When your girlfriend is sad

Your friend is in tatters. As she is almost due, the person formerly known as the love of her life is getting involved with someone else. Or she has a bad result from her smear test. Or that manager has driven her to burnout. She is a shadow of that party girl you have so dearly held in your heart and you want to help, but how. You can't solve the problem, take away the sadness, she has to do that herself, but what then. The phrase ‘let me know if I can do anything’ feels so empty.

I am also not in the lightest period of my life and see the loved ones around me struggling a bit too. They would love to help me, but how. Now I have a tip. Think of three things you could do for the person in trouble, no matter how small. Write it down on a card and make it a voucher, so the other person can easily redeem it with you. Because sometimes very small things can help you immensely. Recently, dear Lianne from our television department printed and scanned all kinds of papers and sent packages to me registered. Could I have done that myself? Absolutely. Did I have the time and peace for it now? No. So I was overjoyed. Maybe you can offer to walk the dog, let her children stay with you for a weekend, make a bottle of great gazpacho, iron two loads of laundry, trim the garden. All things the other person would never dare to ask but that could brighten her day a little.

Or do like our friend M, who recently rang the doorbell in the pouring rain. No, he didn't want to come in. Just wanted to know how it was, a kiss on my cheek and move on. Just gold.