It’s in the details

I’m always inspired by old buildings like this one from Old Mission Santa Barbara. It’s an amazing spot for a number of reasons but one detail especially caught my eye.  There is a flower accent that appears about twenty feet off the ground, and I love it, but probably not for the reasons you’d expect.

I imagine these craftsmen working for the Franciscans laying brick after brick and reaching this point in their construction.  They’ve been working long and hard and are proud of their progress. Now they have two options:

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  • They could decide that they’re nearly there; that they should power through and just get the job done.
  • Or they could do something greater. They could decide that they’ve put so much of themselves into this – that they should make this really special.

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And that’s what they did. They decided to use these amazing succulents as inspiration and embedded them in custom carved stone. They took that rare chance to really make their mark.

The thing about these craftsmen is that they KNEW this was their life’s work.  This would be their legacy – and that made all the difference.  So much of what we have to do today is about getting through. Maybe it’s just me, but I think a lot of people would identify with the sense that everything feels so temporary these days.

It’s something I’ve been struggling with recently with the web development work that we do.  It will never be a lasting legacy because at it’s core it should constantly be evolving. Where does that fulfillment of leaving a legacy come from?

We all need to find a way to see our legacy. It’s not the same for any two people, so for now I’m putting it out there for you to find yours.

**Team effort on this post – Thanks for taking my thoughts and making them thoughtful Burton – you’re the best**