A Legacy - One Note At A Time

I'll be the first to admit that I can get caught up in the "day-to-day" as much as anyone. Suddenly, you turn around and look at the calendar and :::poof::: another week (or month - insert appropriate time factor here) has gone by without a trace. Or at least it seems like it's without a trace.

When I was a child, I can remember always thinking that it was such a long time to wait until my birthday ... or Christmas ... or any other day of note. You know how it is as a kid - time seems to plod along. It seems like forever for the summer to start. School seems to drag on forever. My birthday could never get here fast enough (note to self - my oh my how THAT perspective has changed!). I can always remember my mother telling me that I should enjoy it now because as I got older, the time would seem like it was just flying by me.

Of course, as a child, what an adult says doesn't necessarily have a lot of credibility or relevance. And, worse yet, if it's your parents telling you that, then how much can it be believed or trusted, right? It's your parents!! What do they know?!

Apparently, a lot. Now I understand exactly what she was saying.

It seems like yesterday that I moved to Austin. It's now been almost 17 years. A few moments ago, I was doing an Ironman ... oh, right, that was two years ago. Was it last week that I played that gig at Joe's Generic with Third Degree? Nope, that was in 1991.

When I stop and think about it, I realize that I have spent all this time just living my life. In living color. Now there have been a few periods of varying shades of gray - though they've been short-lived. But hey, gray is a color too, isn't it? It must be because I seem to see more of it in my hair these days - so I know that it really does exist.

Some days go better than others. And some have more vivid colors. But there also needs to be an appreciation for the grays ... and the monochromatic hues that do make an appearance in our lives. All in all though, it's been pretty colorful.

This past week has found me thinking much more about Rhubarb Diaries - what it means to me, what it is right now and what it will grow to be. It's been a way to share my living colors with the world, share my experiences, expand my horizons, speak from the heart, and explore what it's like to truly be alive. In some respects, it is my way of contributing my own perspective on the world, and perhaps even attempting to make the world a better place.

It's also been a means of allowing me to understand myself. As Leonardo da Vinci noted, "the noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding". It's no small wonder that I continue to be amazed by Leonardo's notebooks and the astute observations contained within. They are the epitome of the Renaissance, with science and art merging into one. In many ways, Rhubarb Diaries has become my own personal "da Vinci-esque" notebook - with the aid of digital technology (though I admittedly prefer a Moleskin notebook and pencil). I'll write more on that some other time.

I'm fortunate in that I have been able to create in many different media over the years. Many of you may not realize, but there are many hours of video from my trip to Lake Placid that will become some form of documentary. Yes, a video documentary - or at least that was the original plan. Or I may just make it a multimedia DVD - with video, music that I've written (as a Ry Cooder-ish soundtrack), some of the 250+ poems in my files, and photos that I have taken to add flair to the flick. Somewhere along the line, "Rhubarb Diaries" will be a living, breathing entity of it's own. Maybe it already has - it certainly seems that way to me. I may just have to spend the rest of my colorful existence documenting all of it - and that could be a project unto itself requiring, well, another lifetime.

As I grow older, I realize that I have a unique voice - as we all do. Everyone has a unique story to tell. Some will tell their tale - and share it with the world. Unfortunately, many won't. I find that sad simply because each and every story IS so unique. Everyone lives an adventure - hopefully we will all realize it as we're riding the rollercoaster they call "life".

When I ponder it even further, I realize that we are all artists. Much like Leonardo, we are just painting our pictures - with beautiful colors on a broad canvas. I am blessed to have the desire to be creative. His artwork and his notebooks were just part of his legacy, and I am but one more person creating some kind of legacy - my legacy in rhubarb - one note at a time.