Monday 29 June 2015

Week 26: Toss Stones in a Pond

Here, at the halfway point of the 52 weeks, I offer you what might sound a bit nutty but I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Gather 5 or 6 small stones or pebbles, find a body of water, preferably with a fairly still surface, and slowly toss them in. If you can’t access a natural body of water, use smaller pebbles, along with your bathtub, sink, or even a pan of water.

Regarding the pebbles or stones, toss them one at a time. Note the rippling effect this causes. Toss a second pebble near the ripples caused by the first and watch as the ripples overlap. Be mindful, even meditative, as you perform this action.

The purpose of this exercise is to get you to physically consider how acts of kindness are like ripples in a pond. They start in one place but quickly spread out far and wide. Each place touched by a ripple is positively impacted by this act of kindness, by your acts of kindness. As such, our kindness acts have far greater impact than we might first think.

With this in mind and having thrown your pebbles or stones, perform a small act of kindness for a stranger. After doing so, IMAGINE the ripple effect of your act. This could begin by imagining the stranger’s day having been changed for the better by your kindness, which then changes everyone with whom she/he comes in contact.

In your journal, be as descriptive as you can about your experience. Through your words, transport an imaginary reader to your pond.

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