Ripples #1338: Teeny Tiny Sparks
Jan 13, 2025
PEBBLE
Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.
~Golda Meir, shared by Dan in Dallas, TX
BOULDER
The Mighty Teeny Tiny
(a poem)
Teeny Tiny isn’t much
its delicate and brittle.
But Teeny Tiny can become,
with some love, a Little.
Little’s also no big deal,
not what you re looking for.
But if you add some Littles up,
then that’s a little More.
More may simply still be less,
and not quite what you thought.
But many Mores, laid end to end..
like magic, that’s a Lot.
So…
May all your dreams in ’25
be big and bold and shiny.
But don’t forget,
they can begin
with just a Teeny Tiny.
~Derick Wilder, shared by Tammy in South Carolina
PONDER
I know that the new year has started with so much big, hard stuff that some folks (myself included) have been hesitant to use the phrase “Happy New Year”–it seems a little to light for such heavy times. I tweaked the phrase when I made a video called Hopey New Year for Roberto, a long time Rippler who lives and works in New Orleans, quite close to where the tragedy unfolded on New Year’s Day in the French Quarter. I didn’t make the video as an attempt to erase the heartbreak that he and so many others are experiencing right now; instead, I was trying to help us all remember about the huge power hidden in smaller actions: Simple things like asking someone for help, offering kindness and compassion to others, and taking good care of ourselves. Even the small, simple act of taking a deep breath and thinking HERE on the inhale and NOW on the exhale has the potential to help us begin finding our way back to happiness and hopeyness.
Another tiny inner spark was ignited within me a few days ago when Emma, also a longtime Rippler, shared a song she dances to at the start of the new year. I bet I’ve listened to This Is the New Year by A Great Big World a dozen times in the past few days, and I’m telling you it has lifted me up a little more each time (I may have also stumbled upon and grooved to the glorious Glee version, too)
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not trying to promote an overly simple “All you have to do is paint a smile on your face and everything will be okay” kind of thing. I just read a hopeful essay suggesting we need utopian thinking now more than ever. And Nick Cage’s new year message in The Red Hand Files Issue #308 reinforced my belief that hope isn’t just possible in hard times, it’s essential.
So, my Ripply Friend, what small, meaningful actions can keep you moving forward while helping those around you move forward, too? Just reading this issue of Ripples might end up being a Teeny Tiny Spark for you. If that happens to be true, I hope you’ll extend the Ripply vibe by looking for other Teeny Tiny Sparks that can help increase the chances that 2025 can find its way to becoming a truly Happy, Hopey New Year.
Peace,
Paul