Looking for Ripples
Lagom in practice—not too much, not too little, just the right amount of daily intention
The new year is such an arbitrary marker; it’s a date set on the Gregorian calendar that doesn’t seem grounded in lunar or solar rationale. It is neither the longest nor shortest day of the year; it’s really just a simple day. For so many, it has become a day of profound meaning and hopefulness. New beginnings to be a better person, lose weight, and finally stand up for themselves. And yet we know that so many of those resolutions fail. This year, as part of my ongoing thinking about Lagom, I am thinking more about the kinds of resolutions that create ripples.
Nature shows a recurring pattern: small acts spread. You see this when a stone is thrown in a pond, ripples spreading outward. Erosion isn’t one major event, but small changes over time—water shaping rock, grain by grain. We recognize this in camping: Leave No Trace is not about one grand gesture of conservation, but about dozens of small daily choices. Staying on the trail even when the shortcut tempts. Packing out every wrapper. Camping 200 feet from the water. These aren’t dramatic acts, but they ripple forward, protecting wilderness for those who’ll walk these paths long after we’re gone.
In the Buddhist tradition, Right Action follows a similar path, not a dramatic transformation, but daily mindful choices that compound. Not “I will become enlightened,” but “today I will practice.” Small daily choices ARE the path, not steps toward a distant goal. This is lagom in practice—not too much, not too little, just the right amount of daily intention.
The Christmas story echoes this pattern. Mary’s willingness to bear social stigma by being with a child out of wedlock. Joseph’s counter-cultural choice to stay with his betrothed when culture would have allowed him to “quietly put her aside.” Two acts that seemed small but weren’t. They were acts of courage and faith that, in the Christian tradition, rippled into something world-changing. These small choices are grounded in faith rather than cultural expectation.
Today, we talk more about the significant changes that will improve our lives: exercising more, leaving our jobs, or starting a side hustle. Not necessarily bad things, and sometimes the right thing for the person. But are there smaller changes that create ripples in our lives? Writing thank-you cards to people, turning off the television and reading or playing a game with our family, or holding the door for a stranger.
Perhaps our resolutions fail because they mirror January 1st itself—arbitrary dates seeking dramatic transformation rather than grounded, sustainable ripples. As we start this year, I am reflecting on the small changes I can make in my life that will ripple within it and outward, and I am not sure I have found them yet; however, maybe that is the practice that is just enough. Choosing to resist the cultural urge for grand gestures and instead practice attention—noticing which small daily choices create ripples worth sustaining.