane to come to Jacksonville and escort me home on the plane. Both of those girls made me realize how amazing my friends really are. Thick and thin. I will never forget their generosity on that day. Forever indebted.
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Pretty much everything my mom does for me.
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These are all wonderful. I’m having trouble thinking in terms of superlative, absolute nicest things, but someone did randomly just give me a glass of wine on the ferry home the other night. Which was nice.
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nothing earth-shattering, but after moving cross-country, my old and new friends in my new city were so generous in letting me store my stuff in their apartments and letting me crash for weeks while i got settled. i’m not good at letting people help me, but i was so stressed from moving and the anxiety that i’d have to do it on my own, that it felt like they’d lassoed the stars for me.
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The other nice thing I love is getting flowers. I know it’s hokey but whether it’s for Valentine’s Day, to say “I’m Sorry” or as a thank you, I just love them. (And I rarely get them so maybe that’s why they please me so.)
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The nicest thing that someone has done for me is put me first and worry about me without having a selfish thought in their mind.
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My dear & bestest friend sprang for a trip to NOLA back when we were footloose and fancy free and she had a career and I was broke.
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When I don’t feel well (physically or otherwise), my boyfriend tucks me in. I guess this is a little thing, but it’s not something I remember anyone else doing for me, ever. It makes me cry sometimes, it feels so caring.
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After my son was born, my mom stayed with us to cook for us and hold the baby. It was awesome, when I wasn’t confident at soothing him or couldn’t take the crying, I just handed him over and she would rock and sing and sush him to sleep. And when it was time to eat, all I had to do was sit at the table and tasty food magically was placed in front of me. It was a total life and sanity saver.
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The nicest thing anyone has ever done for me is accept me for who I am.
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The nicest thing people do for me is showing me love. Very simply. Hope this helps show some to others.
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Its a constant thing with my mom. She is always there for me. No matter what. In big ways and small. If its little she’ll send me a sweet card or funny email. If its big then she’ll spend time with me and talk to me. She always makes me feel better, and I know she will always be there for me.
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The nicest thing someone has ever done for me (and it was done for mw by my husband ) is forgiven me for something I couldn’t forgive myself for.
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The nicest thing I can think of right now is this:
When I was a senior in college, I had taken a retail job to pay my rent. I was insanely busy, with a full-time course load, a thesis and a 20-hour/week job at a bookshop. Of course, the bookshop didn’t allow time off for Christmas. All my housemates were leaving town to visit their families, and I couldn’t.
My grandmother heard that I was staying home alone for Christmas, and soon a card arrived in the mail with a check, and the note, “If you have to spend Christmas by yourself, you should at least decorate for it.” I am so grateful to my grandmother for making the loneliest Christmas I’ve ever had much more cheerful. I love that she was the kind of person who saw the need for increasing beauty and joy and helped make it happen.
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A 15 year old girl gave me up for adoption. That takes balls, y’all.
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Although I’ve been blessed with many kindnesses in my life, I am especially touched by the smiles, hugs, and encouraging comments given to me by both friends and strangers.
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Now that my son is in daycare full time, he gets sick regularly. (Ugh.) But! Never once have my co-workers complained when I have to run out of the office in the middle of the afternoon to go pick him up and leave them to cover for me. They are so sweet and supportive and always ask how he’s doing. Knowing that they are so supportive makes it much easier for me to put my son first.
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The list is very long. Gifts of forgiveness, kindness, love and generosity when I did nothing to deserve them are cluttered around the top of the list, and seem to obfuscate the grand gesture. It is wondrous to try to pick one, as there are many, many moments tumbling around my memory. Thank you for reminding me to look and see. And to do what I can to make those kinds of memories for my sweet circle of souls.
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What a charmed life I lead that I’m struggling to identify THE nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. When I was pregnant with my son, I went through a pretty rough patch and my dad sent me flowers, just because. It was one of the many loving and nice things he has done for me over the years.
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Yay for easy good deeds! Sharing this on fb now.
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When I turned 30, a friend secretly organized a bunch of other friends to buy my a KitchenAid mixer. Even my boyfriend’s mom and aunt chipped in. I cried when I opened it, and every time I use it I’m reminded of all the people who love me. Best gift ever.
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And I returned the favor by talking her into buying overpriced pig bookends that make her ridiculously happy. That’s actually a draw in our world.
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The 2nd nicest thing anyone has ever done for me (since I am commenting twice) is my landlady in graduate school telling me that the garage called, and there was nothing wrong w/ my pickup truck after all, and it was ready to go. She told me years later that she when she answered the call and found out the repairs were $600, she paid for it and told them to tell me nothing was broken. She knew I was a poor student living on Ramen noodles and she told me later she thought I would have been too proud to let her pay had I known.
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Oops. Forgot to include nicest thing. The nicest thing ever done for me was giving me an interview for my current job. Someone put in a word for me because I was having a hard time getting the interview with no college degree. Now I have a job I love at a company I never want to leave. What could be better?
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Oh man, too many things to remember…that is one of my favorite parts of riding the train every morning – seeing strangers do random acts of kindness!
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The nicest thing….the morning my father-in-law passed away, my husband, 3 month old & I stopped off to get coffee for the family. They stayed in the car while I tried to keep it together while ordering all the drinks. When I got to the car, ready to cry, a stranger opened my car door for me. It was such a small thing, but exactly the gesture I needed at that moment.
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My husband has always been incredible. He has done a million nice things for me but a few are: giving me $1,000 only 5 months into dating so I could get my car fixed, waiting on me hand and foot after I had oral surgery, and always dropping everything to talk to me about something that’s been bothering me.
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My 15 year old daughter will still crawl in bed with me, or into my lap, a couple of times a week for a snuggle and a chat. Best thing ever.
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I had a man who did not know me grab my shopping car from me and offer to take it back to the store, as I had my 7 month old son with me. It’s a small gesture, but it was sure thoughtful. Nice things don’t necessarily have to be giant or life changing. It’s the little things that matter.
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Strangers all across this big earth have helped me in times of need–with rides, mechanical assistance, a place to sleep, a cup of tea, a hot meal, a hug.
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So many people do nice things for me! I’m a lucky girl. But every day my husband does something nice for me, whether it’s making me a fresh-baked cookie to enjoy with my favorite show or just giving me a hug when it looks like I need it.
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This isn’t anything crazy or life-changing, but I still remember when my husband and I first started dating and he drove across town, BEFORE he had to go to work, just to shovel my car our of the snow. He didn’t even come up to my apartment and say hi… I discovered it later when I went to work! I’m glad I married him 🙂
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It’s hard to think of the nicest — I live a blessed life. But it’s the little kindnesses that I think make the difference, when you add them all up.
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i saw a rainbow today ..
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i saw rainbow today ..
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My sweetest of friends, MJ, took off work to be by my late husband’s and my side during his last weeks. It was kind and generous and so very much needed. The truest gift I may ever receive. Man, I needed it.
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i like rainbows
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For twenty years my parents got up every weekday morning at 4:00 am – they fought traffic, worked long hours, and saved like crazy so that my brother and I could each get through four years of college, debt-free. I can’t think of a more incredible gift.
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sunshine an rainbows
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rainbows an sunshine ..
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sunshine after the rainbow ..
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I’ve been reading you for years, Maggie. You do good things.
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Really good things.
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I’ve got another one: A couple of years ago, I was struggling with depression, struggling at work, and barely sleeping at all. I really felt like I was circling the drain, but didn’t know who or how to ask for help. My office mate recognized what was going on, called her wonderful doctor (who wasn’t taking new patients) to get me an appointment, and even offered to come to the appointment with me. I really needed someone to take charge, and she was the only one who recognized that. I’m on the right meds now, and I’m more even and enjoying life more than I have in years. That simple act of seeing that I needed someone to take control for a moment, and not being afraid to do it, saved my life.
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