So I’ve been thinking about Legacy recently…It has been on my mind and heart…where to start?
Even when I think that I know what a word means, I still like to verify it to calibrate and make sure that I am looking through the correct lens. These days, my new bestie is ChatGPT. So, I checked out the meaning of Legacy.
“Something that is handed down from the past”
Legacy was divided into:
–personal (impact, reputation, values, accomplishments)
–inheritance (money, property or possessions left after death)
–cultural or historical (traditions, ideas, achievements passed down through generations)
–technology (outdated but still in use)
I have no technology to pass down so no need to reflect on that. I’m still here, so inheritance is also a moot point. Personal, cultural and historical…now these are areas that I can relate to now.
I’d like to think that I tried my best with what I knew at a given time. That doesn’t mean that I always got it right. On the contrary…It just means that I worked with what I had. Maybe not my best from a future, comparative point of view but my best at a particular moment in the past, with the skills, experience and knowledge that I had at that time.
When we grow we are capable of more…we can reflect on what we would do differently, if faced with a similar situation. But, we can’t go back in time and undo the past…we can only take accountability (hopefully) and vow to do better going forward, with greater skills, experience and knowledge.
So, coming back to Legacy, personally, my legacy goes to my child. Anyone beyond that is a bonus. What I thought, what I did, what I hoped for…these posts are a record of that for him. Sometimes, I try to imagine what my own parents and grandparents would think, say or do about a situation but I can only speculate. I can’t be certain. And that leaves a wistfulness within me…I want to reduce that speculation for my son so that he can learn from my successes, mistakes and points of view. Hopefully, he won’t have to ask himself “what would my mom think, do or say?” That’s the inheritance that I’d like to leave.
What about you? What’s your legacy? And, for whom?
PS This collage has evident and more subtle references that are part of legacy. None of it is random. If you’d like to know more about the specific elements drop me a comment.
PSS Check out more art journaling reflections in my book Diary of a Curly Top, Reflections Through Art at
Through My Mind's Eye 