They say the details make all the difference—and nurse Brandalyn Mae Porter proved just that with a powerful story about an elderly woman’s hands.

Every day, nurses witness life’s most vulnerable moments. Brandalyn’s moment came during a simple act of kindness: painting a new resident’s nails. When asked which color she wanted, the woman replied, “Clear.”

Curious, Brandalyn asked why. The woman quietly said, “My hands are ugly, and I don’t want to draw attention to them.”

Brandalyn gently responded, “Your hands tell the story of your life… of love, adventure, and care.” Moved by her words, the woman chose pink instead.

Brandalyn shared this moment online, and it quickly went viral—shared over 160,000 times. Her post reminded people that what we view as imperfections are often seen as beauty and wisdom by others.

“Sometimes, what we find so insecure is beautiful to others,” she wrote.