Two years ago I spent the night in a cabin in an RV park in Northern California. My family and I finished dinner and lounged around a picnic table.

A jovial man sat down and introduced himself. Talk quickly turned to work, and we realized we were both web designers/developers. I was a bit further down the track, and he had questions on a few different things like DNS and running a small web shop.

Until that moment, I knew I enjoyed talking about design, development, and client management, but didn’t feel like I had anything to contribute. I didn’t believe I had any way to really help another designer/developer out. At times, it can feel like there’s so much I don’t know, it’s hard to have the confidence that I really know anything at all.

But on a starry night near the Redwoods, eating apple pie with a stranger, I had a lot to offer.

A year later, the small web shop I helped start fell apart.

It was rough. I questioned my value and what I had to offer. The little confidence I had was shot.

As I started to get my bearings again, I got a call from an unknown number.

This man from California was calling to say how helpful our talk was that night. A year later, he was still thankful for that night. And so was I.

His call came through at the exact time I needed it. It made my month. It kick started my confidence. Made me feel like I had something to offer after all.

And here I am, another year later, thankful for that night and a phone call from a stranger.

Be nice to people. Share what you know. Listen. Connect.

And don’t forget to share some apple pie.