This is where the practice leaves the page and enters someone’s day.
People often find their way here because they’ve felt what it’s like to be unseen — and they want to change that for someone else.
The Ripple Station™
The Ripple Station™ is a small, self-serve kindness stand in Los Altos, California.
It holds handmade tokens — each one painted, stamped, or collaged by hand — meant to be picked up and given away.
Not kept. Given to someone who goes unnoticed: a crossing guard, barista, delivery driver, nurse on her fourth straight shift.
Anyone whose work holds our days together and who rarely hears that it matters.
How it works
Pick a handmade token—each one is different and an original work of art.
Write a note on the back. Some examples:
“Thank you for all your hard work.”
“You are amazing.”
“I hope you have a wonderful day!”
Give it to someone who deserves appreciation: baristas, restaurant servers grocery clerks, vendors at the Farmers’ Market or any background worker who usually goes unnoticed.
What stays
I’ve been handing these out for eight years now.
Over 3,000 tokens, each one handmade, each one meant for someone specific.
Most of these moments, I’m just there — in the conversation, in the exchange, in whatever the person needs that minute to be.
I don’t photograph them. I don’t write them up. But I know they stay.
A mammography technician recognized me three years after I handed her a token in a clinic. A farmers’ market manager emailed me years later to say the note my daughter and I gave her still lives on her desk — that she reads it on the days she feels defeated, and it still brightens her whole day.
These tokens are small. What they open is not.
A Flourish
At Stacks, our server Emma moved through the dining room like a bright light — the kind of person who genuinely lifts everyone around her. After she brought water to our table, I handed her a small handmade token — colorful, patchwork-patterned, with “KEEP GOING” across the center.
When she returned with our pancakes, it was pinned to her blouse. “I love this so much! Thank you for turning my morning around. This is my flourish for the day!”
In all these years of handing out the tokens, I’ve seen people tuck them into wallets and pin them to staff boards. But Emma claiming it immediately as her personal flourish — that was a first.
A Bookmark
While my husband lay under imaging machines, I sat in the hospital waiting room with my watercolor kit and painted. Partly to quiet the anxiety. Partly because I’d been watching the receptionists gracefully handle waves of grievances, brusqueness, and impatience all morning.
I painted a small bouquet and handed it to Delena. “I noticed you had a book picked out for your break. I hope this can become a bookmark.”
Her eyes welled up. “Really? Thank you. It means so much. You’ve really made my day. Thank you for noticing.”
A Connection
My daughter and I were sitting poolside on vacation when a tween walked up, told her she looked beautiful, and asked if she wanted to swim with him. Before either of us could respond, his mother rushed over. “I’m so sorry. Please excuse him.”
Over the next hour, I watched the scene repeat — the boy approaching strangers with innocent enthusiasm, his mother apologizing with tears in her eyes, looking more drained each time. Then my daughter looked up from her book: “He seems sweet… but is his mom alright?”
I walked over. “Hi, I’m Mansi. It’s okay if your son wants to hang out with my daughter and me.” She broke into tears and told me about his health challenges, their barn, his cat, that this was their first time at a resort.
It was as normal a conversation between moms as could be. Later, I painted a small tree with the words “live, love, laugh” and wrote on the back: “Please know that your son has an amazing light within and you are an amazing mother to let it shine.”
When I handed it to her as we were leaving, she broke down sobbing and hugged me. I held her for a long time.
All I could do was whisper, “It’s okay.”
A visit to my childhood will help you see how all of this is More Than Just a Nice Gesture.
You don’t have to be local to be part of this.
A short walkthrough of how to make handmade tokens with a gel plate, stencils, and whatever paints you have on hand. Cut them up, add a thank you, and start handing them out in your own community.
If you want to go further and set up a station of your own, the Ripple Station™ Community Guide walks you through everything — how to set one up, how to source or make tokens, how to keep it going.
Support the Ripples
Every dollar helps refill the Ripple Station™ with handmade tokens and reminds someone they matter.
FAQs
What are these tokens, exactly?
Each token is a small piece of original, handmade art—painted, stamped, or collaged by me (and sometimes with help from my daughter). They’re made to be shared, not kept.
Who do I give them to?
Popular choices:
Your food delivery driver
A librarian
Your dog walker
A teacher, nurse, or school crossing guard
Anyone who feels unseen or under-appreciated
Is this a business or nonprofit?
Neither, really. It’s a kindness movement—funded by me and supported by occasional contributions. If you’d like to support the project, you can contribute to the costs.
Where is the Ripple Station in Los Altos?
It’s in a quiet neighborhood. Here’s a Google map for wayfinding.
Do I write something on the back?
Yes, please! That’s the most powerful part. Just a few words of genuine appreciation can make someone’s day.
Examples:
– “Thank you for all you do.”
– “You matter more than you know.”
– “Your kindness doesn’t go unnoticed.”
You don’t need to know the person—just offer a moment of recognition.
What should I do after I give it?
You can quietly walk away, or say, “This is a little token of appreciation I picked up from a community art station. I wanted you to have it.”
Optional: Share your story here to inspire others—and I’ll mail you a Ripple Maker sticker as a thank you.
Can I start my own Ripple Station™?
I created this first one here in Los Altos, but I believe this model can ripple outward—thoughtfully, intentionally, without losing its heart.
That’s why I’ve created the Ripple Station™ Community Guide—so others can bring one to their neighborhoods while honoring the values, artistry, and quality that make it meaningful.
Can I take more than one?
Yes, if you’re planning to gift them intentionally. Please be mindful, though. These are not collectibles and they are not mass-produced. I spend hours at a time crafting each one. They are for ALL our neighbors, so please limit what you take to a maximum of three.
Can I contribute my own tokens?
I’m so touched you want to! Right now, I’m starting with just my own tokens to see how the Ripple Station™ is received in our community. But I may offer “guest artist” features in the future—stay tuned!
What if someone says no?
That’s okay. Not everyone is ready to receive kindness—and it’s not a reflection on you.
A smile and “No worries at all—have a great day!” is enough.
The act of offering is still a ripple. It reminds you to lead with generosity, even when there’s no guaranteed outcome.
Stay close to the work or step into it with me
Be With Mansi is a monthly live gathering on Zoom.
No agenda. No performance.
Just a space to sit, create, reflect, or simply be—together.
If you’ve been craving connection without pressure, this is where we meet. Come when it calls to you. No need to commit.
$10/sliding scale
Inside the Studio is where the work between the work happens.
The beginnings, the experiments, the things that don’t quite work—but matter anyway.
If you want to stay close to my creative practice, you’re invited in.
$10/month or $108/year
