Tell us one thing you hope people say about you.
Here’s the thing about what people say about you: it’s absolutely, positively, categorically none of your business.
I mean that in the nicest way possible. But seriously—trying to control the narrative of your life in other people’s minds is like trying to herd cats while riding a unicycle. Backward. In the rain.
You could be out there volunteering at animal shelters, baking cookies for your neighbors, and complimenting strangers on their excellent shoe choices, and someone will still find a way to be offended. Maybe they’re anti-cookie. Maybe they think you were being condescending about the shoes. Maybe they just don’t like your face on Tuesdays. Who knows? The point is, you’ll never please everyone, and honestly, that’s their problem, not yours.
But if we’re being real here—and I guess that’s what blog posts are for—I do have hopes. Not expectations, mind you. Just… hopes.
I hope people say I was good to others. Not perfect. Not a saint. (Let’s be honest, saints are probably insufferable at parties.) Just genuinely kind. The kind of person who showed up when it mattered, who listened more than they talked, and who didn’t make everything about themselves. You know, the basics of not being terrible.
I hope they say I lived my purpose. Whatever that turns out to be. Maybe it’s something grand and impressive. Maybe it’s just making people laugh at inappropriate times or giving really solid advice about what to order at restaurants. Either way, I want to know I didn’t just sleepwalk through life, scrolling and complaining and waiting for the weekend.
And yeah, I hope I leave a good legacy. Not a statue-in-the-park legacy necessarily. Just the kind where people remember you fondly instead of going, “Oh right, that woman.” The kind where maybe, just maybe, you made someone’s day a little brighter or their load a little lighter.
So what do I hope people say about me? I hope they say I tried. I hope they say I cared. I hope they say I made them laugh at least once, even if it was accidentally.
But ultimately? What they actually say is none of my business.
And I’m learning to be okay with that.
