Legacy

Ok so I know last nights post was pretty lame, sorry about that. Sometimes we just don't have it in us to give 100%. I know maybe that sounds bad, I mean shouldn't we give 100% everytime? If you're going to go through the trouble of doing something shouldn't you give it all you have? Maybe I'll think about those words from now on before I post.

Ok so last night I mentioned that I did have a few hot topics I wanted to discuss, so I'll get into at least one of those today.

The other day in discussions with a couple of friends the word legacy came up. Someone had mentioned the "Legacy" that our friend left behind in his passing last week. It made me think about that word and what it means.
What is it to leave a legacy? I think sometimes when we hear this word we think of rich or famous people, and we associate it with money or power. But does it have to just be famous people, and does it have to be money. Does it have to be something tangible?  What type of legacy can we common people leave, and is that how my legacy will be defined, by wheather or not I left money or gifts? 

The word alone, according to Webster's Dictionary is "a gift by will especially of money or other personal property", or "something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor from the past". Almost makes you think it has to be something that someone can hold or touch huh?

However in speaking with my friends regarding our friends passing, I don't believe this is the case. I'll be honest here, I was not extreamly close to our friend like some others in the discussion. But I can see his legacy is that of a man who built relationships with many different people. He was a firefighter, a father, a husband, a Christian, a co-worker, a friend and a son. I'm sure he had more "titles", but you get the point. He was not of great wealth or fame. But yet he was a man who seemed to generally care about people. At his wake I ran into a guy that I work with. We exchanged pleasentries and moved on. The next day at work I asked him how he was connected to our friend. He said he didn't know him at all, but his daughter knew the family and talked about him and she enjoyed the families company. You see he left a different kind of legacy. His legacy will be remembered as a common man who took the time for others.

In our discussion my friends and I talked about slowing down, and taking time. Taking time in life. So often we get caught up in our everyday lives that we forget how to live. We forget to enjoy the little things, or we forget people. We don't focus on one person or thing at a time. We are a society of multi-taskers. I know, I'm sure we all wish we had more time, but the truth of the matter is we all have the same amount of time, it's just what you do with that time that matters.
Once upon a time Mr. Rogers, yes The Mr. Rogers was conducting an interview and the reporter asked him "who was the most important person in the world to him". Mr Rogers responded by simply saying "right now you are, because I'm talking to you". I heard this and it made me think.

So today and everyday as time ticks away and we get busy with every day life, try to slow down, give 100 percent and make whoever you are talking to the most important person in the world, even for just a minute. You just might find yourself building a legacy.

J-Tony