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A delivery driver in England helped save a woman's life

Kindness is infectious. Once it chooses a host, it can spread easily to others, creating a world where the same germ of consideration one could have for another might come back tenfold.

Such was the case in England with Leandro Pinto Dantas, a 36-year-old Asda delivery driver working in Poole, Dorset. One evening, he was making a grocery delivery to a woman and became concerned when she didn't answer her door. His instinct told him something was off, and sure enough - it was.

In Sophie Cridland's piece for BBC.com, she shares his explanation: "The light was on, and the TV was on. I knocked on the door but didn't get an answer, so I called the contact phone number we had for the delivery but got no reply." He then looked through the window, only to see that the woman was on the floor, seemingly unconscious. He called emergency services (999 in the United Kingdom), and luckily, they were able to come in time.

The woman, reportedly in her 60s, was diabetic, and her blood sugar had dropped. The paramedics treated her with a glucose injection.

Some might say concern for others is just the right thing to do — and that perhaps anyone in their right mind would have done the same. But Leandro went an extra mile by not only putting the customer's groceries away once the paramedics arrived, but also coming back a few days later with a check-in and some flowers.

In turn, the woman penned a letter to Leandro for the Bournemouth Echo (a local newspaper), letting him know how much it meant to her.

Printed in bold was: "Thanks for all your help." The letter continued: "I don't know if he will see this, but just in case he does, I wonder if you can print my letter to say thank you to the Asda delivery chap who found me unconscious on the floor and organised a neighbour to get my back gate open so he could come in and phone for an ambulance. That is certainly going above and beyond what I would expect from supermarket delivery drivers to do. I am fine now, but I think that will be the last time I do my insulin injection in that part of me again." It's signed Mrs. A. Thorne, Coles Avenue, Poole.

Delivery driver, Asda, Poole, heroA woman pens a note to the Bournemouth Echo to thank delivery driverBBC.Com, Bournemouth Echo Newspaper

She also relayed that the incident might have saved her from another silent issue. "I came round with a paramedic giving me glucose to get my blood sugars up. My blood pressure wasn't quite right either, so I was taken to hospital to be checked over and was allowed home the next day."

Leandro's employers took note too. They nominated him for the Asda Service Superstar Award. From their website: "We’re extremely proud of our incredible colleagues who go the extra mile every day to make a difference to our customers, communities and each other. Our Proud to be Asda Awards are about recognising, celebrating and most importantly saying thank you to these extra special colleagues."

Call it fate, call it circumstance. Either way, one simple act of doing the right thing led to more kindness, which led to the workplace taking note ---which will hopefully only continue paving the path for better things.

An Australian woman thinks it's rude that Americans don't say, "You're welcome."

There’s been a growing trend amongst American Gen Zers and millennials to stop saying, “You're welcome,” after being thanked. Older generations may think the change is part of a more significant trend of younger people having more lax manners, but in actuality, younger people believe that giving a simple “OK” or “Mm-hmm” after being thanked is more polite than saying, “You're welcome.”

Recently, Australian TikTok user Tilly Hokianga vented her frustrations with Americans in a viral post entitled, “Things That Send Me as an Australian Living in the US.” A lot of the points she made were pretty typical for someone visiting the United States, such as there's too much sugar in the bread and too many options for cereal.

However, she also noted that Americans have difficulty saying, “You’re welcome.”


"I don't understand. Talking to an American, you say, 'Thank you,' and they're always just like, 'Mm-hmm,” Hokianga said in the post. "I just said, 'Thank you.' You should say, 'You're welcome,' or 'It's all good,' or 'No worries,' not f**king 'Mm-hmm.'"

The post resonated with many people, racking up 3.8 million views and leading to a series of videos where she talks about other things that “send her” in America.

tilly hokianga, you're welcome, australian culture shock

Tilly Hokianga explains what she doesn't understand about Americans.

via Tilly Hokianga/TikTok

The post caught the attention of Millie (@rosegoldmillie), an American who has spent time in Australia who thinks she isn’t being rude when she doesn’t say, “You’re welcome.” Instead, she believes that on a deeper level, people should always look out for one another, so thank yous aren’t necessary.

Warning: Strong language.

@rosegoldmillie

#stitch with @tilly_hokianga #american #australian #british #manners #differences #travelling #overseas #fypfypfyp

She has a good point. You thank someone for going out of their way. If you believe that humans should always be helpful to one another, why acknowledge the act? Not everything has to be transactional.

"Someone would say, 'Thank you,' and I would say, 'Yep! Oh, uh, I mean, 'You're welcome!'" Millie said in her post. "Because to me, it's kind of rude. Like, it's not rude, but saying, 'Yep' and 'Sure' is the equivalent to saying, 'No problem,' and that is more polite in America than saying, 'You're welcome.'"

"When you say, 'You're welcome,' there's an implication in our brains that says, 'I did you a favor, and I deserve a thank you.' But when we say, 'Mm-hmm,' or like, 'Sure,' it's this implication of 'Of course, I would do that for you,'" she continued. "I don't deserve a thank you, like, it was the least I could do."

The response video received over 2.2 million views, and many people agreed with her.

“I remember switching from ‘you're welcome’ to ‘sure’ to ‘yeah’ for this reason,” Kelli Crockett wrote in the comments. “‘You're welcome’ is usually used sarcastically here. I think that's also part of why it feels rude like you're welcome is what you say when you're [mad emoji],” BeevesofTime added.

“OK, this is the opposite of what I think and was taught, but explains why I hear it,” FlyGal responded.


Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

I belong to a private Facebook group filled with parents of teenagers and college-aged students, and due to the sheer number of people, it's not uncommon for differences of opinion to arise. Rarely, though, have I ever seen a debate as split as the one raised by a post about something seemingly benign: Handwritten thank-you notes.

A mom shared that she was requiring her graduating senior to write thank you cards—the old-fashioned variety, complete with handwritten note, envelope, and postage stamp—and that emailing, texting, or calling on the phone to say "thank you" were unacceptable alternatives. She said her son was writing the notes but didn't like it, and she blamed computers and having to type assignments all the time for his resistance.

Some parents will read that paragraph, nod along, and agree 100% with this mom.

Others say the method doesn't matter—it's the message that counts.

Within hours, more than a thousand comments poured in and the responses were sharply divided between the "Yes, written thank you notes only!" and "Oof, that's a really outdated notion." (Not that the idea of gratitude is outdated, but the idea that appreciation must be written by hand and sent in the mail.)


Some people chimed in to say that they don't give gifts with any expectation of thanks, but naturally, it's good to teach kids to express gratitude when someone gives a gift. The method, however, is up for debate.

There is something extra personal about seeing someone's handwriting and holding a tangible note in your hand, especially in an age where we don't get nearly as much mail as we used to. But is that just nostalgia from an era on its way out?

As some people pointed out, kids today live in a different world, one where environmental consciousness comes as naturally as technological know-how. Isn't it a waste of paper to send a note in an envelope when you can say the exact same thing in an email or a text? Do email or text actually feel less personal to young people who do much of their communication electronically?

And isn't it just as personal to call someone on the phone and thank them with your voice as it is to send them a note with your handwriting? Some seem to think so.

Perhaps it's just a matter of tradition and strict etiquette standards? This is the way I was taught things were done, therefore that's is the way it is and it's wrong to do it a different way?

Again, some seem to think so.


Some parents rightly pointed out that times change, and what previous generations did is not automatically better or more thoughtful than the way young people today might prefer to do things. As long as kids grow up knowing that it's appropriate to let someone know you received their gift and appreciate their generosity, what difference does it make how they do it?

For some people, it makes a lot of difference. The die-hard handwritten thank you note folks were quite adamant about their stance, to the point of withholding their kids' gifts and checks until the thank you cards were postmarked and in the mailbox.

Kudos to those parents for teaching their kids to say thanks, but they're also making a broad assumption that everyone prefers to receive a thank you card. Again, comments from others showed that's not the case.

Many people said that they just end up looking at a thank you note for a few seconds before throwing it away anyway, and that they'd actually prefer to get a phone call. Some went so far as to say they hate getting thank you notes, saying it's a waste of paper and money for postage and they prefer messages of gratitude that use fewer resources.

Scrolling through the responses, people's opinions seemed pretty much split half and half between "Only handwritten thank you notes, always" and "Doesn't matter how you say thanks as long as you say thanks."

Who knew the basic thank you note was such a hot topic of debate?

One thing we can all agree on is that it's polite to say thank you when someone gives you a gift. Regardless of the method by which you do so, acknowledging someone's thoughtfulness and expressing gratitude is a valuable life skill. So always say thanks—but maybe try not to get too hung up on how it's done.

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Minute Maid

Olivia Jones was just 3 years old when she lost her father, which broke her mom's heart on many levels.  

"One of the greatest regrets I have is that she didn’t get to use the word 'dad'," Olivia's mom, Janice, says.  

All photos via Minute Maid.


Suddenly, Janice was the sole breadwinner, but she lacked the degree to land a career that would allow her to maintain the status quo at home. So, after taking time to grieve, Janice went back to school.

"I needed to have a career with a future," Janice explains.

Going back to school while continuing to work and take care of Olivia was far from easy, but Janice refused to give up.

Eventually, she managed to provide for her family the way she wanted to but at a cost. Keeping up with school and work as a single parent meant she had to sacrifice time with Olivia.

Little did she know just how much Olivia recognized and appreciated all her mom's efforts.

“She was doing it to make a better life for us, which is incredible," Olivia says.

Check out the Joneses' full story:

Olivia wanted to do something special for her mom, so she started putting together a carefully curated care package.

Olivia Jones.

Her mom had been sending her care packages ever since she started college, so Olivia felt it was about time she return the favor.

She filled it with lots of fun little trinkets, cards that her mom sent during her first year at school, and family photos. She also wrote her a note thanking her for going above and beyond to give Olivia a steady life.

"Dear mom, I am so thankful to have you in my life. I can’t imagine how difficult it must’ve been while being a single mom. You played the role of both mom and dad. You were struggling to do so, but you never ever let me know or made me feel guilty. You allowed me to be a child. I don’t know who or where I would be without you. I love you, and just know that you are the best mom anyone could hope for. Love, Olivia."

If that wasn't enough to get her mom crying, Olivia's reverse care package also came with a special, unexpected surprise.

Olivia hugging her mom.

Some things don't fit in boxes.

Janice and Olivia's story reminds us that single parents are amazing, and it's important to celebrate them once in a while.

They may not always get it right, and disappointments along the way are inevitable, but parents like Janice prove they'll go the distance to keep their kids healthy, happy, and safe. In that way, they're like superheroes, and Olivia certainly sees the proverbial cape her mom wears.

Hopefully the beautiful way she showed her appreciation for her mom will inspire other kids of single parents to do the same.

"I don’t know who or where I would be without you. I love you, and just know that you are the best mom anyone could hope for."