When I was invited to attend the Auburn Lives of Commitment Breakfast at Cipriani in New York last week, I marveled aloud at the centerpieces — glass bowls filled with blue marbles — and wondered about their significance. The program said there would be a “fishbowl conversation with honorees and special guests.”

Eventually, we were asked to each take a marble and hold it in our palm. It represents the Earth. Then we were told to pass it along when the time is right, as a random act of gratitude.

Check out this far-reaching concept at BlueMarbles.org.