What's the greatest thing you've ever done?

rkangel

Well-known member
Inspired by 1finny's entry on the "the greatest" thread I wondered what is the greatest thing I've ever done.
The thing that still makes me smile the most was bumping into two Japanese tourists in a pub in London who were having trouble understanding the menu, inviting them to join us (me and a mate) and explaining the menu with lots of mime and animal noises, and laughter. We discovered, through trading translation dictionary pages (this was before mobile phones) that they'd just flown in, were here for 10 days, visiting numerous towns from London west then north, before visiting Glasgow and flying home from Edinburgh.
My mate and I have a mutual friend who is part of a family of Glasgow cab drivers. We wrote him a letter and wrote the name of a (not unrough, though now gone) pub in Glasgow where cab drivers congregate. About 2 weeks later I received a call from my mate: "The McGowan family are heroes, but me and you are gods!" Turns out one afternoon in Glasgow this not unrough pub was full and smoky. The doors opened and two attractive Japanese girls stepped in. They took one look at the punters and the pub, turned round and walked out. A minute later they walked back in. At this behaviour all the drinkers became interested and grew quiet. This wasn't a pub that tourists would go to. The Japanese girls walked up to the bar to be obsequiously welcomed by the landlord, whose only experience of dealing with foreigners was ridiculing lost englishmen. They ordered two lemonades and handed him the letter addressed to our cab driving friend. "Mr McGowan the Younger" the landlord called, everyone looked at him, "It appears you have two guests." Our friend, utterly nonplussed, stood up and walked to the bar. The girls bowed and handed him the letter. He read it. "So are you going to introduce us?" called one of the drinkers. "It's M&M (our surnames shortened) he answered. "They've told these girls Glasgow is the friendliest city they'll visit on the tour of Britain, but only if you talk to cabbies." Long story short the girls were adopted by Glasgow's cabbies for a couple of days, they rearranged their flights to stay a little longer, were taken all over the city, visiting the People's Palace, day trips beyond the city, guided tours of art galleries, a visit to Celtic Park (their first football game) and something of a big send off back in the pub and a drive to Edinburgh. They left our friend with a card saying Glasgow was easily the best and friendliest city they'd been to in all their travels. If I have one regret it's that my friend in London and I never swapped any addresses or numbers with the girls. But I smile still at the thought there are two (now) ladies in Japan who, to this day, will not have a word said against Glasgow, no matter what negative publicity may arise. And one of the things that the city itself should be proud of is that it was a Rangers season ticket holder that drove them to their first match and collected them after.

My, I feel a little inner warmth after writing that.
 
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Inspired by 1finny's entry on the "the greatest" thread I wondered what is the greatest thing I've ever done.
The thing that still makes me smile the most was bumping into two Japanese tourists in a pub in London who were having trouble understanding the menu, inviting them to join us (me and a mate) and explaining the menu with lots of mime and animal noises, and laughter. We discovered, through trading translation dictionary pages (this was before mobile phones) that they'd just flown in, were here for 10 days, visiting numerous towns from London west then north, before visiting Glasgow and flying home from Edinburgh.
My mate and I have a mutual friend who is part of a family of Glasgow cab drivers. We wrote him a letter and wrote the name of a (not unrough, though now gone) pub in Glasgow where cab drivers congregate. About 2 weeks later I received a call from my mate: "The McGowan family are heroes, but me and you are gods!" Turns out one afternoon in Glasgow this not unrough pub was full and smoky. The doors opened and two attractive Japanese girls stepped in. They took one look at the punters and the pub, turned round and walked out. A minute later they walked back in. At this behaviour all the drinkers became interested and grew quiet. This wasn't a pub that tourists would go to. The Japanese girls walked up to the bar to be obsequiously welcomed by the landlord, whose only experience of dealing with foreigners was ridiculing lost englishmen. They ordered two lemonades and handed him the letter addressed to our cab driving friend. "Mr McGowan the Younger" the landlord called, everyone looked at him, "It appears you have two guests." Our friend, utterly nonplussed, stood up and walked to the bar. The girls bowed and handed him the letter. He read it. "So are you going to introduce us?" called one of the drinkers. "It's M&M (our surnames shortened) he answered. "They've told these girls Glasgow is the friendliest city they'll visit on the tour of Britain, but only if you talk to cabbies." Long story short the girls were adopted by Glasgow's cabbies for a couple of days, they rearranged their flights to stay a little longer, were taken all over the city, visiting the People's Palace, day trips beyond the city, guided tours of art galleries, a visit to Celtic Park (their first football game) and something of a big send off back in the pub and a drive to Edinburgh. They left our friend with a card saying Glasgow was easily the best and friendliest city they'd been to in all their travels. If I have one regret it's that my friend in London and I never swapped any addresses or numbers with the girls. But I smile still at the thought there are two (now) ladies in Japan who, this day, will not have a word said against Glasgow, no matter what negative publicity may arise. And one of the things that the city itself should be proud of is that it was a Rangers season ticket holder that drove them to their first match and collected them after.

My, I feel a little inner warmth after writing that.
Gave me a lump in the throat telling that to Mrs M. Well done.
 
Once pulled three young lads out of a stolen car on the Trunk Road. It had swerved across from the opposite side of the road coming towards me and my son who I had been to the cinema with. It hit the curb in front of me flipped up, smashed through the fence, continued rolling and ended upside down in a water filled ditch about 20 yards in from the fence. The car was pretty mangled but I managed to get a door open and get three of the lads out. One wasn't moving so I thought not to try to move him. Police and Ambulance arrived pretty quick. Found out later that the kid was probably already dead. A sliver of the fencing went into his heart entering near his collar bone.

Remember the oldest kid who was driving asking me if he could do a runner as he was on drugs and the car was stolen. I said to him it was a bit late for that and to worry about his mate who was then still in car. I also remember that although I gave a statement to police I wasn't called to court and never heard what happened anyway.

In a way I should have been angry as they could have hit our car and my son was only about 10 at the time but just felt sad for them all really.
 
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In 2008, I had a bout of watery diarrhoea so severe that it flooded a standard size Ideal Standard bog.
I believe that that was the method originally used to determine bog bowl capacity and indeed led to the name ‘ideal standard’ way back in the day upon which all other bogs are based.

I have not done anything Remotely great or of note.
 
I believe that that was the method originally used to determine bog bowl capacity and indeed led to the name ‘ideal standard’ way back in the day upon which all other bogs are based.

I have not done anything Remotely great or of note.
But of all the trivial meaningless stuff you have done, which is the greatest?
 
Accidentally boot one of the deputy prime minister’s of Vietnam so hard I was subbed immediately.

Nah in all honesty I’m not sure but I’ll think about it tomorrow and I’m sure I’ve done something resembling good.
 
It is dead easy to recount endless conquests (no pun intended), sporting achievements, or other trivial stuff, but asredastheycome is the only one so far who's mentioned anything worth reading, and for what he did and the way he handled it, I take my hat off to him.

Myself, I always feel good if I buy a stranger a coffee, help someone who is in need or just do any other good deed that the majority of us all do without thinking. We did have two foster children live with us for two years and I found that rewarding. I know many others on here foster and I take my hat off to them. It is not easy to have strangers come into your home, but it is rewarding when you see them move on to something good.

The thing that always makes me feel good though is when I look back on my time volunteering for the children's bereavement service 'Forget me Not's' at Teesside Hospice. To watch these kids come in with their chins on the floor and leave at the end of their sessions and being able to cope with their loss was very rewarding indeed.

So the greatest thing you have ever done award should go to asredastheycome and others that save lives, to all those members of the board that have and still continue to foster or adopt children and to the members who put others before themselves.

I take my hat off to you guys.

Thank you
 
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