Time Waits for No One

 I've been thinking a lot about getting older and being closer to the end of the journey than the beginning. My husband is 11 years older than me and I think about what he must be pondering. Time seems to have passed so quickly. 

I just read an article on the Geo-Punk Project, What kind of ancestor do you want to become? I never considered that I will, someday, be someone's ancestor. Will they know who I am? What did I leave in my wake? What will my legacy be?

I have no children I birthed. I don't know if my step-children will consider me in their family legacy. I hope so. But what is it that I want to be remembered for? 

I've spent some time thinking about this. I want to be remembered as someone who cared. My family and the people around me matter. I hope that throughout my life I've demonstrated that. But I also want to be someone who allows myself to have my own thoughts and values and doesn't allow others to devalue or shame those ideals. I want to set the example for my children and grand-children and great-grandchildren, that it's not only OK to stand up for yourself, it's sometimes necessary. But I also want to be the example of how to disagree with respect. 

I hope that my legacy reflects value in our earth, in the natural world that surrounds us and supports us. I want to be a person that looks out for the environment even when it's inconvenient or difficult. Our world matters. We will disappear without it. 

Now that I know what I want to be remembered by, I need to reflect on my words and my actions every day. When I lay my head on my pillow each night, I need to ponder - did I reflect a positive attitude toward life in general? Was I gentle and kind? Did I look at the silver lining before I allowed a situation to bury me? I'm sure there will be nights I say, no. I didn't quite make the cut today. 

But tomorrow is a new day. Treasure it. We only have so many tomorrows to paint our legacy.