Holiday Hoisting...a better version of hosting

I've been reflecting on a conversation I had with someone not too long ago. Let's call him Bill. Bill had a pretty good life, all in all, and there came a time when things started going wrong. He felt abandoned by his friends, family and co-workers. Bill was always quick with a smile, and equally quick with sharing his woes. Because of this free sharing practice, people in Bill's life had begun to drift away. We began discussing about individual capability for compassion and understanding for someone who is not in the same proverbial boat. I said, "isn't there a way to just pull yourself up and look for what is new and exciting here? I mean, come on, can't everyone just cut a new path in the jungle of life?" Bill's response was quick (as if he had thought about it way before this conversation ever happened), "Maybe not everyone has the capacity to make those changes. Maybe pulling up is not as easy as giving up." I got really quiet after that. In the continuum of life we have the glass-is-half-fullers and the glass-is-half-emptiers...but what about all the people in the middle of the spectrum? How do we know who belongs to which camp? Perhaps one of our roles in life, and certainly during this holiday season, is not to pretend to understand or have a solution for anyone, but rather....just to remember that most of us need to be "pulled up" now and again. How are you helping with the hoist?