When everyone scattered, a couple people stayed. Those names go at the top of every list you make.

Hard stretches sort your contacts for you, which is painful and also extremely accurate. Most people are not being cruel when they disappear; they simply do not know what to do and so they do nothing. The few who stayed made a different decision, usually without being asked and without knowing whether they were helping.

Write those names down somewhere. They belong at the front of your attention and your good news, not just your bad news. Tell at least one of them what they did, because people who stay often assume they were not much use. And remember it the next time it is someone else’s turn.