Touching the one nobody touches

Everywhere there's someone almost nobody goes near: the odd coworker, the elderly man who lives alone, the sick person who makes others uncomfortable, the one with a bad reputation. Nobody mistreats them; they simply avoid them. You can't always solve their problem. But you can go up to them, say hello, shake their hand, sit next to them. For someone who has gone a long time without anyone looking at them, that's no small thing: it's feeling like a person again. Charity doesn't start with big projects. Often it starts by crossing the room toward the one who's alone.