Who is going unseen today?

This afternoon, I restocked the Ripple Station™ with 20 new fall-themed tokens.

20 fall-themed tokens; each one multi-layered with mixed media

As I was finishing up, I noticed two utility field surveyors working down the street. I walked over, chatted with them for a moment, and handed them each a token of gratitude—these ones made by my daughter.

Their names were Kyle and Brayden. They told me they often work long hours and that most people see them as “a nuisance.” Both were deeply appreciative of being noticed at all.

These two tokens were made by my daughter. We have pens in the Ripple Station™ that I quickly grabbed and wrote a note of gratitude on the back with.

It made me wonder: why do we so often overlook those who hold up the scaffolding of our daily lives? The ones who lay cables, repair pipes, collect trash, deliver packages, fix our power lines. Without them, our days would grind to a halt. And yet, we pass by as if they’re invisible.

This is why the Ripple Station™ exists: to challenge that invisibility, one small handmade reminder at a time.