Ripple Effects

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” — Mother Teresa

Smile or frown
Kindness or meanness
Hug or push away
Eye contact or avoidance
Hold the door to let someone enter, or let it slam in someone’s face
Call/text/email/ visit or ignore
Accept or judge
Skim a rock across a pond or drop a rock into the mud

One of my favorite things to do when near a lake or pond is to stand at the edge of the shoreline, find a small rock to place between my index finger and thumb, and fling the rock outward, skimming over the water to see how many times it will bounce. As the rock connects with the water, a ripple effect begins. And with each point of contact, the ripples spread, creating an expanding water fan. Eventually, the rock’s momentum stops and sinks, but the ripples continue, glistening in the sun.

Kindness is one of the best things to skim out across the paths of others, creating ripple effects. For example, aren’t you pleasantly pleased when someone holds the door for you as you enter or exit a building? Maybe you notice yourself feeling emboldened by that small gesture. Or have you ever been somewhere, like the grocery store, where a stranger helps you retrieve an out-of-reach item from the top shelf, and you have a light-hearted conversation that enhances your spirit? The kindness and conversation make you feel good, and a smile appears. Then, when you pay for the groceries, you share your smile with the cashier, and the cashier’s day is better. And, without realizing that their spirit lightened up a bit because of your smile, the cashier, in turn, smiles at the person next in line, and that person feels a sense of kindness. And they have no idea it all started four persons ago because someone took a moment to help another.

Unfortunately, the craziness of our world can have the opposite effect, with deranged ripples that resonate as we deal with problematic people and situations. People often promote maniacal outbursts and shoot arrows of meanness via social media. Social media spreads things faster than a California wildfire fanned by the Santa Anna winds. Media constantly pushes negative chaos toward us. Crazy is happening all around. Immigrants are being blamed for a lot of bad things happening in our country, even though statistics show most crimes happen by U.S. citizens. Many “good” Christians judge persons who identify as LGBTQ+ and refuse to do things for them, like a bakery refusing to provide a cake for a gay couple. Guns are fine even though they are the number one cause of death for children in the United States. However, a TikTok app, which young people use for many things, is threatened to be banned by the government for its political influence. Some people are happy a wanna-be dictator is now in charge of our country. Many of them wear red hats that say, Make America Great Again. I am not sure how a dictator makes America great again, if it ever has been great for the marginalized, but here we are.

The squirrels must be happy because there are nuts everywhere.

I don’t want to be part of the squirrel-feeding frenzy. I want to be part of the ripple effect where sanity and goodness vibrate over life’s waters.

Do you think smiles, kindness, hugs, interaction, door-holding, baking cakes, and connecting with people are the smooth rocks we can send toward the lives around us that land softly and ripple forward? I feel helpless in so many ways as I witness so many rights and privileges for the marginalized taken away by the recently elected U.S. president. I want to figure out how to create positive ripple effects in my small corner of the world—speaking and sharing truths, offering a safe place for those living in fear because of their lifestyle.

Today, because of my heavy heart and concern for the marginalized in this country, I did something that I hope made a slight difference. While doing some errands, I saw a guy on the street corner with a sign that read, “Homeless. Please help. God Bless.” I rolled down my car’s window, found my wallet, and placed a twenty-dollar bill between my index finger and thumb, reaching it towards him. It skimmed the air as it landed in his hand, and I watched the ripple effect of his smile and grateful eyes as they met mine. As skeptical as I can be of people who can stand for hours on a street corner, I decided if I made an error in handing over cash to this person, I have erred on the side of grace and prayed he would remember our eye contact and my breath prayer to him of, “God Bless.” I can only guess how the ripples expanded once the money connected with his hand. I hope he will use the funds well, like having a warm cup of coffee on a cold winter day, possibly sitting beside another person he can offer to buy a coffee for. They’ll both feel the ripples that make their hearts smile, and the smile will show up on their face, and they, in turn, send out other ripples into the world.

There is much to be concerned about as we stand on the shoreline of the days, months, and years ahead due to what is happening politically in the United States. Many of us feel like a whirlpool is sucking us inward towards a dark abyss. The lifejackets that prevent people from drowning may be the ripple effects of kindness we each send across the lakes and ponds of life. I am only one person, but I intend to send positive vibrations that ripple towards others. If you join me, we can generate multiple ripples and create a wave of protection for ourselves and others. I don’t know what rocks precisely I will pick up to skim forward across the lakes and ponds of life, but one thing is for sure,

I won’t be feeding the squirrels.