Excerpt Draft:

 What’s the point in chasing the gold ring, the medals, the big awards on TV—for something as simple and human as helping another person out?

So much attention gets poured onto those shiny moments, as if kindness needs a stage or applause to matter. But the truth is, the real strength lies in the quiet acts. The meals made without fanfare. The long bus rides to show up for someone. The care packages sent without a camera in sight. These are the things that don’t make headlines, but they change lives.

When William lost his dad in the house fire, and was left with nothing but grief and smoke-damaged clothes, no one showed up with cameras or medals. Just friends. Josephine made the long trips to Bray. I opened my door in Dublin. Between us, we gave him a place to land—three days there, three days here.

Then there was Craig, another old schoolmate of William and Josephine. Craig lived in Roundwood, Co. Wicklow, and his parents offered William a place to stay for a few days each week while his house was being rebuilt. No fanfare, no media, just a simple, kind offer from people who saw a friend in need.

In January 2006, we even opened an eBay account to help William rebuild his lost CD and DVD collection. We used a 3V card—a pay-as-you-go credit card that let us chip away at the loss bit by bit. No spotlight. No applause. Just quiet, steady support.

Kindness isn’t meant to win prizes. It’s meant to show up. And that’s what we did.

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