What Would They Say If You Left Here Today?

Stop. Take a look around you. Breathe it all in. Reflect on the meaning of it.

I think there are times when we don’t do enough of this. It is easy to get distracted by the plethora of “critical” daily issues we face as time just ticks away on us.

Then there are those moments that we all share when we stop and wonder about our place in the cosmos. It will oftentimes creep up on us when we are faced with an event like a birth, a wedding, a graduation, or a death. It could be something that causes us to take stock of our lives, our family, our friends, or our journey. It might even provoke us to ponder our existence or the very essence of our meaning. It might shake the very foundations upon which we build – or have built.

Imagine you only had one day left on the planet – today. What would you do? And if you were writing your own eulogy for tomorrow, how would you want to be remembered? What would they say if you left here today?

I know that as I get older, my own mortality stares me down at times, forcing a good solid dose of humility upon me. There are definitely times when life rears up and reminds me to pay attention to what is truly important, and to not get lost in the minutiae of the moment. Life is fragile. Don’t ever forget it, right?

It may sound a little odd, but writing your own eulogy – even just pondering the existence of it – does bring you back to what is truly important in life. What would be your legacy, the crowning glory of your existence, your contribution to the vast timeline that is history? How would you want people to remember you – as a friend, a family member, a professional, or just a person that is trying to put something positive into the world?

If you left here today, the job would still somehow survive without you. The work would still be there. The to-do list would probably find a way to survive as well. But what would the effect be on those important people around you? And if they are so important, why do we get lost in work and distractions? Why don’t we all put what is truly important front-and-center on a daily basis and try to stay cognizant of living in the present?

It is one of the great ironies of all time. Simply “being” – existing as the best “me” that I know how to be – can be the most challenging and daunting task we are faced with during our time on the planet.

In the wake of Steve Jobs’ passing, his sister Mona Simpson gave an eloquent eulogy. Of course, if you are John Cleese giving a eulogy for Graham Chapman, it might sound a little different.

Or, to quote the Tragically Hip …

“Get Ry Cooder to sing my eulogy”.

Indeed.

How would you want your legacy defined? And what are you doing right now to create it?

Photo credits: Abhishek Jacob