The Ripple Effect

The ripple effect isn’t always loud. It’s in the quiet acts, the small gestures of kindness and belief that shape who we become, often long before we realize it.

You may never see the ripple from your kindness, but someone else will feel the wave.

I talked about Randy on Monday, how his mentorship and belief in me during my career at HP changed the way I lead and listen. But last weekend, as I dug through old memories, I realized the ripple started much earlier.

About 30 years ago, I was 15. My brother was in the hospital, and my mom and dad were there every day, living in those sterile hallways, exhausted but hopeful. Back home, things were uncertain.

My mom’s friend, also named Randy, quietly stepped in.

He took us shopping for food. He made sure our pantry was full. My mom didn’t know for years who had done it; she just knew someone had cared enough to make sure we were okay.

Randy didn’t have to help. He wanted to.

That act of kindness, unspoken and straightforward, changed me. It taught me that the people who show up quietly can shift the entire direction of someone’s life.

That moment was the start of my long journey toward finding sense in the madness, learning how gratitude, kindness, and respect can bring clarity when life feels overwhelming.

It’s amazing how these small moments ripple forward. From a 15-year-old learning compassion in a grocery aisle to a man decades later still trying to pay that kindness forward.

Kindness doesn’t ask for credit. It just shows up.

Whose quiet kindness shaped you long before you realized it?