Signs

I was biking through a neighborhood, when I saw a yard sign. In all caps, it says,

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Later, when returning to my house, I passed the yard sign again. The other side says,

YOU CAN DO IT

Those are simple statements of encouragement, but I imagine as people have passed them in cars, on bikes, and on foot, they’ve spoken into a lot of particular, complex situations. The person who put the sign out will never know those particular stories, but that person has cast encouragement in a lot of important places.

—Renee Roederer