What Will Your Legacy Be?

The majority of us probably don't think of it.  We are just regular people leading regular lives.  Legacies are for Presidents; for royalty; for celebrities.  Maybe that's true on a grand scale, but we all leave a legacy.

Of course I am not talking about a monetary legacy; I refer to the 2nd definition of the word (as found in the Merriam-Webster on line dictionary):   something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.

We ALL have something to give and share.  It doesn't have to be grandiose.  Quite often simple is even more memorable.

Do we worry about how we will be remembered?  We might say we don't, but honestly, don't we all?  We worry about how people perceive us now, so of course we think about the future.

But HOW do you want to be remembered?  What DO you want your legacy to be?

We all have a choice is WHO we want to be and HOW we want to be.

I have two specific memories from my childhood of older adults.  They weren't people I interacted with on a regular basis, but 40+ years later I still remember who I perceived them to be and that is their legacy to me.

The first is a lady who worked at the doll counter at a local department store.  (Guess I'm showing my age here with that reference!)  I have no idea what her name was.  To a child of under 10, she was an old lady and the word I still associate with her is "crotchety." Why a person with that kind of "personality" would be working in an area where anxious children would be is beyond me, but...While my memories are vague, I do remember her being unpleasant.  When I purchased a very special doll (which I only recently passed on to another little girl), I know I was nervous.  I didn't want to deal with her.  She wasn't nice, but I wanted the doll.  I was happy to walk away with the doll in its gift box, but I was also happy to get away from her.  Her attitude and personality are her legacy to me.  (And probably to other children and adults as well!)

The other people were an older couple who were friends of my parents and grandparents.  (Again, I say older because they were to me at the time.  I was under 5 and although they probably were around my current age now, to me they were OLD.)  We only saw them when we went to Cape Cod for a week (or two) in the summer.  They did not have any children, but they knew how to capture a child's imagination.  My memory is a little rusty, but at the time there was a radio commercial (I believe it was for hot dogs) which featured Sheldon the ant who's tag line was "please be careful where you step this summer."   Or something along those lines.  (I tried to Google it but didn't come up with what I was looking for.)  This commercial was a "thing" on the Cape that summer and they turned Sheldon into a friend for me.  Sheldon would leave me little notes and small gifts (like some pocket change; back when pocket change MEANT something.)  Sheldon had friends who were seagulls, Charlie and Annabelle and they too became part of the story.  (I believe I still have a charm bracelet with Charlie and Annabelle charms.)  Now all of this took place over 40 years ago and although fuzzy, I still have very loving memories and remember the Connellys with love.  Their legacy to me is one of imagination, fun and love.

So again I ask, what do you want YOUR legacy to be?  It's your choice...

(Note:  If anyone from the Cape Cod or Massachusetts area remembers Sheldon and his commercials; please contact me.  Am I right about his tag line?  Was it a hot dog commercial?  There's got to be someone out there who might know/remember!)