Ripples in the pond

Lately I have been reading a book which one of the characters talks often of "ripples in the pond". I don't think the idea of our actions affecting not only ourselves but those around us is a deep insight on my part. What I have been contemplating so much is how living a balanced life causes the needed ripples in our lives.

As individuals we often think of ourselves as an island where we pick and choose actions mainly focusing on how they will achieve what we are seeking. As a young married woman I quickly realized that my husband and my decisions had strong rebounding ripples on each other. For example, it is much easier to be in a happy, productive mood when my spouse is in a similar mood. We found that when we recognized this effect, we were able to be better united with each other. We also found that we had to sacrifice something for this. We had to be less of an island unto ourselves. As children blessed our home we found that this same relationship existed with them. I find that a simple decision of what to have for breakfast requires reflection on not only past breakfast meals, but also on mood, temperament, and conversations I had with my children the previous day. I can not decide to have my favorite breakfast meal two or three days in a row without causing consternation with several in my family. Again these observations are probably not new to most.

Now add a twist of what is rattling around in my brain. I sincerely believe that our skills are able to be moved from one area of our lives to another. For example, I am an artist by training (I have a BA of Art), however I don't think that anyone will ever think of me as an amazing artist. I feel one of the biggest gifts I received as an artist and in my years of learning more about art is that it developed a tremendous sense of patience within me. Now most don't know that I was an extremely impatient child. I think part of that is that "black and white" thinking my brain often functions in. I have a tendency to want the world to function logically and for everyone to just "follow the rules" which I feel helps things to fall into place. What I have come to realize is that I believe our talents are given to us to develop skills which will help us to overcome our weaknesses. As a mother of 6 who each seem to have their own struggles, I have often been complimented on my amazing amount of patience. I do have a lot of patience with them. I see them much like a work of art that takes slow, thoughtful development. I hope to some degree all will see them in future years and feel that they are indeed masterpieces. I feel a lot of what I need as a mother came to me through principles I learned in developing my interest in art. I think this is part of why we need to have balance in our lives.

I think that those who do not take the opportunity to develop true talents (I don't feel that activities like video games are talents) will be left without the skills to overcome their weaknesses. The ripples we need in our lives come often from within ourselves through the actions and relationships of our past.