the dash

I once heard it said that on a person's tombstone what matters most is not the date of birth, nor the date of death, but what is represented by the dash that connects the two dates. This "dash" represents everything we are. All we hold dear, all we stand for- or don't stand for. Our attitudes, beliefs, likes and dislikes, are all encapsulated by this tiny dash that represents our life. One life we have. We have no chance to rewind, re-do, or justify. After I am gone, few people will remember my funeral, and far fewer will remember or even care about my birth. So I suppose it may be somewhat necessary to place these two dates on my gravestone to remind, whoever cares, of these two significant events. However I am far more concerned with what remains unwritten. I am most concerned about the tiny line between those two dates- how I lived my life. This is a somewhat random thought, but a good one nonetheless.