Have you ever desired a glimpse of what your world would be like after you’re gone?
I know, maudlin, or perhaps cliché given the time of year and the popularity of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. However, I ask because I’ve been reflecting on an old experience of mine which gave me somewhat of a glimpse of that kind.
Years ago, I worked on a play called “Mother’s Day. The show involves the evolving relationship between a mother and her daughter. It’s a beautifully funny and tragic journey.
Yet the story includes the unseen presence of a brother who passed many years before the play begins. For the privacy of those involved in a sensitive situation, I won’t go into detail. Suffice to say the picture of the brother which served as a prop on the set had to be changed out on short notice. As I was about the right age, the director asked me if they could use a picture of me as a substitute.
Not thinking anything of the request, I agreed.
One wouldn’t believe agreeing to such a request would carry much weight, but it turns out the experience affected me a bit. Seeing a group of fellow actors gesturing to a picture of me and talking about the person in it being dead was… well, strange to put things mildly.
The brother’s character wasn’t much similar to me as I recall. Still, it got me to thinking for the first time what the world would be like for the people I leave behind when I’m gone.
Not in an, “Oh my gosh I’ve realized my mortality what does it all mean!” kind of way. Not negatively or sadly. I just got curious and started speculating. I remember this aspect of the play, making me feel two things.
One, I hoped my people would be happier than the characters after I passed.
And two, it was nice to see the life of that character had impacted people after his passing.
I suppose that’s all any of us can hope for in the end.
But I digress a smidge. We’re talking about glimpses, not mortality.
I found the experience enlightening as to my direction in life. Even though it wasn’t me, a glimpse into a possible future without “me” proved a useful intellectual and emotional tool. A single night of contemplation which yielded some long-reaching results.
The power of a glimpse is not something to be underestimated. Sometimes a glimpse of what could be is all we need to change what we are and who we want to be. Sometimes a glimpse confirms we’re on the right path. Still other times, a glimpse shows questions needing answering and a journey to be taken.
Bear in mind, a glimpse need not be of a world without the onlooker. A glimpse can take many forms. This time of year, with family celebrations awakening our desires for life and New Year’s right around the corner, we should all seize upon the glimpses we’re given. Use them as the opportunity they are, and you might just learn something you need to know about yourself.
