How Do You Want to Be Remembered When You Die?

What inscription will be on your tombstone?

Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash

Sounds terribly gloomy, doesn’t it? And, yeah, most of us will probably choose cremation, but that’s beside the point.

The fact is, if you figure out how to make your ride to the finish as enjoyable as possible, free from drama, doubt, worry and fear, the answer to how you want people to remember you will be easy.

While you’re pondering that, let me tell you a story.

A fabulous musician, who co-founded with Eric Clapton the 70s rock band Derek and the Dominoes, died recently. Bobby Whitlock, co-writer of six songs on the Layla album, played keyboards and harmonized with Eric, doing a call-and-response style of R&B singing made famous by the soul duo Sam and Dave.

For many years, Bobby lived in Austin, Texas, and in 2016, I caught one of his regular shows at the Saxon Pub, one of Austin’s iconic live music venues. Before the show kicked off, he walked through the audience of fewer than 50 people, saying hello, shaking hands and laughing with almost everyone, me included. Presumptuous rock star? Quite the opposite.

After the show, I approached him as he was breaking down the set and told him how much I enjoyed the show and appreciated the on-stage chemistry between him…