I will not dwell on the circumstances that brought me to that park bench on a grey November afternoon in 1994. Suffice to say I was in a very dark place, and I was seriously considering not going home.
An elderly woman sat beside me. She had a small dog and a bag of bread for the ducks. She did not look at me strangely. She did not ask if I was okay. She simply said, "Dreadful weather, isn't it? But look — even the ducks seem cheerful."
We sat together for perhaps twenty minutes, feeding ducks and talking about nothing in particular. When she left, she patted my hand and said, "I hope your day improves, dear."
I went home.
I never saw her again. She will never know what she did.
The lesson I carry: you cannot know the weight another person is carrying. A small act of ordinary human warmth — a kind word, brief company, a pat on the hand — may be more significant than you can imagine.
Be kind. Especially to strangers. Especially on grey November afternoons.