"Leave Nothing but Footprints"

I first came across the exhortation, “Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints!” when we travelled in Namibia, a striking land where someone had thought that it might help dissuade tourists from taking home with them some of the increasingly scarce riches of the country, such as mineral specimens.

The saying is ascribed to Chief Si'ahl (1780-1866), a leading figure among the Suquamish and Duwamish Native Americans. The city of Seattle in Washington state was named for him in tribute to his efforts to forge a positive relationship between his peoples and the white immigrant settlers, and for his fight for land rights for Native Americans.

I don't know the context in which the chief coined the phrase, and I liked its relevance in the Namibian setting, but it rings few bells with me now. I have memories in abundance but they will soon be forgotten, and I'm increasingly aware that the tides of time will quickly wash away the traces of my footprints.

Except.... perhaps the footprints I will leave behind are the footprints of my genes.