"The Actions of Individuals Can Have Far-Reaching Effects"

In Memory of a Dear Friend 

I don’t know if I’ve ever shared the background of how Well-Bean was created, but now seems like a good time to share. I was in my fourteenth year of being a social worker, working both in the schools and as a therapist. I wouldn’t say I was unhappy with my job, but a shift had happened within me. I had a personal practice of yoga and meditation, and I was starting to really open up to the positive effect these practices were having on my personal life, with my children and in my professional world. A question began surfacing in my mind…”why aren’t we teaching these practices to the children in our community?” I started “dreaming” about becoming a kids yoga teacher. The idea sounded SO fun, made so much sense…but I was busy with a full-time job and a family. The dream seemed far-fetched; training was required but larger than that, fear kept me from taking that leap. 

It was January 2014 and I decided to attend fellowship that Sunday morning at Unitarian Universalist. I hadn’t attended in years but for some reason woke up that morning and decided to go. After the service, Kim Palka and I made eye contact. We had met a couple of times, we ran in similar circles. We approached each other offering smiles and hugs. She asked, "have your ears been ringing lately?" She then made a statement, with such confidence but was unassuming…”You have teach children yoga, there is such a need in our community.” An excitement rushed through my body, a light bulb went off in my head, and just like that, she seemed to give me permission to jump in—feet first. I shared with her that I had been stuck in “thinking about it” for some time, and how interesting, what a coincidence, that she mentioned it; she smiled, that beautiful smile. That week I registered for training in Toronto and thereafter Well-Bean was created.  But what evolved that was more substantial than that, was a friendship that I will forever be grateful. 

I share this story because it is an important one. A freely given gift can create a ripple of positive change in a person’s life, a community, the world. Every single person has the power to be part of a positive ripple effect. At this very moment YOU are capable of making an extraordinary difference in the world. Even a small act of kindness or good deed can have a profound impact on the life of another. So give away these free gifts endlessly, the world needs it, now. 
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I believe that each child I connect with through Well-Bean is a ripple, influenced by Kim and her beautiful life. 
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“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into the water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” -Dalai Lama

© Copyright 2015 Well-Bean Kid’s Yoga & Mindfulness Programs.  All rights reserved.

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