Sunday, May 22, 2011

What You Leave Behind

Doesn't matter whether it's doomsday or just moving day--eventually, you're not going to be around anymore, and guaranteed you'll have left something behind. Between what I've been seeing in the news and what I've been preparing for in my own life, I've been thinking more and more about what I'll leave behind when it's my time to go.

I dropped by the bank on Friday to deposit some checks, and the teller remarked that she hadn't seen me in a while. Though I've never formally introduced myself, I've been going to that bank for long enough that people recognize me, and apparently notice when I've been away. I thought to myself, whenever I end up moving out of this area, I'm going to miss the people. There's always Facebook and e-mail and phone calls for keeping up with people, but I don't imagine many of us would make a road trip just to visit those friendly part-timers we got to know at Domino's or that nice dentist's assistant whose name we can never remember. I'll miss the people.

This works both ways, though--the people you leave behind will miss you, as well. This blog is more than just a creative outlet for our geek tendencies; it's a way for the people who miss me to keep tabs on my daily nonsense, and it's the closest thing that my hypothetical kids and grandkids might ever have to getting to know me as the person I am now. Whether it's the impact of my words or my words themselves, I want to share something lasting with the people I leave behind.

Of course, the act of leaving isn't always a misty-eyed experience. Some people are eager to leave things behind and move on to greener pastures. In that case, it becomes a question of how much of the place you're leaving remains with you; locations, people, and tangible goods might not be along for the ride, but memories and experiences aren't always so easy or desirable to leave behind.

And what of the people who come after you? The people who inherit your job, or move into your house, or step in as the acting parents of your children--what are you leaving behind for them?

Things to think about--that's what I'm leaving behind as I conclude this post.

2 comments:

A Philosophical Nerd said...

Will you be moving away when you get married, or are these thoughts just in the future if you ever do move away?

Also, I've been wondering, have you or Alex ever participated in the Extra Lives gamer charity drive? If you haven't heard of it, basically gamers from all over the world play video games for 24 hours straight (on a Saturday in October) to raise money for children's hospitals. I just discovered it and pre-registered for it, but two of the games I'l be playing will probably be Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10, as well as probably the two Portal games and Rock Band 3.

Flashman85 said...

Alex would probably do a marathon of staying AWAY from video games for 24 hours. If I knew exactly what I'd be doing then, I might sign up, but difficult to see, the future is. I'd probably do another Mega Man marathon, adding in MM&B, the Game Boy games, and then MM9-10 Endless Attack and Special Stages as buffer stuff.

As for moving...there's already some planning being done. More word on that eventually.