Something Worth Leaving Behind

I've become aware more recently of the degree of importance some place on the idea of a legacy. A legacy can take many forms, but the basic idea is that someone remember your name. This can be achieved through family, though financial bequests, through politics or through good works. There are many ways to have our names immortalizes through future generations and we are all seeking one of them.

I'm not sure if keeping a blog is not in some ways seeking my own claim to immortality. As the chances of my publishing a book are currently slim, this is a way for my words and my thoughts to be read and enjoyed by others. My music can only be heard by so many people before disappearing but my words have a staying power my notes never will.

I have a friend who loves to ask questions when he meets someone. When we were getting to know each other we would spend hours simply asking and answering questions. One of our questions was what is the one thing you want to do before you die? His answer was that he wants to make a difference in the world. My reply was nothing. There are a great deal of things I would like to do before I die. I want to get married, have children and grow old with the man I love. I want to see the world and live by the sea. The one thing I know I have already done and will simply continue to do is make a positive difference in the world.

This may seem like a high claim that most teenagers cannot make. It may even seem egotistical to say that I have made a difference. I haven't raised thousands of dollars for a good cause, or started a company while I'm still in school. There is nothing in my life that would put my name in a Fortune 500 magazine. Despite all of these things, I know I have made a difference.

I know I have made a difference because when I walk through the front door of any of my homes, people have missed me. I have loved and been loved. I have lost and I have mourned. I have made someone smile and someone laugh. If I were to disappear tomorrow, I can think of at least ten people who would miss me.

I will never paint a masterpiece, or write a lasting symphony. My words will never be hailed with those of Shakespeare or Dickens. There will be no theses written about my life, but in the past 19 years I have made a difference. There are a great deal of things I still want to do with my life and I hope I have the time and the chance to do them all. But the most important thing I've already done. I have touched another life. And that's something worth leaving behind.