A Misdial and a Friendship

She’s Black. He’s White.

She’s 80 from the South. He’s 46 from New England.

But years ago, Gladys Hankerson misdialed a phone number while trying to reach her sister in Maryland — hitting 401 instead of 410 — and it led to the unlikeliest of friendships.

On the other end was Mike Moffitt, a Rhode Island man who was sympathetic to the older lady’s phone struggles.

“At first, it was just like her saying, ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’” Moffitt told NBC News. “And she’s really Southern, very hospitable, polite, very sweet. She’s like, ‘I’m so sorry, child!’ And then she hangs up real quick.”

But the misdials continued, and eventually, Moffitt decided he should learn the backstory of the person on the other end.

He discovered that Hankerson had 10 kids, was divorced and had recently lost a son. Moffitt soon became a listening ear for her challenges.

“He talked real nice to me and I talked real nice to him, and after that, I had his phone number and I put it down on paper and I always called him,” Hankerson said. “During that time, I was downhearted, and he felt my sympathy and lifted me up. He was real nice.”

The calls continued for years, no longer as misdials but as phone pals bonding over life’s challenges.

But this Thanksgiving, Moffitt was celebrating in Florida with his family and decided it was finally time to pay the elderly Southern lady on the other end a visit.

“I walk in and I said, 'I'm Mike from Rhode Island,' and she just threw her hands up and said, 'I’m blessed,'” Moffitt said. “Oh, it was such a great day, that was the happiest Thanksgiving there was. That made my day."

It would’ve been easy for Moffitt to hang up on Hankerson repeatedly years ago, maybe even block the number. He didn’t owe her anything, and the misdials were likely a bit annoying.

But he exhibited some sensitivity and was able to bring a little happiness to a stranger’s life during a gloomy period.

It’s a great reminder to all of us as leaders that each day, so many around us are going through hardships and need support from anywhere they can get it.

We have the ability to positively impact them through the smallest of gestures that don’t have to totally upend our lives. Remembering a name or important date, stopping for 30 seconds to have a brief exchange, or doing a person a small favor can ultimately improve their lives — as well as our own.

These simple actions don’t require a thick checkbook or countless hours of exhaustive labor.

They just take a bit of compassion.