Living A Good Story

Instead of doing another post about vacation stories I decided to go in a different direction. A couple of weeks ago it was a my birthday and I spent it in Wichita. I went out with friends and it wasn't a bad time. The next day we found out that a man who was supposed to go out with us had died in a car crash on his way home for a wedding. At the same time I started reading "A Million Miles In A Thousand Years" by Donald Miller. There is a section of the book that deals with death. He said (and I am paraphrasing) that people are considered to have died young if their life was worth living, that they were someone who made a difference. I didn't try to think much about it because it can be a troubling topic to think about honestly. But it's a topic that I can't get away from while I am in Colorado. My Grandfather passed away eight years ago and I doubt there is a single member of my family that can visit that special place without thinking about all the memories with Blackie.

How do you lead a good life? I would give anything to know that when I die people say, "He led a great life. He helped people become better. He was a great friend." I couldn't or should say, I didn't always expect people to say that about me. Not all of those things anyway. It's not always easy to change the way you act or change the way people perceive you. No one will ways be 100% changed. Ask an alcoholic how hard it is to stay away from the drink. It is easy for me to think about how easy life used to be, doing whatever I wanted and not caring about how it would affect others or affect my future. But I feel like it would be a waste of a person, a waste of a good life if I didn't stop trying to be the best person I can possibly be. I read an interesting fact in Don's book. "The human body essentially recreates itself every six months. Nearly every cell of hair and skin and bone dies and another is directed to its former place. You are not who you were last November." Change is possible. In fact it's nature.

So how did that post turn from death to that last paragraph? I just hope my life ends up being as good as my Grandfather's was. He was, along with my Dad, one of the greatest men I have known. They changed lives every day. They taught kids life lessons that they will never forget. I can only hope that I am half of the man that they are/were. I don't want to think about death, other than hoping that when my time comes people will say, "He led a life full of happiness. He affected the lives of people in a positive way."