When I bought my first place, I found a shower curtain I loved online. It was exactly what I had been looking for, but it was sold out everywhere.
Except, possibly, in a few stores.
I did not think much of it at the time, but my mom did. Without being asked, she made it her mission to find it. She drove to three different Target stores, spoke with employees, and eventually tracked down the very last one.
That was who she was. She made people feel special. She paid attention. She cared in ways that were both simple and deeply meaningful.
Years later, even after her passing, that shower curtain still carries something with it. It is not just an object. It is a reminder of what it felt like to be loved in that way.
It brings to mind something Maya Angelou once said. People may forget what you said or what you did, but they will not forget how you made them feel.
That truth shows up in more places than we often realize.
The holidays can be beautiful, and they can also be difficult. Work can be fulfilling, and it can also be overwhelming. Life rarely shows up as just one thing.
Without dismissing what is hard, there is still an opportunity to notice what is good. The small moments of care, connection, and humanity that happen throughout the day.
Those moments matter.
They act as a counterbalance to stress, to burnout, and to the weight that can build over time both at home and at work.
In my work as a career coach and workplace wellbeing speaker, I see this play out consistently.
I cannot instantly change someone’s job or remove every stressor they are facing. I cannot transform an entire workplace culture in a single conversation. But I can create a space where someone feels less alone in what they are navigating.
I can listen in a way that allows them to feel understood. I can help them identify what is within their control. I can support them in exploring what is realistic to change.
That shift matters more than most people expect.
When someone feels seen, supported, and valued, something begins to change. Their nervous system settles. Their capacity increases. They are able to think more clearly and engage more fully with what is in front of them.
That is where change becomes possible.
It does not always come from a major breakthrough. Often, it starts with something much simpler.
A moment of attention. A conversation where someone feels heard. A small act of care that reminds someone they matter.
As you move through your week, it is worth noticing those moments for yourself.
Where are you already being supported, even in small ways?
And where might you offer that same feeling to someone else?
You may not be able to change everything someone is facing. But you can change how they experience it.
And sometimes, that is what makes all the difference.
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