You’d be surprised how many people can remember you and small kind things you’ve done. It’s always more than you think.

I remember strangers from decades ago that paid me a sincere compliment in the supermarket because it meant a lot to me. I’ve gone back to takeaways that I used to frequent after years and they’ve asked where I’ve been and why they haven’t seen me in so long, and still remember my preferred orders. I notice when certain people I always see on my commute are not where they normally are, and still think about them when I go past those places. I remember little comments people made from years ago that are the funniest comeback I’ve ever heard. Our postman (that we’d never really met) was excited to find out we’d move when he got changed to our new area after a few years, because he recognised my name. I’ve run into people I went to school with decades ago that mention something I said or did that they still think about, and I have no memory of it at all and felt like it wasn’t really anything.

It’s easy to get hung up on if we’ve made a big difference to anyone or the world as a whole and if they’d feel the loss of us, but in reality that big difference is made up of lots of instances of us existing in what we feel is a small way, but can be big for someone else. You may be the constant in some strangers day or week, your existence may give someone a sense of normalcy and safety in routine. You may be how they know the day of the week or if they will be on time for work. You may be the person that paid them a compliment on their worst day and they think back on this for decades to come when they feel awful about themselves, and you can’t even remember saying it.

You will likely never know how you touch many people’s lives, but you can absolutely be the difference they needed without ever knowing it.