my life is a dash

anyone here entertain themselves by strolling through cemeteries, trying to solve the histories belonging to those buried beneath your feet? yikes! am i the only one?

actually, i don’t. but, since we’re on the subject – i wanted to consider the lovely sentiments we find carved into the headstones that capture the lives of the deceased. their entire venture on this earth; their laughs, their misfortunes, their pleasures, their pains, EVERYTHING between their first and last gasps of breath, grouped together in one simple gesture called the dash:

1947-1999how insignificant a representation of all one’s trials, desires, worth,… how impersonal, how belittling!!, that a mere dash can say it all. and this same dash is used for everyone. the dates vary, the names change, but the dash stands there – a common symbol for all, stating that our travels, though diverse and uniquely intricate, really amount to no more than the guy’s in the next plot.

this really bothered me. so, i decided to investigate. webster’s dictionary says that a dash is

“n. a short, fast race” or “v. to complete, execute, or finish off hastily”

hellooo! i am a fleeting splash through the universe? get in, wipe your feet, get out, write soon! i don’t think so.

so i have decided to take it upon myself to modify that silly tradition. i am requesting a hyphen on my tombstone (it’s in my will, really!) sure, it looks the same, and many will confuse it with the dash and that’s ok. because i will know! and think about it: you’re browsing through the morning paper, your eyes reach the right-hand side of the column of type. do you stop? no, we read on, because the hyphen says, “hey folks, there’s more to come! the line has stopped, but the idea continues… stay tuned.” just because we will no longer walk this earth, does not mean our walk is over.

or perhaps i can use a minus sign. a minus prepares us to subtract one thing from another. or put another way: it makes a difference. picture it: a tombstone… the date of birth, the date of death, and in between… a life that made a difference. that’s how i’d like to be remembered. “yea, i remember her. she made a difference.”

and, you know, it all looks the same written on that stone anyway. a dash is a hyphen is a minus. it’s all how you choose to look at it.

so, what’s it gonna be? want to sum up your life’s events into a dash – a brief flash through a vast and timeless galaxy? or do you want to make a difference? and continue on to answer for that difference? because i’ll tell you what, friends, we WILL continue on (even if you settle for the dash). and we WILL answer for the difference (or lack thereof, if that be the case).

besides, i think God sees that short, linear symbol as a scar. a remnant of our trials and tribs, marking us wounded, but ultimately triumphant.

sound good? walk on.

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