The Gulf of Mexico is our own little piece of paradise situated in Southwest Alabama’s front yard. The unique smell and taste of salt water; white, powdery sand; bright sunshine, healing and hot, these are some of the reasons I love the beach.  Yet it’s the Gulf’s thundering waves that call me back again and again, promising to lull me into a restful sleep and slow my overactive mind to a calmer rhythm.

More often than making a trip to the beach, my husband and I enjoy hiking in Alabama State Parks.  Walking, resting, and picnicking near Alabama’s beautiful lakes, rivers, and gurgling streams is just as relaxing as being on the beach, only I don’t usually lug a chair along on a five-mile hike. 

Unlike the beach, rivers and lakes slap the bank slowly and gently. A lake was the first place I ever saw a rock skip across the water. A ROCK, skipping across water. There’s something technical, like water surface tension, angles, and whatnot, that explains why this is possible, but the science doesn’t dispel the phenomenon’s mystery and magic.

I’ve spent a bit of time practicing rock skipping, yet my carefully chosen, smooth surfaced rock always ends up on the lake bottom with an unceremonious plop. 

After the plop comes the ripple. Plop, ripple, ripple, ripple, ripple. Dozens of ripples radiate from a single rock toss.

I’m reminded daily that there’s a time and place for awe-inspiring waves, big moments of earth-shaking change. For me however, daily life is more about making ripples.  

Encouraging a stranger is a ripple; halting a bit of unsavory gossip is a ripple; volunteering at a school or nonprofit is a ripple; picking up trash is a ripple; casting your vote is a ripple. 

There are countless ways that we daily ripple into the lives of our neighbors and community. Ripples converging with ripples to hopefully move our little pool in a positive and peaceful direction.

There was a time that I underestimated the power of a ripple. Now I understand better that ripples consistently shape who we are and the life we choose, and that’s pretty darn important.