This week, we're writing about our legacies - or how we want to be remembered when we pass.
What type of mark do we want to leave on this Earth?
When we read The Alchemist, we discussed the idea of having a Personal Legend - that our lives have an underlying purpose and meaning that is greater than our surface needs, wants, and desires. It's the idea that each of us have a special path, and when we dedicate our lives to that path, we will live the most fulfilling and joyous experience possible. Coelho writes that when we're on the path of our Personal Legends, the universe will provide. The path keeps unfolding.
Life keeps emerging in newer and brighter ways.
It took me half of a lifetime to really understand and develop - to feel out - what my Personal Legend is all about. During and after college, I struggled to identify what kind of life I wanted for myself.
But now that my Personal Legend is becoming more clear, I see that it's been present in my path all along. It's been sprinkled across all of my experiences. And when I was most aligned with my Personal Legend, I felt the most connected, effective, and satisfied with my life. That's when I experienced instant gold.
I now know that my Personal Legend revolves around community. I love the idea of creating community, bonding with people, teaching, learning, sharing, and being part of movements that aspire to help, assist, inspire, and empower people who need a lift.
And we all need a lift from time to time.
So it involves everyone. It's part of being authentic to myself and being authentic with everyone that I interact with. Empathy is one of my strongest powers. It helps me make these connections, and see/feel what people need. From there, I find it intellectually stimulating to find a solution.
I'm a natural problem solver and a natural leader.
So, when I pass... someday in the (probably) distant future, I would like my legacy to revolve around my personality. I want to be known as someone who lived true to his heart. Someone who would always lend a hand. Someone who brought people and ideas together. Some who had something meaningful to offer.
I'd like to be remembered as an artist - someone unique and unlike any other.
(My 20 something year old self just smiled.)
I've dabbled in painting, and I like to play music through various instruments. I like to write poetry and tell stories. But I'd like to be remembered not for my art... but simply for being an artist.
It's not about the product, per se, it's more about the process.
I want to be remembered as the living artist, who could find the beautify and magnificence in all people and things. The artist who could "paint" smiles and solutions with the most genuine of strokes. An artist who used the heart as his paint and life as his canvas.
I want people to remember me for making a difference in many lives. I thrive on being a mentor and a teacher. I love having heart-to-heart conversations. Again, I like creating solutions and offering perspective.
I hope that my students remember me as someone who left a positive impact on them. I'd be very proud if my legacy was supported by those that I've had the pleasure to teach. I think it's such an honor to teach and share.
For teaching, to me, is not about the content or the subject matter. We can just Google that now. It's more about the process of the student. It's about seeing people go deeper, and seeing how that content affects their lives and experiences. It's about helping people connect to the things they love, whatever that may be.
And since I've identified these strengths, powers, and interests, I've found meaningful work and other outlets and experiences where that was needed. Where I am needed.
When I tell people that my dream is to have a coffee shop (a place where I can create and support a community), they often laugh and say, "why not do that now - it's so simple."
I often reply that my dream is coming, but I am not yet there on my path. Because my Personal Legend involves many experiences along the way. There are many lives I have to interact with and touch, before I get to that place. Teaching college and working with young, disabled adults (and the communities that these positions put me in) have enabled me to keep working in line with my Personal Legend.
Because they are jobs where I feel needed.
That helps me realize I am exactly where I am supposed to be on my path.
And that's how I want to be remembered. I want to be remembered as the living artist, who taught about life and life's greatest joys, who touched many lives, as he constantly strove to improve himself and the world around him.
...as someone who stayed true to his path and his passion.
This week's poem: Write your own epitaph.
Here Lies Drew Jeglinski
who lived a life
of joy and mystery
who touched the lives
of a few and the many
A man of many words
and stories - tall tales
of love and glory
told over and over
(as if he couldn't always remember)
His dedication was profound
he loved music and sound
always hunting for the best
coffee in town
May he rest in eternal peace -
a teacher, a father, and once
an "honorary Supreme"
May he roll like a stone
in some kitsch-filled heaven
And may his words and deeds
live on
through awe and inspiration
