start from now
Jonathon proclaimed that Jonathon Harbeck is Fake, but I have a bit of a hard time believing that while drafting this reply to his post. That aside, his homepage bio, "Let's discover and realize our potential", is a good segue to what piqued my interest in his post:
Here's the bloody scab. I didn't build anything significant in the last ten years. No record of writing or ideas I can share with others or my grandkids or anyone. I didn't make anything worth saving. I didn't contribute anything of note, or any conversations worth having.
Here's Quote Investigator's earliest strong match for the quote that instantly came to mind upon having read the above:
“Someone remarked,” White said, “that the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, and the second best time to plant a tree is now. That’s how it is with us.”
What's stopping you from recording things worth sharing with someone or anyone right this moment? Even when you're busy binging blog posts or otherwise, you can take a few seconds to offload lingering thoughts from your head onto a piece of paper or your electronic device of choice. Does the question of whether your expression is worth saving have to even enter the picture? If so, making things can be worth saving without you thinking that they are worth saving. I would argue that this post, inspired by Jonathon's own, is an example of that. Who knows what his, my own, or others' online sentiments contributed to? How many conversations have arisen from all that?
I'll also say that having grandchildren is a blessing that many people on this Earth didn't nor won't get to enjoy, let alone knowing that they had grandchildren in the first place. I view being there for them as a grandparent or just having played a role in bringing them into existence is building something significant in itself. And still, there can be so much more love that old souls - alive or thriving - can give them or frankly anyone else.
In fact, stepping out of the digital world for a moment, many of my memories are with people that don't want to associate with me anymore. As a result, when I look back on my life, and what I've done everything just feels -- so temporary. Like I've been on a road trip where none of the stops actually end with any kind of satisfying conclusion. Just a few blurry photographs and a warm can of coke.
As unfortunate as your situation is, it doesn't seem like your road trip of life has ended quite yet. This makes me wonder what kind of beautiful memories there are to look forward to making in your life from here on out. What wonderful people could you stumble upon in your world? What sharp photographs could you snap of the people and places around you? What ice-cold cans of coke could you savor?