Of Bread and Epitaphs

Glasgow Acropolis by D Ross

How do you want to be remembered? As someone who wrote a great novel, baked a fantastic wedding cake, painted amazing sunsets, was an incredible gardener, potter..? Complete the question with whatever creativity you are disposed towards.

There are some famous epitaphs, such as Spike Milligan’s  ‘I told you I was sick’. He is rightly remembered as a great comic and clearly wanted the last word.  Despite being born in India at the time of ‘empire’ and serving in the British Army, he was denied British citizenship and took the country of his Father’s birth - Ireland - as his own.  His epitaph is written on his headstone in Irish (Gaelic) and perhaps says more than might first appear.

Other famous gravestone epitaphs include Jim Morrison’s ‘Be true to your own spirit’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘cursed be he that moves my bones’ - all seem to be parting messages for those left behind, as much as remembering those who have left us.

I don’t know what I would like as my epitaph. I’m proud that I took the opportunity to make bread (and other food) for a living and always take immense joy from feeding people. I hope that will people will remember that about me with some joy.  I don’t want a gravestone, so perhaps it’s a moot point. It can be fun to think of a single phrase or sentence that sums up what you want to say about yourself or about life or to have a ‘final say’. Have a go, it can be a fun exercise.

Ultimately, I would like people to remember me for being a kind, caring, creative and loving person (wife, step-mum, daughter, friend, cousin, Godmother, Aunt) I’m not any of those qualities a lot of the time and am a few of them some of the time.  I’m trying to make it the rest of my life’s work to head in the trajectory of care, love and kindness. The creativity, I think, will take care of itself, if I’m open to it.  So, whatever you want your legacy to be, however you would like to be thought of - those are the things to be concentrating on. You have no idea how your actions will ripple across the years, across people’s lives, or how any one may think of you in the future, but what you do has an impact, whether you see it or not. Live well today - you have little control over your tomorrows.

A different sort of ‘baker to me, but still…

On my Epitaph by Leo Baker

On my Epitaph

May it read:

If you should ever

Want to meet your maker

Stand in line

'Cause ahead of you

There is - a Baker