Posts

Showing posts from August 17, 2025

Pebbles, ripples and impact: Don't hide your light under a bushel

Image
We don't need to be a giant wave crashing onto the beach to have an impact. A small pebble tossed out into the water can create a meaningful ripple. My mother believed in telling someone what their work meant to her. She would often send me in to school with a note she had written to my drama, gym or music teacher about how much she had enjoyed X, Y or Z production in which I had participated. As a grade school kid, I was a bit embarrassed about what I perceived as odd behaviour on Mum’s part — why would my teachers care about her opinion? But as an adult, I, of course, recognize what a vote of confidence it was in those teachers, paying them not only respect for their work but offering the kindness of genuine appreciation for it.  Now, I do it, too, often taking it one step further. I communicate with the person to tell them that I appreciate their work, and sometimes I also offer up my own story as it relates to that work. Occasionally my message leads to nothing — literally; no ...