As I get older, from time to time I find myself reflecting on my legacy. What wake will Mark David Hatwood leave behind him when he’s gone?
It’s not just what I do that gives me pause for though – I feel I do ‘my bit’ for society and community, and I try to reflect that in my work for the arts, too. It’s more about how I do it. How do I come across when doing that ‘bit’?
I do tend to be impulsive. That can have good consequences as far as reaching aims is concerned, but also negative ones. In my rush to get things done, I can overlook pleasantries from time to time and in that area, I could improve somewhat.
We can never control how others take what we say and do and I agree that trying to please people just for the sake of it is a fruitless pastime, but considering how others might feel by our tone is sometimes as important as what we’re saying.
It costs nothing to show empathy when we deliver even the harshest of truths and a little heartfelt choice of words on delivery can go a long way when we have to be brutally honest to those around us.
Like most of us, I’m sure, I’ve been on the blunt end of many a harsh word or cutting truth; enough to know a spoonful of sugar does truly make the medicine go down. So as I leave the threshold of ‘middle age’ firmly behind me, I pledge to start investing in that legacy pot. After all, it may be the only true thing of meaning I leave behind.