Let me tell you what I wish I’d known
When I was young and dreamed of glory
You have no control
Who lives
Who dies
Who tells your story
This week’s theme was inspired by three events from my weekend: listening to the Hamilton soundtrack for the first time, devouring When Breath Becomes Air, and watching a video of an old friend’s husband play guitar.
The common theme running between these seemingly disparate experiences: loss and legacy. Alexander Hamilton was an obsessive writer who left his mark on history (and, somewhat unexpectedly, Broadway). Paul Kalanithi was a young neurosurgeon who wrote a stunning book about facing his own mortality, which his wife finished and published to great acclaim after he tragically succumbed to lung cancer. And my friend’s husband was a music lover who quietly recorded himself singing and playing guitar—a treasure discovered on his cell phone after his sudden death on Sunday.
We can’t control who tells our story once we’re gone (fingers crossed it’s Lin Manuel-Miranda), but we can have a voice in the narrative. This week, I encourage you to write. Create. Record. Photograph. Commit. Build. Do something to document your passions, your gifts, your contributions.
This is your chance to have your say. Tell your story.