Dang! It has been way too long since my last post…but I did start a new job, after a long, long drought in the UE line. It’s good to be among the working again!
So I have been mulling over this post in my head since a certain someone DIED. I just don’t care for the phrase, “PASSED AWAY.” Hey, dying is part of the human experience, so why sugar coat it?
Anyways, u know me, if u have been reading my stuff…I get distracted as I write and sometimes I share those distractions with u.
So, the Ripple Effect, it reminds me of skipping rocks on the surface of a calm, serene body of water. Sometimes the rock doesn’t get too far and other times, the rock just goes and goes. I describe those splashes the rock makes as ‘ripples’.
In the last few months, an individual DIED and I have witnessed the ripples in the wake of his death. I will keep his name anonymous, but I will use the name, Fred in the place of the man’s name who died.
Fred owned and ran a small restaurant where the locals loved to gather. The waitresses were familiar, not like those fast food places where the help turn over like a burger patty being flipped. Fred’s place was a safe, comfortable space to hang for awhile and catch up with family and friends.
Fred’s eatery was also located in a rural area, where there wasn’t much else in the way of good eating places. So the local folks didn’t have to drive far to enjoy what Fred had to offer whether it be a cheese omelet or the lunch buffet.
But then Fred DIED and everything, I mean everything changed. Not only had Fred’s children lost their caring, supportive Dad, he left behind the restaurant’s staff without work. You see without Fred, his special place closed (for good).
But like the ripples created by the rock that skips across the water for longer than most, Fred’s ripples included his long-time customers. Customers who had come to depend on the comfort and familiarity of Fred’s eatery.
The small community has also been impacted by Fred’s death. Really, his restaurant, that operated for decades was the center of it. Now, what will be the center? Maybe nothing. So sad…
I am one of the many affected by Fred’s ripples. I really didn’t know how attached to the place I was until Fred and it was gone. Once again, taking for granted something or someone, thinking they or it would always be there. But not so…
From Fred’s death, I finally understand the importance of leaving a lasting legacy. Fred’s legacy was his fine food and the comfort he provided (probably without even knowing it). His legacy won’t be forgotten by the thousands who shared the small space with noisy kids and loud laughter.
It is truly mind boggling how one person’s time on this earth can have so much more impact than another person who really has little or no impact on others. What is your current ripple effect on others? Are you satisfied in the ripples you would leave behind when you die? I challenge you to make your life mean something, not only to yourself but to others in your community. I will take that same challenge. How far will your rock skip?