I BURST into tears the other day. Not because something terrible had happened but because of the kindness I felt from a message I received.

On the face of it, it was a small thing, but the impact on me was significant. 

I’d had a rotten morning which had left me feeling fairly despondent. In addition I was also running late to meet a colleague and friend for lunch before going on to another work meeting after that.

I texted to apologise for the fact I was going to be late, explained about the difficulties of the morning and said that I was now on my way. 

We had agreed to have lunch together outside but I hadn’t even had time to go to the shop to pick anything up. 

The message I received back was this ‘bless you, there is no rush – just take your time. I’ve got a few picnic bits that we can share, look forward to seeing you.’

For the person writing that message it contained nothing out of the ordinary. 

Ellie is a kind, considerate person, so there was no great surprise there. However for me, as the person receiving that message, the impact on that particular morning was enormous. 

Ellie’s message was a reminder that alongside all the difficult stuff going on (and almost all of us have something in the ‘difficult stuff’ drawer), there are also people in life who genuinely care and are willing to look after us when the need arises. 

When we are feeling down or overwhelmed as adults, without even realising it, this can easily trigger feelings similar to those we may have had in childhood. 

At times we can go straight back to that emotional place where we may have felt ignored or unnoticed and that can be exceptionally painful. 

Just as a child naturally craves being ‘looked after’ as opposed to being ignored, so is it very often also the case for adults. 

It’s just that as an adult it can become harder to express the need to feel noticed, significant and appreciated. 

Ellie’s offer to share her lunch with me had a far greater significance than just offering me some cheesy bites to eat on the lawn. 

Her message was actually saying – ‘I recognise you’re not feeling great today and that’s ok. 

‘I am your friend on good and bad days and today I want to help look after you.’ 

It’s a pretty basic human need to want to feel that we are not alone in facing all the challenges that life throws at us – which is why a simple message like the one I received felt so valuable and important. 

Never underestimate the effect you can have on someone’s day just by being kind in simple ways. 

If we all made the effort to be there, notice and support each other just a little bit more, I am fairly sure that the world would be a much happier place. And it really doesn’t take grand gestures to make a really big difference. Thank you Ellie for reminding me of that with your kindness this week!