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Editor’s Desk: Make a Ripple, Leave a Legacy

POSTED January 29, 2025 IN
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Imagine tossing a pebble into a still pool and watching the circles of ripples that it creates. Think of our lives as that pebble and all our actions rippling out far beyond our personal lives. Each act of kindness, even in this moment, may be having profound consequences unknown to us.

We often think of legacy as the financial one we leave to our family or charities of our choice. My friend and former guest, Gary Hawk, wrote an essay on legacy and pointed out the legacy we leave goes far beyond a monetary one, reminding us of the ripple effect that one thoughtful, intentional moment of caring can have a profound effect.

For example, in my own life, my lens of perception was permanently opened by one brief comment from a grocery clerk.

Waiting in an express checkout line in my local grocery store, distracting myself by looking at the headlines of the latest issue of People magazine, I soon noticed that the line had come to a stop. An elderly, grey-headed woman in the line ahead of me was not following the rules. She was slowly unloading her cart of many more items than the designated ten.

The young man, who looked to be in his twenties, was patiently ringing up each item. I was surprised that he didn’t admonish her but was carefully scanning all her groceries while she watched each item tick up an amount on the screen. He then called someone over to bag them. Unlike me, who prides herself on being supremely efficient, she slowly opened her purse, rummaged around until she found her check book, and taking her time to write as legibly as she could, she then carefully tore it out of her check book and handed it to the young man. I, along with the others in line, shifted uneasily on our feet as we grudgingly waited for her to finish.

As our collective impatience rose to fever pitch, the young man patiently asked her, “Do you have help? Is someone picking you up?” She sweetly replied, “Yes.” He then called an assistant to come over and instructed him to help her out to the curb where she could meet her ride. Slowly, she put her checkbook away and, with shaking fingers, snapped her purse closed, proceeding with halting steps to move away from the checkout register.

I was next and as I stepped up to the register the young man looked at me and he said, “You know, we will all be there someday.”

My heart melted and my impatience disappeared. In this age of efficiency and rush, this astute young man demonstrated a true sense of graciousness and kindness. My prayer is to carry this lesson and to pass it on whenever and wherever I can.

As Gary suggests, we may never know the ripple effect our words of kindness will have.

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