The Bureau of Overlooked Virtues

How everyday affection can change the world

There’s a story that’s been floating around online.
I don’t know if it’s true, and it doesn’t really matter.
It’s the kind of story that tells a truth bigger than itself.

For three Thursdays in a row, a woman walked the same route to work. Coffee in hand, head full of to-do lists, she was stopped, or rather, startled, by a man on a bicycle. He wore mismatched suits, bright and unapologetic, and as he whizzed past, he’d shout one very specific compliment.

“Astounding posture! You carry the weight of the world with remarkable spinal integrity!”

“A truly formidable coffee-cup grip! Unwavering!”

“Exquisite rhythm in your walking gait! A metronome of purpose!”

Each time, he was gone before she could respond. And yet, each time, something shifted. She stood a little taller. She noticed her own small habits. She smiled more.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and she followed him to a nondescript office with a sign that read:

“Bureau of Overlooked Virtues — Appointments Encouraged, Walk-Ins Welcomed.”

Inside, the man explained that his work was simple: to notice the unmonetisable skills that hold society together — the patience of a slow dog walker, the grace of a barista’s lid placement, the generosity in a stranger’s smile.
He gathered data.
He gave recognition.
He issued commendations for being human, well.

Some stories hold a truth bigger than themselves.

This one reminded me of the quiet art of noticing — the overlooked virtues that hold us together.

And then, the story takes a turn: the woman joins him.
She becomes a “field agent,” distributing micro-moments of affection in the wild.
One by one, they restore the invisible economy of goodness that our world has forgotten to count.

Why I Love This Story

Because this — this right here — is The Affection Economy in its purest form.

It’s not a framework. It’s not a business strategy or leadership program (though it can become both). It’s a quiet, subversive act of paying attention.

It’s what happens when we decide that affection is a renewable resource. When we remember that noticing someone — really seeing them — is a form of social wealth.

Every person who offers recognition without expectation becomes a small revolution in motion. They remind us that kindness doesn’t need scale to have impact. It just needs consistency.

Everyday Agents of Affection

You don’t need a bike or a purple blazer to join the Bureau. You just need to start seeing what’s usually invisible:

• The way someone steadies a conversation when tension rises.

• The quiet competence of the colleague who never misses a detail.

• The rhythm of care that makes a home, a community, or a workplace function.

Affection begins there — in the overlooked virtues that make us more human than efficient, more connected than productive.

A Small Practice for This Week

Notice one overlooked virtue a day.
Name it.
Tell the person.
Watch what happens next.

If the Affection Economy had a headquarters…

It might look something like the Bureau of Overlooked Virtues — a place where the currency is kindness, the audits are of gratitude, and every commendation restores a little faith in humanity.

Until then, the bureau is you.
And me.
And all of us, in motion.

If this struck a chord, and you’re curious about what affection in action might look like for you, your team, or your organisation, we’d love to talk.

Author’s Note:

This piece was originally published here on The Story Maker. It is available for republication, syndication, or editorial adaptation.
For commissions or licensing, please get in touch with Jet Swain