Episode #624
January 16, 2021
A legacy is not just a fortune left for relatives and friends to squabble over.
It is a reputation and a wisdom that lives on.
An old friend of mine, Ron Coogan, left a legacy that has taught me patience and cunning.
He had a pool table in his garage where i would play with him often. Ron wasn’t the best shot, but he had a light touch. He would hit the ball in the general direction of the pocket. He did not aim to sink the ball, but to get the ball close to the pocket. After several turns, his balls would be close to several pockets. He could then run the table in a single turn.
Ron called his technique “nudge pool.”
i call it the “Coogan Nudge.”
The Coogan Nudge teaches patience by building a slow and stable foundation which allows for a fast and reliable completion. When painting a house, 90% of the effort is sanding, filling and masking. The actual painting is a slam dunk with some friends, pizza and beer.
i was digging a trench the other day in an awkward spot several feet away from where i could park the wheel barrow. Instead of walking each shovelful to the wheel barrow, i shoveled the dirt to the wheel barrow end of the trench. Then i filled the barrow from the pile i had nudged toward it — nudge trench. More shoveling is easier than walking with full shovels and faster overall… Coogan Nudge.
A legacy is sometimes more useful than a new innovation.
Software that has been superseded by new software is called legacy software. It is difficult to replace because of its wide use. It also may have features that you depend on, but have been eliminated in the new version. The legacy version might run better on your older computer than the new version.
A legator leaves a legacy.
A legatee receives a legacy.
If a parent attends a college, a child may be the legatee of the parent legator.
There are many other examples of legacy.
Legacy can be in the form of collective memory.
Humans benefit from instinct and intuition. They are legacies of our species.
The traditions of religion are a legacy that can be practiced daily.
Our laws, morality and social conventions are a guiding form of legacy.
This bLog (webLog) is my legacy.
In it you will find a wiki of my thoughts.
iMentor Hints and Rants began as a list of Macintosh tips and tricks.
The focus of the bLog has shifted over the years to how to use these tips and tricks as tools in ones daily life.
The tips and tricks of this bLog are parables for how i approach life. 
While they sometimes sound like rants, they are my legacy.
I enjoy receiving your blog, there is much good information in it. Thank you for sending it.
i hope you like my transition from digital content to human content.
Never am I disappointed in the breadth and depth of your blog. Computers, yes; life in general, a resounding yes. Mahalo!
Thank You Rick for this simple but brilliant message. Really good food for thought in several areas of my life.
Sure hoping all is going well for you and yours during this difficult time…