My significant other and I were shopping and trying to figure out what wine, and how much we wanted to spend on it for a recipe.

There was a senior gentleman near me and I made some silly comment to him about it and asked him what he thought. At first, he just looked kind of shocked, and then his whole face just lit up! He smiled and joked right back w/ some funny advice.

Just a small interaction, but as we kept shopping, whenever we were in the same isle, either he, or we, kept up the banter and had a great time! He checked out before us and he was still smiling all the way out.

We were discussing why he’d looked shocked at first and realized he must not be used to people speaking to or engaging with him! He made us aware of how isolated and lonely seniors really are! We’ve always held doors or offered to help with their bags. Now we look for every opportunity to say hi, talk a minute, ask a question, or just make eye contact and smile.

We should never underestimate our power to make someone’s day!