A few months ago, I was walking home when I saw an elderly man struggling with two heavy bags outside a grocery store.

He looked exhausted. I asked if he needed help, and he hesitated before handing me one of the bags.

His house was almost a mile away.

We walked together, and somewhere along the way he told me that his wife had passed away recently and that he was still getting used to doing everything alone.

When we reached his house, he thanked me and tried to give me some money.

I refused.

He insisted. I still refused.

Before I left, he just stood there for a second and said, “I haven't spoken to anyone properly in three days.”

That sentence stayed with me much longer than I expected.

It made me realize that sometimes what you give someone isn't really the thing you're carrying for them.

Sometimes it's just ten minutes of your time.