The Quiet Evidence of Care

I’ve always been a big believer in finding a silver lining in any situation.

Sometimes it shows up immediately. Sometimes it takes a minute. Sometimes it smacks you in the face when you’re not even looking for it.

Lately, I’ve been noticing it in places I didn’t expect — not because care is new in my life, but because it’s been showing up in small, quiet ways recently that stopped me long enough to actually notice it.

About a week ago, I found out that some people my cousin works with were asking about the person I’d been dating. Not because anyone knew what was going on with me or how I was feeling — they didn’t. They didn’t even know we had broken up. They were just asking because they knew I’d been seeing someone they worked with.

That alone made my heart smile.

People I don’t even know cared enough to ask questions simply because there was a connection to me.

Whether that’s because they know I’m genuinely caring (I do, in fact, send cookies and muffins to the firehouse), or because they care about my cousin and that care extends to me by default — either way, I wasn’t expecting it. And it made me smile.

Then the other morning, a coworker asked if I was okay.

She noticed I’ve lost weight and didn’t know if it was her place to say anything, but she asked anyway. I told her the truth. I did lose weight — just not the way I meant to. A lot of it dropped quickly from stress.

But, I’m being intentional about getting back to looking and feeling healthy — not just smaller, but healthy. And healthy is what is really important to me.

All of this got me thinking about how often care shows up in ways we don’t always expect, and how easy it is to overlook it when you’re busy moving through life.

I have friends from Canada I met years ago while working at Mike’s Pizza Bar inside of Little Caesars Arena. Back then, every time they were in town, they’d come see me at work — because I was always working when they were at Wings games. That turned into years of friendship.

I’ve gone to their “guy’s” games in January the last two years, and this year the guy’s game we’re going to is the Wings vs. Capitals game on January 29th. They took me to Monday Night Football in 2024 because it fell on my birthday (another makes my heart smile moment — and yes, they took me over one of the actual guys). I’ve gone to countless Wings games with them, and they’ve even given me their tickets to use when they weren’t able to go.

Now that I don’t work nights anymore, they always call me when they’re coming into town. They text me after games so I can meet them wherever they end up — and if I say I’m tired, I’m immediately reminded that we could all be taken out by a meteor at any moment, so I should probably come anyway.

I also get endless shit for not having a passport. Apparently, that makes me useless when they’re on the other side of the pond for work parties,golf outings, or other events. Fair. I deserve that one.

One of them, Mike, is also extremely protective. Anytime someone meets me for the first time and doesn’t know me, he gets comments or questions — “what’s her deal?” or “which one of you is she with?”

One time, someone literally whispered something in his ear. Mike shut it down immediately and told him no — that I was one of his good friends — and you could tell he was beyond offended just being asked.

When I noticed his reaction, I asked Mike if the guy had just asked who I was sleeping with. Mike confirmed that’s exactly what he’d asked.

So, I turned around in my seat and asked the guy if there was anything else he wanted to know about me — because he could’ve just asked me directly.

All of this just shows that people care in different ways — whether it’s my cousin’s coworkers asking about my relationship with someone they work with, my own coworkers checking in to see if I’m okay, or friends stepping in to defend me when someone has the wrong idea of who I am.

It’s being vouched for when you’re not in the room. It’s people showing up year after year. It’s being included, defended, and thought of — even when you’re not expecting it.

And while these are just a few recent moments, they’re reminders of something bigger.

It really comes down to being reminded of how lucky I am — not because life has been easy, but because even in the messy, quiet, in-between seasons, I’m surrounded by people who show care without needing recognition. Friends who’ve known me forever. People who’ve crossed my path more recently. Even those who don’t know me personally but know of me through someone they care about — and still choose kindness.

These moments aren’t rare — they’re just reminders. And I’m thankful for every single one of them, and for every experience that’s shaped me into the person I am today.

Even on the days your worst days, you matter. And sometimes the silver lining is just realizing people actually care. 💛