Our Legacy Matters
I’ve been thinking over the last few years about legacies. While many of us ponder our legacy as we get older, the idea became a good bit more meaningful a few years back when I was diagnosed with leukemia.
Few things focus the mind and prioritize what’s important, like the distinct possibility you may not be here much longer. More fortunate than many, I’m still here, but the concept hasn’t been far from my mind ever since.
I’ve come to conclude that thinking about my legacy as the sum of my life when I gone is not all that useful. What seems more important is recognizing that my legacy is something I create – for better or worse – each and every day, with every interaction and deed. Whether it’s how friendly I am to the clerk in the grocery store or how I approach conflict, give my time, listen and learn, or what I choose to buy. Everything I do, in one way or another, influences the daily lives of those around me. This isn’t a particularly ground-breaking thought of course – just one that helps keep me focused on what matters most.
One of the best things about having been sick is that my children have had the opportunity to experience first-hand countless acts of kindness from friends, family, and even people we didn’t know. Blood drives, fundraisers, donations, food collections, and many other small acts of kindness have all been important elements in our lives in the last few years. This incredible legacy, by so many, has profoundly shaped the way my children (and my wife and I) view the world. It has also inspired us to give more of ourselves at every opportunity.
Consider also the example of a fellow patient in Hershey. This guy was facing long odds in his own battle with cancer. Yet every single day he would come to the infusion room with a smile, jokes, and the unwavering intention of making everyone in the room as happy as possible. It was contagious, and he knew it, and it lightened the burden of everyone in the room – patients, doctors, and nurses alike.
While I can’t always live up to his example, I’ve never been the same since. To this day, I place a far greater importance on staying as positive and happy as possible – regardless of whether it’s enduring self-righteousness at a public meeting, ignoring inconsiderate drivers or staying upbeat through yet another trip to the hospital. My cheerful friend didn’t survive, but his legacy most surely does in both my thoughts and actions.
Our daily legacy is one of the few things we uniquely build, and it’s one of the rare elements in life that we can control. The more I pay attention to this, and do my best to build on the positive legacies of so many others, living and passed, the more intentionally I stay connected to what really matters. I believe legacy matters - in every aspect and interaction of my daily life.
Comments
Nancy Norris
Orrington, Maineq
Feb 27, 2010
Very well written, Walt. Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom and insight with us all. It’s so easy to get caught up in our daily lives that we fail to see what does really matter in life. Thank you.
Nancy
cathy yohn
Lewistown, PA
Mar 01, 2010
Walt:
Thanks so much for sharing. I believe someday people will look back on the legacy that YOU left behind. I also believe you’re children will learn from this experience and that you’ve instilled good values in them.
Thanks again for sharing,
cathy
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