Asklemmy

My parents. Asked me to upend my job and life, move halfway across the country to be closer to them as they approached their elder years so I could help them out as their health is slowly declining. They've told me all my life they just don't want to go to a nursing home when they got older.

So yeah, I did it. Me and my parents have issues for sure, but ultimately I love them and they always have done right by me.

I had to adjust a bit, but I work from home and am single with no kids of my own, so it wasn't as difficult as it is for some people I'm sure. But yeah, I have never done as much for any other family member or friend, but if I were given the choice again, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

When I was in the military I had friend ask to get married for the benefits. Healthcare is free(ish) in the US military (cause we're far behind on the rest of the world). And she had a heart condition. Lovely as she was, she was also one of my best friend's ex. So.... Ultimately I said no, as there's the wrong reason to get married, and then there's THE WRONG REASON TO GET MARRIED, and this was the latter.

She moved on and married someone who had medical able to help her, and she's been with him since, with kids and a happy life, so I feel no negative emotions from it. But I wanted to help my friend out, so initially I felt very, very conflicted.

Parent asked me to cosign on an apartment knowing full well I know they stopped paying rent on a previous place for almost a full year while lying about it... That's a no for me, bud.

Had a friend borrow a large sum of money from me. Yes, I did it. Yes, I was repaid on time.

$20k, for car debt. No.

My wife asked me to stop worrying about whether I was right, and instead focus on being helpful. Changing the way your mind works is quite difficult, but in cases like these, worth doing.

Friends help you move.

Real friends help you move bodies.

Very little. Friend asked me to help with moving to a new apartment and the destination was on a 7th floor of an old building with narrow staircase and no lift. Absolute nightmare. I did do it.

Someone asked me to film their private wedding. Which I did, but I fell asleep holding the camera, and I feel like I insulted them by doing that, but at least I got it all.

Not to go into too much detail. I let them move in with me.

I knew it was a bad idea, I thought it was for a limited time but apparently they didn't think that. Shockingly it was a bad idea and now I need to work out how to say "get the fuck out!" nicely enough so that there isn't any blowback from the rest of the family.

500 bucks. Yes, I shouldn't have. (It's a big sum for me)

Once a friend asked me to buy him cigarettes while I went into the store to buy some food for myself and he was waiting outside. I did it, but I hated every single second of it. The fact that the cashier, and anyone around me could potentially think I was a smoker... utterly terrifying. The humiliation was even greater when the cashier asked for my ID (I was around 20 that time, I looked young enough for them to assume I was underage). Disgusting, horrible experience. Never again.

There was another case, where my best friend actually didn't really ask for help, but it was a really serious case. Her mom got into jail as a victim of someone else's attempt to clear himself in a corruption case. I helped her with my savings (a thousand dollars or so) to get her out of jail. Well, this was another horrible experience, but in a different way. I would do it again if such a situation arises, but luckily her and her entire family have managed to move to a better country since then.

There was a time when I was a kid that my parents were struggling with money. It was an ongoing struggle that lasted more than a decade and they still haven't fully recovered from to this day. Anyway, I was aware of their struggles and as soon as I was old enough at 16, I went and got a job. I made less than minimum wage and my hours were severely limited due to state laws about employment under the age of 18. So I was still going to school and making barely anything, but whatever I didn't use, I put away in the bank. Skip ahead to when I'm 18 and I've saved a few thousand dollars. My parents had a few particularly rough months and didn't know how they would pay the mortgage that month, so my mom asked me if they could borrow some. I still remember how embarrassed my mom looked while asking me and I remember thinking that I didn't know if I would ever get that money back. But I agreed. It was a bit of an emotional ordeal, but they did pay me back eventually and my parents still have their house. So all in all it worked out for the best.

Recently, it was going to a nearby weed dispensary to get some stuff for my brother whose ID has expired. I don't smoke for health reasons and had never even been inside of one before, so I was hesitant and waited until the last moment to walk over. He was happy, and now there's a chance I might have to do this again Friday, this time for an xmas gift for someone else and for my brother.

his may sound trite, but the answer is loving them:

My first partner, whom I could not marry at the time, told me that our relationship was the best thing that ever happened to him, and expressed gratitude for my being there with him during his final illness.

My current husband tells me that had he not married me, he’d most likely be sitting at home alone, rather than singing in a chorus, and having a much more active social life with our friends.

So, at the risk of sounding immodest, the best favor I’ve done for someone was committing to sharing a life with them.