A Quick Thought for a New Year’s Resolution.
I was running errands with my Dad this week and we made a stop for gasoline. While the tank was filling, I found myself gazing at the funeral home across the street and thinking about how difficult it can be to lose a loved one around the holidays. I noticed that the parking lot was mostly full and wondered about the person that these visitors had come to honor.
On my drive home that evening I had some time in traffic to think about the day when I am the person lying in repose in the front of that room. The finality of it.
When I leave this world, I will be taking with me:
The “Composition of Me”:
- The memory of the thousands of relationships that form “me”
- All of my opinions and biases
- All of my worries and stress
- The memory of every movie I have seen and every book I have read
- The memories of all the great games I have seen and all of the games I have played in when I was young
- My memories of the world, voyages, business trips, vacations, and of growing up near New York City
- All of my accomplishments, licenses, promotions and titles
- The knowledge of how to do the jobs I have done in my life
Also, the “Unshared Gifts” I will take:
- All of the ideas I have yet to act on.
- All of my intentions to do good and kind things, that I have not done.
- All of the love that remains in my heart.
All of these perish when we leave this world. Gone. None of it will be backed up to the cloud or recovered.
I suppose the people who come to the funeral home can testify to the part of me that remains behind. My impact on them and the other people in my life will be all that survives.
Maybe this is a good thing to have in mind on the doorstep of a new year and decade.
I am using this little experience to influence my resolution this year:
- Less focus on the perishable “Composition of Me”.
- More focus on minimizing the “Unshared Gifts” by giving these things now:
- Showing up more for people
- Trying to listen more and to have a kind word
- Sharing adventures with others as often as possible
- Working on being a good example
- Sharing that love a little more
- Putting some of those ideas and intentions into action to maybe do some good
- We don’t get to choose when we go.
- We can choose how we use our Gifts.
- But only while we are blessed with the time to choose.
To the person who was being honored this week at that funeral home across from the gasoline station on Long Island: Thank You.
You had one more gift to give a stranger that you didn’t even know about: You made me think.
I wish for all a New Year and a Decade that is full of Peace, Good Health and Time to Share.