Being dependable on a random Tuesday beats being a hero once a semester.

Grand gestures are memorable and nearly useless as a foundation. One dramatic rescue makes a good story and does nothing about the ordinary weeks in between, which is where most of a life actually happens. What people need is someone whose help does not require an emergency first. Small reliable presence is unglamorous and it is the thing that holds.

Choose one modest, repeatable thing you can do for someone and put it on a schedule. Resist the urge to upgrade it into something impressive. Twelve ordinary Tuesdays will mean more than one memorable afternoon.