Welcome to the Ripple visualization class.
Head into a comfortable position.
Close your eyes.
Take a couple of breaths to center yourself and bring your attention to the present moment.
Breathing in.
Holding and slowly releasing.
Breathing in.
Hold.
Release Last one.
Keep breathing.
Home.
Than one day.
Then let your breath settle back into a natural rhythm.
Imagine you're sitting by a small pond.
The water is still.
It is so still that the surface acts like a mirror,
Clearly reflecting the blue sky above.
As you sit,
You notice there's a number of stones or pebbles around you.
You pick one up.
And throw it into the pond.
You watch as the stone hits the water.
You notice the ripples of that impact spreading outwards in the pond.
Your actions have ripples.
Imagine holding a door open for someone who is struggling.
You make eye contact with them and give them a friendly,
Comforting smile.
You may even say something funny or kind that also makes them smile.
Imagine that that moment changed that person's day.
Prior to that moment.
They had multiple little things go wrong.
Including people being rude to them.
And now they're in a rush and frustrated and irritated with people in general.
That moment with you at the door was the first bit of kindness they had all day.
It was the first time they'd smiled.
All day.
They may have had the thought.
Maybe people aren't that bad.
And the mood shifted just a little bit.
A little ripple.
That same person then goes to get a coffee.
They place their order and the server makes a mistake.
Instead of yelling at them like they may have done earlier when they were more irritable.
They are kind and compassionate in their response.
Now imagine the server.
Who has had a really busy shift.
And it has been a busy day.
And the store is a couple of staff short.
Because of being so busy,
They've made a lot of mistakes during the day.
The last was just a moment ago.
And the person had yelled and berated them.
Left them feeling tired,
Frustrated,
Defeated and just wanting to quit.
Having a kind and compassionate response to a mistake.
Feels like a breath of fresh air.
And helps them get through the shift.
Another ripple.
And so the ripples keep going.
From just one small hat.
Take a moment now to think of a time when you had a moment of kindness or compassion.
With another person.
Or when you stood up and protected them.
When you comforted them when they were hurt.
Take a moment.
To think of what ripples may have come from that one little moment.
With that one person.
That one interaction with one person.
May have impacted the interactions they had.
With other people,
Which in turn may have impacted the interactions they had with other people.
The ripples grow.
We may never find out how far our ripples may travel.
But we definitely won't find out if we don't cast a stone and make an impact.
Even a seemingly small action can have a big impact.
Slowly and gently bring your attention back to the present.
Noticing what you can hear around you.
Notice what you can feel.
Press your feet into the ground.
Open your eyes and notice the world around you.
Take a deep breath.
Stretch and return to your day.
Knowing that you and your actions matter.
And can make a difference.
