Smudges on the Sidewalk: a question of legacy

In autumn, on a barren street, leaves gather. The only visible trees from our vantage point are around the corner, over half a block away. Wherever they begin, the leaves are blown across the highway that bisects our town until they come to rest on our doorstep.

Moist mornings and crisp nights plaster the leaves onto the sidewalk. 

They cling until breezes stirred by passing semi trucks unseat them, sending them spiraling in the artificial wind to collect along a nearby fence or blow onto another stretch of street. They are deciduous jetsam of mysterious origin beached on this expanse of concrete and asphalt.

One might think these passersby leave no record. We can’t tell where they come from. We don’t know where they are going. They are not recognized members of the community, so they do not matter.

Not so.

As you stroll along our sidewalk, you see images of the leaves that rested there. They are emblazoned on the concrete, neat outlines displaying each point, brown shadows of their shapes that remained when the leaf had gone.

If a leaf – a momentary will-o’-the’wisp – can leave a legible record of its passing, how much more can you and I do? We have roots. We coexist and mingle. We interact. Surely we can do better than a smudge on a sidewalk to mark our having been here.

I suggest you and I do much more, but we can at least begin as the leaves do. Mark your shape.

Who knows you?

What are your boundaries?

What brought you here?

Where do you want to go?

What moves you?

If you’re reluctant to share these things, why not ask them of somebody else? These questions begin to get beneath the surface. Social media has conditioned us to like Likes and relish affirmation. Why not trade some affirmation for conversation?

There is no guarantee that a conversation will make a difference, but consider this:

A conversation could develop or improve our empathy. Listening is not agreeing, but it's hearing. Do you like to be - and feel - heard? Similarly, learning is not condoning, but it improves understanding. Do you want to be understood?

You are not an anomaly. Other people want many of the same things you do.

We could share something of ours that meets a need. But what's the big deal about sharing?

Why share?

When I suggest sharing, I mean both material and immaterial things. But the reason why sharing is good is interesting. Let’s start at the basic level.

You are an organism. You have a lot of moving parts, both inside and outside. Arguably, you and any other person can be counted as a community. You probably live near or are an active part of an even larger community. So now there are bunches of parts.

What makes the parts work? In a machine, lubrication plays a role. In living beings, circulation does the same.

Circulatory System

In our bodies, our circulatory system moves nutrients in and waste out. But the key is that it moves. When we don't physically move, our circulatory system doesn't move as well as it might. Our hearts pump our entire lives, but they pump better in active people.

Sharing is the pump that keeps community alive. Your kind word, sound advice, small gift, practical item, or prayer may be just the "nutrient" somebody needs right now. Your non-judging listening may be the poultice that draws the poison from a difficult situation for them.

What if we inspire somebody else to share? Well then, like the leaf, you've begun to leave your mark. And it's the start of a far finer legacy. One that could continue so much longer and travel so much further than either of us can imagine.

Try it.