middle school. She told me about a time I had stopped a boy from bugging her in the hallway. I couldn't even remember it. She said it had been going on for a time but that after I talked to the boy, it stopped. She said how that was a turning point for her, knowing that someone was on her side. She then went on to tell me how she often looked back on that and was so grateful I had paid attention and acted. She was going through a really rough time and had all sorts of crazy things happening in her life. It blew me away to think that something I couldn't even remember, had that kind of impact. It also kind of scared me to think how an insensitive comment might have the opposite effect.
Crazy to think how the small interactions we have with others can make such a big difference to them but require very little of us. Don't hesitate to reach out when you have a chance. We never know what someone is going through.