“Children and art… children and art…”

Several recent events in my personal life have inspired me to do something that I‘ve been putting off for over 10 years: updating my will.

Big changes like sending my children away to college, becoming empty-nesters (or “free-birds” as my wife likes to call it), purchasing an electric vehicle, and making a major career change, are just a few things that have happened since last I updated my will. Life goes by so fast that as a meditative and deliberate person, I hadn’t really taken a moment to make sure that my legacy wishes match my personal values and priorities.

No day but today! I did an online search to find a free, easy-to-use, and trustworthy service to help me with this process. FreeWill was the best choice for me, and I switched from a will to a revocable living trust. The step-by-step process was both straightforward and meaningful. Why did I wait so long? Without this formal document, some of the people and organizations that matter most to me would have been left out!

In addition to my family, I wanted to give back and support organizations that have positively impacted me and my community. As I sat at my desk working on the trust, a line from my favorite musical, Sunday in the Park with George, kept returning to me: “Children and art… children and art….” Family and human creativity and ingenuity, side by side, shape who we are and what we leave behind. I decided to list a few categories that align with my personal values and interests: 

• Democracy & Civil Rights
• Climate & Environment
• Poverty & Hunger
• Equity & Social Justice
• Education & Opportunity
• Arts & Culture

Next, I searched for reputable national and local organizations on Candid. I’m proud to share that South Bay Musical Theatre earned a spot on my list of organizations that I would like to see continue to flourish long into the future. The arts just make better humans. I invite you to consider how the people and organizations that shaped your life might be a part of your legacy. If you’d like to explore how to include SBMT in your own plans, you can find more information here.