Ripple Effect

    Remember being a child, tossing rocks into a lake? You weren’t thinking about who might step barefoot on it later, if someone was swimming under the surface, or whether a fish had been startled from its quiet. All that mattered in the moment was the thrill of the splash, the widening circles moving out across the water.

    Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, left behind journals and essays that inspired what is often called “Rachel’s Challenge.” Her “challenge” was centered on the idea that kindness and compassion can start a chain reaction that changes lives.

Rachel wrote in her journal:

“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, it will start a chain reaction of the same.”

    My words to describe this are ripple effect. Everything we do has a ripple effect! Do you realize this? Here's an example from my own life...

    I sell a lot of stuff on Poshmark. Because of this, I often find myself at the post office. The one closest to my house hired a man who everytime I went in there acted surly towards me and others. I was so sick of feeling uncomfortable every time I went in there that I decided my only option was to drive across town and drop my packages off there. But one day the thought came to me: be friendly and ask him his name.

    So I went in and found out his name, told him my name and said, "I see you a lot. Thanks for always helping me!" From then on I noticed him slowly soften towards me. I didn't have the same anxiety to go in there. I noticed too that he would converse with customers more and seemed more friendly than he was before. 

    I don't think that I changed this man's heart, but maybe I did just a little bit. I know with certainty though that I changed my own. I decided that rather than get offended or be annoyed with this guy, I would make an attempt to be kind. 

    Sometimes I think we approach life much like we once did when tossing rocks into a lake - carefree, even a little careless. Our intentions may be harmless, but living well requires more than good intentions; it calls for deliberate care and mindfulness. Without that, we risk throwing out words carelessly, laying on our horns impatiently, and scattering our frustrations without pausing to notice where the ripples might reach. What feels small or fleeting to us may leave a lasting mark on someone else.

I’m writing this to myself as much as anyone: every action has a ripple effect. Every choice, every word, every gesture sends ripples outward—either to heal or to harm.

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James