"Skipping Pebbles Through Life"

Skipping Pebbles

One day as I traveled through the woods,

I saw an ancient man sitting by a pond,

I wanted directions to leave the woods behind,

But he challenged me to think beyond,

“It’s easy to get lost in the woods,” he said,

“Where do you want to be?”

“I’m off to make my mark on the world,

And discover my destiny,”

His eyes glowed with a strange fire,

As he smiled and replied with a deep sigh,

“You’re young, with so much to learn,

But I know you need to try,”

With a grand gesture he pointed to the pond,

“I’ll show you what a pebble can teach,

About your impact on the world,

And all those goals you think you’ll reach,”

“First, don’t think you’re so important,

You’re like a pebble dropped in a pond,

See the rings this pebble made?

Just listen quietly before you respond,”

“Your influence spreads outward,

Making several concentric rings,

Your impact lasts just a short while,

 Before the angels sing,”

“What if I am flat and make several skips?

I’ll cover more area on my way,

There are several places where I’ll touch,

Leaving several circles on display,”

“But what difference will you really make?

Look, as I skip this stone across the pond,

See the rings that are left behind?

Now they are going, going, gone,”

“Just like life’s fleeting ambitious dreams,

They’re here for the moment but gone in a flash,

Goals that you accomplish only for yourself,

Are forgotten after the splash,”

“But a pebble you throw for someone else,

Becomes more than a rock you fling,

It allows them to rise above the pond,

And helps them find their wings,”

“So as you go to discover your destiny,

Remember the pebbles tossed across the pond,

And the ripples they leave behind,

If you want to leave a mark you have to reach beyond,”

“And help others become more than they are,

Allow them to dream of love and things,

To escape that which holds them down,

And fly with new-found wings,”

He waved goodbye as I started forth,

A purpose showing in each step,

I promised to help others fly above,

And it’s a promise I have kept,

Now when I look across a pond,

And see the surface smooth as glass,

I feel within me there is a skipping stone,

But calmly I let the moment pass,

There are opportunities to make my splash,

And I could make my world, all about me,

But I’ve chosen to lift others up,

That is my chosen destiny.