Shrimp and Grit

When Love Looks Like Small Acts of Care

Sometimes love looks like making a lovely pot of thai shrimp soup
only to discover, just as it’s finished and verified delicious,
that the shrimp were ‘simple peel’ rather than ‘peeled’—
their translucent shells now lost and camouflaged
among the onions and bell peppers—
and sitting down with the full pot of soup,
an oven mitt on your lap, and dish washing gloves,
and spending the next hour fishing through the broth
to remove each shrimp one by one,
carefully peeling away shells
and sifting through the remaining soup with gloved fingers
to find any stray translucent pieces,
all so your partner can enjoy it
without choking on a forgotten shell—
sometimes that’s exactly what love looks like.

Sometimes in emotional leadership—and in life—the real work is this quiet, unseen kind. It’s the patience to sift through what’s messy, the care to remove what could hurt someone else, and the willingness to give your time so another person’s path is a little smoother. Whether it’s a pot of soup or a complex project, these small gestures with big impact are more than kindness—they are acts of care that deepen trust. They’re the everyday leadership moments that show what it means to lead with empathy, creating the kind of culture where people feel valued, safe, and ready to thrive.