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Leave Something Behind by Thea Rashad
There are some people you think will live forever. The dramatic final scene of the
80’s TV movie Jesus of Nazareth always made me think of my God-fearing great
grandmother. The narrator’s deep voice would declare, “ and whosever believeth
in Him shall live forever,” as Christ ascends into a billowing cloud, promising
everlasting life. Thankfully, my great granny has yet to prove me wrong. She’s
well into her nineties and still praising the Lord.
But, the first time I saw Michael Jackson moonwalk, he skyrocketed into an
immortal orbit minus pre-produced theatrics, forever etched in my eight-year-old
brain as a Pop God, a supernova of youthful exuberance, cool and bad ass
dance moves. I wanted to be like that. We all should want to be like that—not
necessarily the celebrity— but the sense of purpose, the tiny seed that
blossoms into worldwide impact or even impact that goes no farther than our
backyard. We should leave something behind.
Micheal Jackson did. So did Farrah Fawcett. The blond bombshell left behind an
amazing gift to humanity, a documentary where her Colgate smile, famous locks
and gorgeous gams were no comparison to her courage, perseverance and
grace in the face of a rare form of cancer that no doubt inspired a host of
tasteless jokes.
A Charlie’s Angel with anal cancer couldn’t have been an easy burden to bear.
Yet Farrah’s Story, the late star’s documentary, takes us beyond the
compassionate cheerleading we’re all guilty of offering cancer patients. Her story
reminds us that death is easy, survival is the real battle and finding meaning in
the suffering is perhaps the greatest challenge. Yet through every failed
experimental treatment, she possessed unwavering faith, a fierce love of life, and
a determination to matter long after her star had dimmed.
Much will be said about these two icons—both good and bad—in the weeks,
months and years ahead. Their destinies were written in the heavens long
before they would get there. Despite how you feel about either of them, what
will they say about you? Unless you’re Elvis, no one will care about where you
lived. Even if you drive a Maybach, chances are you won’t be buried in it. And
unless you’re a dead president, your name probably won’t make it in a history
book.
But, if we invest in people just as our 401K, we might leave this earth as more
than “Garagers.” That’s what a good friend of mine calls those folks who roll out
of their garage in the morning, clock in, clock out at work and roll back into their
garage at the end of the day never to be heard from again. It’s one notch above
sleepwalking.
Hopefully, you’re sowing seeds that someone other than yourself will reap.
Maybe your fruit is a son or daughter. But, it could also be an abandoned child,
a high school dropout, a co-worker in crisis, a community in need of care, art
that inspires or a cure for cancer. No matter what it is, just plant it and leave it
behind.
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| " Much will be said about Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. Their destinies were written in the heavens long before they would get there. Despite how you feel about either of them, what will they say about you? " |
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| “I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as a seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.”—Dawna Markova |