I like going on long walks through the cemetery. Specifically, a local cemetery I’ve known my whole life. As a kid, I would ride my bike through it as a shortcut through town. I didn't think much of it then. It was just a path on the way to my destination.
Walking through it now, I recognize almost every last name on the headstones, but nearly none of the first names.
These walks remind me of the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death. Death is our ultimate destination. Good, evil, happy, or sad; we all end up in the same place. The difference is the path we take to get there.
One hundred years from now, young children will still ride their bikes through this cemetery. To me, it doesn't matter if they recognize the name on my headstone. What matters is that when I breathe my last breath, I know that I'm happy with the path I’ve taken.
