The question behind the story may be smaller and more practical than you expect.

People often approach a request sideways. A long account of the week is not always an invitation to discuss the week. Sometimes it is the run-up to asking whether you could take the car on Thursday. Answering the story rather than the question leaves both of you somewhere odd, with sympathy delivered and the actual need untouched.

When someone has been talking a while, ask gently whether there is something specific you can help with. The question gives them a door to walk through, and the answer is usually simpler than the introduction suggested.