We Had All The Time In The World, Or Did We?
“We have all the time in the world.” This is a phrase that is a key foreshadowing statement in two of my favorite James Bond Movies. In “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” it is uttered right before Bond’s wife is gunned down mere moments after their wedding. And in the latest Bond film, “No Time To Die,” well…you see the movie and you’ll know (it’s too soon to give spoilers here). Anyway, last night this phrase came into my mind.
We are moving. Correction, we have moved. We close on the house we’ve sold tomorrow. The absolute final piece of the moving puzzle was the Howard Miller Grandfather Clock (seen above) that has been a fixture in every house of ours since it was a gift from my parents more than twenty years ago. The clock was the last thing remaining in our soon-to-be-former-domicile. I met my friend, Jeff at the house yesterday evening, and as he’d done when we moved there 7 years ago, he helped me transport it to the new home.
In the minutes before his arrival, it was just me and the clock. And being the sentimental fool that I am, my mind immediately began to race through all the moments-good and bad-it had tick-tocked our family through on Sand Trap Ct. Its chimes had marked our son growing from a boy into a man. They had seen joyous family holidays, and the worst of family news. Tears of joy and pain, uproarious laughter and quiet moments all took place in that house in Monroe while “Grandfather’s” pendulum swung rhythmically back and forth.
I have often said that time is the most fickle mistress a man will every know. For years and years she whispers in your ear telling you how much of her you have and how you can never run out of her. Then one day you wake up and she’s gone. And you can’t get her back. So many times this realization brings feelings of regret. Not this time.
No, last night as Jeff was pulling in the driveway and I began to disassemble this beautiful, standing timepiece, it occurred to me that our family truly maxxed-out every moment this clock counted off. There wasn’t one feeling of “I wish that we had only done or had ____.” No, the thought that rang out to me internally, as loud as any chime ever echoed in the hall was, “I can’t wait to see the times this clock will mark next for us.”
None of us have “all the time in the world,” but what we do have is the ability to make the most of every minute we do have-with no regret. I’ve learned this, as most of us have, the hard way over the years. The good news is I have a family heirloom that chimes 4 times an hour to make sure I never forget it.
