He apologised to chairs after bumping into them.
Not because he believed they could feel pain, but because saying sorry had become a reflex a small ritual that reminded him the world wasn't entirely made for him. Doors, chairs, lamp posts, even shopping trolleys received the same quiet courtesy.
People laughed when they noticed. Most never did.
He believed kindness wasn't something you switched on for people. It was something you practised until it leaked into everything.
One day someone apologised back after walking into him.
He smiled all afternoon.
— Observed behaviour: Excessive politeness. Mildly contagious.