Time Capsule

I thought I had given up on blogging. (Facebook, I shake my fist at you, you ruiner of more than two thoughts strung together!) But I've wandered back here, briefly reading a few of my entries from years past .. and I'm amazed at how little I remember from the events I previously blogged about. (Seriously? I ran past a flattened salamander on my first race? I totally don't remember that.)

I'm enjoying having my memory jogged. And I'm starting to realize that creating this time capsule of sorts might be something I will thank myself for later in life. Because even if I don't exactly remember all those details, it is enjoyable knowing I experienced them so completely at the time.

I lost a co-worker a couple of weeks ago. Donna Patrick, Springdale's Center Director, passed away from cancer. She was 48. She lived life fully, and she died far too young. In addition to the multitude of friends, family and co-workers who adored her, she has left behind a legacy at Job Corps that is remarkable.

I dream sometimes about what my legacy could be. To be perfectly honest, I make myself sick about it - lamenting time wasted, fretting about time running out. I don't have children, so wholeheartedly investing myself in them as my legacy isn't an option, as I suspect it is for most people. And yet .. nothing has called to me. Am I merely supposed to choose, somehow, from all the worthwhile causes and people in the world? Make a list, close my eyes, point my finger at the paper and commit to where it lands?

While the options seem too limitless at times, NOT leaving a legacy doesn't seem to be one. What's the point of living if you don't do it in such a way that it leaves pleasant ripples after you're gone?

I'm under no false impression that my writing is anything that will be passed on for generations. In fact, I'm finding this current post to be more "mud bog" than "reflective lake" or "cool, refreshing stream". But it might help me reflect on my life when my time comes. It might be the mirror that shows me how much more I need to do to consider that life one well lived. It might just be a silly blog, but it might lead me to my destiny.