The Dash

The dash. 

Linda Ellis' poem The Dash is the kind of thing often read at the end of someone's life. It is an opportunity to remember the time between the birth and death of an individual. Those two dates are usually what is carved into the granite of a headstone, but it really is the dash that is most telling.

 As you go through your life give some thought to the story that your dash will tell. Take the time to reflect on how you spend your days. Writer Annie Dillard points out quite obviously that, "How we spend our days, of course is how we spend our lives." 

For me I'm beginning to question why I have held onto the possessions I have  for so long? Why did I feel such a desire toward consumption and ownership? As I look toward the days ahead I hope to travel more lightly. I hope that the dash of my life is worth telling.