A scene in “The Frighteners” reminded me about something I read a while back. By memory I think it was in Stephen Covey’s Eighth Habit. It asked the reader to visualise something very powerful; imagine yourself sitting at your own funeral. You are about to listen to your friends and family give a summary of your life; what would you like to hear from them? Do you want them to describe you as someone who was intelligent, friendly, giving, loving, confident? In other words, what would you want your legacy to be.
In the movie, the main actress’s husband had recently died. He was at his own funeral and a man who knew him described him as someone who wasn’t the most generous and most giving person but however without doubt had a heart of gold. I always imagine myself as a ghost sitting at my own funeral, which sounds pretty terrible, but I would like to hear about the legacy I left behind or there lack of. I would like to leave behind a legacy that brings the best out of people, one that reunites people and one that gives people the energy to be generous and helpful. I know if I died today, that wouldn’t be the eulogy I would receive. So sometimes it is good to think about my death, because it helps me refocus and think about my life.