I was early for work that morning,
not everything had gone right.
I drove around looking for EV charger that worked
eventually finding one
that still believed in electricity.
A small victory.
I got dressed,
headed toward my work location,
walked through the door
and found my coworker sitting there,
having breakfast.
They tried to be playful.
But I hadn't had my coffee yet,
so apparently my personality
was still loading.
They got an early release that day.
They were going home.
I asked,
"So what's the game plan?"
They shrugged.
"I have nobody waiting for me at home.
Just my cats."
And somehow,
that sentence stayed with me.
Because they remembered
I'd promised them a ride in my car.
So I said,
"Pick the day.
Pick the time.
We'll go get breakfast."
Nothing profound.
No grand gesture.
No applause.
No audience.
Just breakfast.
But maybe that's the point.
Because we walk through this world
surrounded by people
and still don't know
how many are lonely.
Some of us have someone
we can text at midnight.
Someone who asks
if we made it home.
Someone who saves us a seat,
holds our hand,
or says,
"I'm glad you're here."
And others...
They're just hanging on.
Quietly.
Hoping someone notices
before the silence becomes too heavy.
Some people spend years
looking for love
and never find the person
willing to take the chance on them.
Some give everything
and are taken for granted.
Some are loved only
when they're useful.
Some become so accustomed
to being forgotten
that they stop expecting
anyone to remember them.
And maybe life is cruel sometimes.
Maybe it doesn't distribute love
fairly.
Maybe some hearts
have to wait much longer
than they ever deserved to.
But I've started to believe
there are still heroes among us.
Not the ones with capes.
Not the ones whose names
end up in history books.
The heroes are the people
who notice.
The ones who ask,
"What's your game plan?"
The ones who remember
a promise made weeks ago.
The ones who say,
"Pick the day.
Pick the time.
I'll be there."
Because kindness doesn't always
look like saving the world.
Sometimes it looks like breakfast.
Sometimes it looks like a ride home.
Sometimes it's simply
giving another human being
one small reason
to feel less alone.
And maybe we'll never know
how much those little moments mean.
But if life is going to be cruel,
then let us be gentle.
If someone is hanging by a thread,
let us be the hand
that keeps them from falling.
Because in a world
where so many people
are searching for someone
to love them,
the people who choose
to spread kindness
without asking for anything back
might just be
the real heroes.
