Thinking About Legacy

Ripples in a pond go on long after the rock has settled to the bottom of the lake. This final week asks you to consider the legacy your mission will leave and how you choose to pass it on.

Take time to imagine this now. Meditate, journal, find what works for you.

A Legacy Story

A friend shared a story about a grandfather of American folk, Pete Seeger, and a sailboat he created named the Clearwater:

Pete Seeger envisaged a sloop that would sail the Hudson River and affect awareness around the environmental degradation of that great waterway. In 1969, his vision came to reality.

On its maiden voyage, Seeger landed his sailboat in the small town of Nyack, which had once been a hub of boat traffic on the Hudson. Pete arrived to great fanfare and a large crowd waiting at the docks. He disembarked, slung a Jamaican Steel drum around his neck and led a massive crowd up the main street of Nyack. He sang folk songs, made pronouncements, engaged with the crowd as he always did, and created general enthusiasm and awareness for cleaning up the mighty Hudson.

Seeger did this over and over again in towns up and down the Hudson. He worked to get legislation passed to clean up the river, and keep it clean. He made that part of the world a little bit better.

To this day, over half a century later and with Pete Seeger almost a decade gone, the sloop still cruises the cleaner waters of the Hudson; and is still creating awareness around the environment of the River. It still teaches and inspires young folks, and carries on Seeger's mission and vision created way back in 1969.

The traits that Pete Seeger possessed to create such a wonderful and sustaining legacy were vision, leadership, teamwork, and patience.

One might imagine his soul truly rests in peace, knowing that his work continues — and that it is safely held in the hands of those who continue to see his vision even though he has faded from this world.