“Each life is linked to all life.
Your thoughts, words and actions create a ripple effect; much like a stone thrown into a pond.
The quality of that ripple effect…is your legacy.”
– Kosta Stoyanoff

What kinds of ripples do you send into the world? Are they positive and empowering of others, or negative and demeaning?

Since you are reading this with age-esteem I know you are probably the former most of the time. It can be difficult sometimes, though, and takes practice.

One of the reasons I like the quote above is because it refers to the ripple effect. When we stop to think that everything we say and do has a ripple effect, we focus on the power of our words and actions. Whatever our age, abilities, experience, or knowledge, we are a role model for others in everything that we do.

I believe we are especially important role models as we age. Who else can better show the world what aging means today? Who else can be an effective model to demonstrate age-esteem? Who else can share the history that you have lived? Who else can better transmit values and ethics through example?

The ripple effect of our words and actions become our legacy. We will never know how many lives we have touched as part of our legacy, but we will know how we have lived as a role model for others to emulate.

Bonnie Fatio

“Each life is linked to all life.” – Kosta Stoyanoff

As I gather years, it becomes ever clearer to me that we are indeed all related to each other in multiple ways. And, often it seems that serendipity (call it what you wish) brings people into my life when we need the other, we have a reason to meet. That reason may simply be the joy of knowing each other, yet experience has shown me that it is more than chance.

Can you think of moments in your life when either an old friend or someone new has popped into your life just at just the moment you needed them, even though you may not have realized that you needed them? It happens to me often.

An example was when I was interested in learning more about my paternal grandparents. I had never asked them the right questions when they were alive. It was summer and we invited a church group, which friends had belonged to while working in the U.S., that was touring Europe to picnic at our home in France. Sitting under a tree with several of them, I discovered that one of the women not only knew my grandparents, we were also related. She shared stories that helped answer some of my questions.

There are multiple times when a friend has shown up just when we needed her. Like the time our dog seemed to be gagging on something when the father of our daughter’s friend showed up at the door. He raised dogs and immediately knew what to do.

A Chinese proverb explains that when we are born we are attached with an invisible thread to all the people we are meant to meet in life. I easily believe it. Having meaningful relationships with people of all ages is an ingredient of age-esteem.

Bonnie Fatio

Ripples
A poem that remains in my memory from childhood and one that I often recite, in the words I remember vs. the correct ones, is shared below. The message is simple, powerful and valuable for each of us. – There are lasting ripples resulting from each of our words and actions.

Drop A Pebble In The Water
By James W. Foley

Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash, and it is gone;
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.

Drop a pebble in the water: in a minute you forget,
But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet,
And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;
You’ve disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone.

Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute it is gone;
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on.
They keep spreading, spreading, spreading from the center as they go,
And there is no way to stop them, once you’ve started them to flow.

Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute you forget;
But there’s little waves a-flowing, and there’s ripples circling yet,
And perhaps in some sad heart a mighty wave of tears you’ve stirred,
And disturbed a life was happy ere you dropped that unkind word.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: just a flash and it is gone;
But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Bearing hope and joy and comfort on each splashing, dashing wave
Till you wouldn’t believe the volume of the one kind word you gave.

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: in a minute you forget;
But there’s gladness still a-swelling, and there’s joy circling yet,
And you’ve rolled a wave of comfort whose sweet music can be heard
Over miles and miles of water just by dropping one kind word.