Thanks! It's definitely a form of clinging to life; we have this desire to be immortal, but I find it freeing to consider how insignificant even the largest enduring legacies are in the big scheme of things.
Late to the party on this one. This post reminds me of an apocryphal story (perhaps) in the back of some kind of "woo-woo" type magazine outside a therapist's office 25+ years ago. It written by someone who was a Congressional aid of some kind in DC; they were charged with visiting all these Senators to try to get them to vote in some kind of way, and it wasn't going well. There was this very lovely elevator operator, who everyone adored for her friendliness. As the aid and the Congressman got into the elevator, the Congressman dropped his pen; the elevator woman picked it up and handed it to him. Surprisingly, the vote went the aid's way (or their Senator's) after all. Her simple act humanized the situation and convinced the Congressman to change his vote. A true story? Who knows! But the point was that you never know what impact your small acts may have. This freed me from the pressure I felt from all sides "to make a difference". My "everyday" efforts to be helpful, do the "right thing", live with integrity, etc. will have an impact I'll never know but could make a big difference after all!
That's a lovely story — and whether or not it's true, it's a good reminder that there are so many stories like that in each of our lives. It's a reminder we need, because it's hard to escape our society's pressure to make a big, splashy impact. Thanks for reading and for sharing that!
Just a quick comment...thanks once again for providing some thoughtful words, and at a time when I'm considering a lot of the same issues. I'll come back to this more once I've dug out of the Buffalo snow storm in order to get to my PT, so that I can remain relatively strong and independent. Thanks, Rosana
Some of us might just leave a legacy of unpaid bills! 😂
LOL!
One of the very best Flower Child posts, in my "lean legacy" estimation! A few quotes I like on the subject:
"Legacy is a stupid thing! I don't want a legacy." -- Bill Gates
"It's what kind of human being you're going to choose to be from your mama's womb to the tomb..." -- Cornel West
"Those who cling to death, live. Those who cling to life, die." -- John Wick in conversation with his friend and nemesis Caine.
I like the John Wick quote because "legacy" seems to be a form of clinging to life.
Thanks! It's definitely a form of clinging to life; we have this desire to be immortal, but I find it freeing to consider how insignificant even the largest enduring legacies are in the big scheme of things.
Late to the party on this one. This post reminds me of an apocryphal story (perhaps) in the back of some kind of "woo-woo" type magazine outside a therapist's office 25+ years ago. It written by someone who was a Congressional aid of some kind in DC; they were charged with visiting all these Senators to try to get them to vote in some kind of way, and it wasn't going well. There was this very lovely elevator operator, who everyone adored for her friendliness. As the aid and the Congressman got into the elevator, the Congressman dropped his pen; the elevator woman picked it up and handed it to him. Surprisingly, the vote went the aid's way (or their Senator's) after all. Her simple act humanized the situation and convinced the Congressman to change his vote. A true story? Who knows! But the point was that you never know what impact your small acts may have. This freed me from the pressure I felt from all sides "to make a difference". My "everyday" efforts to be helpful, do the "right thing", live with integrity, etc. will have an impact I'll never know but could make a big difference after all!
That's a lovely story — and whether or not it's true, it's a good reminder that there are so many stories like that in each of our lives. It's a reminder we need, because it's hard to escape our society's pressure to make a big, splashy impact. Thanks for reading and for sharing that!
Great Flower Child post! Wait, you’re leaving a wonderful legacy right here!
Funny, I hadn't quite thought of it that way. THANK YOU!!
Cool! I can put down that 1,000-page novel I've been writing! ;-)
For sure!!
Just a quick comment...thanks once again for providing some thoughtful words, and at a time when I'm considering a lot of the same issues. I'll come back to this more once I've dug out of the Buffalo snow storm in order to get to my PT, so that I can remain relatively strong and independent. Thanks, Rosana
Thanks, Sue! And please be careful out there in that snow!