Most of the time, we are with people we already know. Family, friends, familiar faces. It is easy to care in that kind of space. We notice when they are quiet. We ask if they are okay. We make room for their moods and mistakes.
But what happens when the people around us are no longer “our people”? A stranger sits beside us. A new coworker joins the group. Someone we do not particularly like needs patience. Someone we hardly know needs help. Do we still treat them with the same basic kindness?
There is nothing wrong with being closer to family and friends. Some people will always hold a deeper place in our lives. But it is also easier to care when we know that care is reciprocal.
The 1982 Tavares classic “A Penny for Your Thoughts” puts it simply:
“Girl, it should be so darn easy to do
If you love me like I love you.”
That becomes a different matter when the person is not close to us. Respect, patience, and simple kindness should not depend on familiarity.
Maybe that is one of the quieter tests of character: not how warmly we treat the people already inside our circle, but how human we remain with those outside it.
It is easy to care for people we already know and love, especially when we know they care for us too. As Tavares sang, “it should be so darn easy to do.”
The challenge is giving that same care to people we barely know, or do not know at all.
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ