Alrighty then. I can't think of much brilliance today, but here's what i do got. (heh):
Quite often, your actions or inactions have an impact that reaches farther than your nose. What do I mean? Please allow me to 'pick on' our middle dude, Z, to help illustrate this point.
Tip: don't try this at home. Yesterday the little prankster decided to test the laws of gravity in his school's Art Room by chucking a clump of clay at the ceiling. Guess what? It stuck! (or didn't. i don't know the details, only that he got in trouble).
Subsequently I received a text message from Tracey while I was at work,
T: "Z got in trouble at school."
G: "is he ok?"
T: "he is fine. fooling around in art class."
G: "no surprise, really. he has trouble staying focused in that class. i can relate."
T: "he has detention tomorrow at 7am."
G: "......."
Needless to say I was not happy. What ever happened to after school detentions? Seriously. Times, how they are a-changin'. And for the record, the
So i brought the bugger to school this morning, but we had to call the front office from the curb because the doors were locked. A nice admin lady came and let him in, out of the chilly air. Off i went to work, thinking about the 'ripple effect'.

Some of my ripples were not all that positive. For these, I apologize. This year was better than many in the past, so that's progress, but I still strive to do better. And that's all i'm gonna say about the negative ones.
On with the positive! I inspired many people who i work with to start eating better. Some of them have even started to exercise more. I'd like to think that I was motivational in getting Tracey to take up Zumba. My parents are both more active now than they have been in several years, and they look great and say that they feel great, too, both physically and mentally. I love it.
But I can't take credit for starting these ripples. well, maybe i can, but the ones that got ME going, in large part, started with the online communities to which I belong. Yes, dear reader, that is YOU. While the above picture of a ripple sums up what one looks like in a small body of water, alone, I think that this one more accurately depicts our situation(s):

Are you mindful of the ripples you cause, and the ones that others cause that impact you? Reflect on it...
Part of my post tomorrow is about embracing the time we have right now. I could dwell on the past year and being out of work, the heaviest I've ever been, and no clue what I would do. Instead I decided that I was the only one standing in my way. You really do help nudge and some times that ripple can turn into a pretty big wave. A wave big enough to get my ass moving. Thanks for the mention.
ReplyDeleteI made a donation to Operation Jack this morning..... : )
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