The Value of Our Lives

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Not long ago, I read somewhere that our lives are made up of two dates and a dash. The quote implored, "Make the dash count." But how do you know if what you are doing in life truly matters? This is a question I have struggled with nearly my whole life...this idea that my life, my mere existence was worth something, brought real value into this world. I remember as a child being told by more than one adult close to me that I was nothing, would never be anything and I carried that sense of worthlessness with me like a shield, swearing to my "little self" I would prove them wrong. While their words certainly sparked in me a sense of dogged determination, there has always been that tiny little kernel of doubt, sitting there like some shard of glass stuck in the heel of my soul.

As I sat in the chapel yesterday for my cousin Sammy's funeral, it struck me just how many lives a man (or woman) can touch, change. He did nothing grandiose, no heroic acts of greatness, no splashy headline-making feats...all he did was be himself, full of life and smiles, teasing and passion. He was a man from a rural mountain community in a little, obscure place in North Carolina...and yet the ripples of his life touched many, who will in turn touch others. And so it grows, this pack of seeds scattered among others by a man who will never be famous, living a life that won't make any history books, but clearly, undoubtedly, changed the tiny part of the world his life touched.

I have asked myself a hundred times over the past several days if I could go back and change anything about my life, what would it be? The truth is...not a damn thing. That is not to say I have always made "good choices" and I've certainly dealt with plenty of issues that were mindbogglingly difficult. But honestly, all of these things made me who I am. And every day when I step foot in a classroom, or sit down to write, the ripples of my actions go "out" into the world. I decide if I will put forth positive or negative things. I decide if I will truly live an authentic life that adds something 'better" to wherever I am, whatever I'm doing. At the end of each day, I will know if I have done well, even if nobody else is looking or judging me. And if I'm fortunate enough to see another sunrise, I get the chance to start all over again...clean, fresh, and create whatever I'm willing to create. When you think about it, it's amazing! How anyone can believe there is no magic in the world is beyond me, because the ability to do all of those things is, in and of itself, the most powerful magic possible.