In the months that followed my father’s death, I’ve faced a wide range of feelings when talking about my inheritance—shock, guilt, sadness, discomfort, regret—but at no point would I say I was “excited” for it. It felt wrong to look forward to the day the money hit my bank account, given the cost—my father’s life, my family’s legacy. But now I’m back in Alaska, living a life that I believe would make my father happy and proud, and it’s in part because of the money he left both of us. I feel a thrill coursing through my veins over all the new possibilities.
