After retiring at 64, I was very lonely. I had no family, no kids, no one to check on me. I started going to a café. There, a kind waitress cared for me every day. I felt like she was my own child.
She wasn’t only kind to me, she would also take time to listen to my small stories and ask for updates about my health, even though she was busy.
A year later, she suddenly stopped working. I asked about her, and people looked at me oddly. Horrified, I found out she had been gravely ill for a long time. She had been battling a rare autoimmune disease while still waiting tables, without ever showing her struggle.
I got her address from a colleague and went to see her. I froze. It turned out she was living in a tiny studio with her two children, her face pale and thin from illness. She looked surprised to see me, but she still welcomed me with the same kindness she had always shown.
I promised her that I would be there for her. From that day on, I visited every day and brought her warm meals, hoping to ease her burden even a little. Thankfully, she is now doing much better and has found a more comfortable job.
Meeting her taught me a powerful lesson: everyone is carrying unseen struggles, and showing kindness to one another is what truly lightens the weight of life’s hardships.
