I don't know what kind of marks I have left behind me. I am sure I caused a few scars, due to thoughtless actions, most of which I would prefer to fix but don't know how. I also have no clue as to what kind of marks lie ahead of me.
When you think about it, people can remember you for anything. Rosa Parks is remembered for defiance in a simple way because she was tired and just wanted to sit down. The people trying to make her give up her seat? Today they are viewed as racist and also in a way, tyrannical. Hitler is seen as antisemitic and cruel. His actions are generally viewed with disdain. In every situation we encounter, a mark is made. Maybe you're the person who smiled, the person who stopped to pick up loose papers, maybe you're the person who kept walking, maybe you stayed home.
We all should stop to consider the effect we have on others, on the world. We are all a part of something much larger. We can help each other or we can hold each other back. Recently a friend shared a quote with me by Bob Moawad that I would like to now share with you:
“You can't make footprints in the sands of time if you're sitting on your butt. And who wants to make buttprints in the sands of time?”
Is it possible to know what kind of prints you will make if you don't know what or who you are? For me it is a struggle to see what I might become. Growing up I wanted to be an author. Sure, I can write a few pretty sentences, but who will pay for that? Next my dream was to be a lawyer because I loved the thought that went behind supporting my arguments and proving to others what I knew, but I could never go to more than one or two debate meetings so how could I progress? After that, I moved towards self-expression in art. I love drawing but not nearly as much as my discovered love of painting--specifically with oils. But that takes time and dedication and when you don't have the motivation, you won't go anywhere.
So now what?
So now, I go to college. I work on my Gen. Ed. even though I am not sure if it will even help me. I work at a part-time job that pays a little more than minimum-wage and save for all it's worth. I may not have a plan, and I may not know what kind of mark I am making, but I will make sure that I wasn't wasting my time sitting around waiting for someone else to tell me how to live.
The tallies or footprints or buttprints or what-have-you are in the making and there isn't anything you can do to stop them (okay obviously yes there is actually a way but please never resort to that).
What marks are you leaving behind?
