Ted Kennedy was a man who had two brothers assasinated, was in a plane crash that killed a pilot, and was also of course at the center of the Chappaquiddick story.  He had every reason in the world to become jaded and cynical about the world of power and men.  And yet he held onto his beliefs (whether one agrees with them or not) and fought for them throughout his life.   He wore the scarlet letter of Chappaquiddick that kept him out of the presidency, but rather than begrudge the limitations that episode put on his aspirations, he instead let it guide him to use hs senate seat as few others have ever done.

The legacy of Teddy is not a democrat or a Kennedy, it is of a man who repeatedly had his heart crushed by personal tragedy and still believed in fighting for the good of the American people right up to and even after his death!

ted-kennedyThat’s right.  Even in the last couple weeks before his passing Ted Kennedy was working to have rules changed so that his vacant senate seat could be filled as quickly as possible after his death.   Under current rules, the governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, must wait at least 145 days to appoint Ted Kennedy’s successor in the senate. This final effort speaks to Kennedy’s unique combination of idealism and pragmatism.  His last endeavor also stands in contrast to the most common types of last wishes – usually in the form of a will – where chips are cashed in and scores are settled.  Despite all the adversity he suffered being a central member of the tragic Kennedy clan, and through all the evidence of human power and frailty he’s seen in 46 senate years, in his final days Ted Kennedy was thinking about the work that needed to get done the morning after he’s gone.

Killin’ it in your life is not so much about monumental achievements, eloquent statements and grand finales as it is about understanding that the most important tasks we undertake will be the ones that outlive us.