Showing up to someone’s recital, game or graduation costs you an evening. To them, it’s proof they mattered.

The price on your side is one evening and some mild boredom. The value on their side is evidence, years later, that somebody thought their small event was worth real time. The exchange rate is so lopsided that it is nearly always worth taking.

Say yes to the next invitation of that kind, especially the one you were about to politely decline. Then sit somewhere they can see you, and tell them afterward what you noticed.