Thoughts on Legacy

"If tonight was your last night on Earth, what would you do?" 

This question kept sneaking into my mind during work and Church today and I thought to myself, "HEY! Take a break from editing that novel of yours and write a post about this!"

So I started writing. 

During my little brainstorm of how to address this topic,  a parade of similar questions came to mind:

• If I kicked the bucket, what would I be remembered for?

• Would it be good, bad or indifferent?

• Who would mourn my passing and who would celebrate?

• Would people actually come to my funeral?

• Ten years after my death, would I still be remembered? 

And as I let these questions bubble inside, I realized that the if I died right now, I wouldn't have much to applaud about; my legacy, so to speak, isn't very grand. 

I feel as though I have lived a life of adequate importance. There were moments where I felt like I've been instrumental in helping individuals and there were times when I definitely obstructed the progression of others. Some opportunities that were given to me I squandered; others I never received, though I certainly felt entitled to them. So if the good Lord decided it was time for me to return home, I hope and pray that He's as infinitely merciful as Christianity makes Him out to be and, like Santa Claus, He overlooks my shortcomings and still gives me great presents. 

But, despite all of that, I have to remind myself that I am HUMAN! By definition: a mortal and finite body of flesh and bones that, by some miraculous event of creation (whether you believe it to be science-based or by the Grace of God) has gained life and can breathe and walk around and think on its own. 

That's pretty amazing! 

But the greatest thing about being human: there is only one of me. In all the 7 billion current inhabitants of Planet Earth and the innumerable ones of the past, there is only ONE person that looks, acts, and feels the same way I feel and there will never be another "me" after I'm gone. 

So if I never publish a book, or record an award-winning song, or go back to college, or have a family, I still have the legacy of being the only Michael Tracy Armstrong in the universe. It may not be a Guinness World Record or a honorable mention in a history or text book, but it's good enough for me and certainly makes my life feel worth it. 

So the next time you're feeling down on yourself, stop for a moment, close your eyes, and remind your brain that you are the only "you" there has been and will ever be. 

You are a legacy unto yourself, so make the most of it.