Allow me to tell you a story. It was back in the early 2000s, long before the pandemic, that a young fella relocated from Louisiana to North Texas. He was cute and a hardworking stiff who applied his design talents at a screen and keyboard in a print shop at a strip center. But he was kept behind the shop’s front scene, only meeting few if any of the customers.
Once during an afternoon break an elderly woman arrived for help. Since everyone else was on a lunch break, he stepped forward and helped her out. In the days ahead, they would bond — her asking “my dumb questions” and his gingerly helping her efforts far beyond her expectations.
It was during a casual conversation, after he admitted that he’d hit a road bump in a relationship, that she suggested he try taking her dog for a walk. Seemed odd at first, but he thought he was doing her a favor…