This morning, on my way to work, I found myself behind a car with a handwritten sign taped to the back window:

“Learning stick. Sorry for any delay.”

Reading that, I instantly softened. I stayed patient through the slow shifts and jerky starts — and honestly, they were doing pretty well for someone still learning.

But then a thought hit me:

Would I have been just as patient if I hadn’t seen that sign?

Probably not.

And that realization stayed with me.

Because the truth is, most people don’t have signs explaining what they’re going through. You don’t see:

“Going through a divorce.”

“Lost a child.”

“Feeling depressed.”

“Just diagnosed with cancer.”

If people wore their struggles where we could see them, we’d move through the world with so much more gentleness.

But the truth is — we shouldn’t need a sign to show kindness.

Everyone you meet is carrying something invisible, something heavy.

So today, and every day, let’s choose patience.

Let’s choose grace.

Let’s choose love — even when there’s no sign telling us to.