A familiar shopkeeper can become part of the day’s social fabric without becoming a close friend.

Not every relationship is aiming at closeness, and the ones that are not still hold a great deal up. The person who knows your order, who asks about the weather and remembers your dog’s name, gives you a moment of being recognised that costs neither of you much. These small regular contacts are a real part of feeling that you live somewhere.

Use the same shop, the same counter, the same hour more often than convenience strictly requires. Learn one name. And if you notice someone missing from their usual place for a while, it is not intrusive to ask.