The Ripple Effect of One Yes

“Consider what becomes possible when we remember that the individual is always part of the whole, and any change in ourselves will widen and ripple outward.”
– Abigail Rose Clarke, Returning Home to Our Bodies

It all started with one small yes.

Our Zoom group was asked, “Who would be interested in an online book club?”

Yes, please. Me!

One Yes Leads to Another

And so it began.

• Because I joined the Zoom book club, I read our first book, Returning Home to Our Bodies.
• Because I enjoyed the book and discussion so much, I also joined the new in-person book club at my local independent bookstore.
• Because I joined that group, I got the store’s newsletter in my inbox.
• Because I opened the newsletter, I signed up for the store’s card-writing workshop.
• Because I showed up for the workshop, I created three handmade cards to send to my legislators.
• Because I mailed those cards, I felt (a little) less helpless about politics—for a few hours anyway.
• Because I felt more empowered politically, I also sensed more energy in my spirit, and also in my body.
• Because I noticed the positive shift in my body, I was reminded again of the book that started it all.
• And I remembered that first yes.

One thing indeed led to another, rippling outward from one yes to the next.

The Ripple That Keeps Going

Likely because I am looking for it, Ripple (my One Word of the Year) keeps showing up everywhere. Not always in big, splashy ways, but often in subtle, yet still soul-stirring, experiences.

Here are three quotes that remind me of ripples from the book club book, Returning Home to Our Bodies. 

1 – “Everything we do, certainly everything we begin, is in a web of nearly infinite relationships. But while nothing is truly a beginning, everything has to begin somewhere.”

2 – “Here is one seed, a beginning to so much more. Seeds are a beginning, of course. Each seed is a tiny bundle of magic, containing incredible potential for growth. But a seed is not a beginning, not in the absolute sense.”

 3 – “A beginning is never a beginning. Everything arises from something else. This is the beginning of this book. But it is not a beginning in the most absolute sense.”

Pause to let it sink in. “Everything has to begin somewhere” and “Everything arises from something else.” Where did I begin? My conception? Or maybe the conception of my parents? Or of their parents? Back and back it goes.

It’s humbling and beautiful. The new yeses I say are really echoes of past ripples—mine and others’. My yes to a book club wasn’t really the beginning. It was one more wave in a sea of connections stretching back further than I can imagine.

My Ripple Practice This May: Everything Changes

This month, my Ripple practice is grounded in the mantra:

“Even this will change.”

I whisper it to myself when things feel overwhelming. And I remind myself of it when things feel joyful, too.

Good things don’t last forever. But neither do bad things. I find an odd comfort in knowing that everything changes with time.

So when you wonder if your small yes matters—yes, it does.

When I said yes to the first book club, I hadn’t realized I would then join another one and make new friends in my community and then make handmade cards to send my legislators and then feel more connected not only to my outer world but also to my body.

But that how ripples flow.

Maybe you’re beginning a ripple this month, too, planting a seed, or continuing a wave that started long before you knew it existed. Every little action—not only the brave, vulnerable ones, but even the mundane, everyday ones—changes something.

And each of those changes also changes you.

Where have you seen the ripple effect lately? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Read More:

• Why I Chose These 7 Objects for My One Word Jar
  These 7 objects embody the meaning of Ripple to me, each carrying its own story and connection to my life. What objects represent your One Word of the Year?
• What If Your Body Has Been Doing Her Best All Along?
  A simple Zoom assignment led me to an unexpected realization—my body, although imperfect, has always been the best place for me to be.
• Find the Courage for Your One Small Thing
  When the world feels overwhelming, there is always something you can do. One small act of kindness can bring light on even the darkest days.

• ← An Extraordinary Letter in the Mail
• Is Forgiveness Optional? Can You Heal Without It? →