Legacy

You all know my tendency to be grumpy because of the weather. It’s been showing up frequently in my writing over the past few months - we’ve had a lot of rain and gray skies. Sometimes I ask myself how I’m going to cope when things go apocalyptic climate-wise in thirty or forty years. 

Hopefully, I’ll be a healthy and very wise eighty something year old and will have learned by then how to move beyond “It’s gray and dreary out; I feel gray and dreary.” Hopefully, I’ll be a kick ass problem-solver by then with foraging skills and my family nearby.

Over the weekend I was reading about a couple of climate reports that recently came out, one from the UN and one from the U.S. Global Change Research Program. From what they describe, it is anything but good news. We have a climate disaster train barreling down the tracks toward us.

It feels unfair to be leaving this of all legacies to my children. We knew about these concerns thirty years ago when I was my daughter’s age. And yet, the small strides we have made have not been enough. Now, it seems we are taking a few steps back.

I can sense my anxiety level starting to rise as I think about it.

So, what are my choices here? I could go climb back into bed and stay there until I conveniently forget about this dire state of affairs. I could numb out online. I could start stocking jugs of water in the basement. I could go sign up for shooting lessons (they must do that somewhere?).

None of those seem like the best bet for my mental health, though. They all push me out of the present moment. Instead, I’m going to spend five minutes writing a list of five things I can do around the house to cut down on waste. I’ve already thought of three.

And then I’ll sit down for my meditation practice which I’ve skipped the past few days.

I write that and part of me squirms - it sounds so self-indulgent. And yet, the reality is that I will be a better human being - kinder, more authentic and more patient - if I take care of myself in this way.

Plus, if I keep it up for the next thirty years, I just might be a kick-ass matriarch in a time of crisis.

And if we’ve managed to avert climate crisis by then, I’ll still get to be a kick-ass matriarch.

That’s the kind of legacy I would be proud of.


What is your relationship with self-care? What is one thing you might do today to take care of yourself?

​

Jessica Curtis is a professional coach who helps people cultivate intention and live from a place of meaning and authenticity. If you think you could benefit from working with Jessica or want to invite her to work with your group, reach out to start a conversation.
​

Sign-up to receive my newsletter and blog to your Inbox:

Subscribe