30 seconds
My
Uncle took my mother to the hospital. She was having dizzy spells. The doctor
decided she was good enough to go home for the night. It took 30 seconds to
make that decision to go home. They drove back to her place. He gave her a hug
and she said that she wanted to have a rest. It took her 30 seconds to reach
her door. That evening my brother phoned mom. She answered and they talked for
a bit. He asked if she needed someone there to watch over her. She said no, she
felt fine. That was at 6:59:30. The coroner was stunned that my brother had
talked to her till almost 7:00. She had set time of death at 7 pm. It took 30
seconds for my mom to put down the phone and die on the floor. 30 seconds…
It morbid I know, but 30 seconds? It’s
ludicrous to think a whole life of 70 years ends in 30 seconds. The last
contact with people ended in 30 seconds. The space shuttle challenger took 73
seconds to explode. The Hiroshima Atom bomb took 44.4 seconds to kill between
90,00 and 146,000 people. The Titanic sunk in 2 hours and 40 minutes killing
1503 people. The first world trade Centre collapsed in 56 minutes; the second
in 1 hour and 46 minutes killing 2763 people. My brother said goodbye to his
mom and she lasted just 30 seconds.
It takes 30 seconds to order a
coffee. It takes about that long to text a tweet on twitter. It might take 30
seconds to add two songs on Spotify. You could do one stretch in 30 seconds. You
could book an appointment in 30 seconds. You might be able to donate to charity
in the same amount of time. Does it take 30 seconds to go to the bathroom,
brush your teeth or set your alarm? You could wipe the counter, pay a bill, or
empty the trash in 30 seconds. I now realize you can pass away in 30 seconds.
What does God have to say about
time? James chapter 4 says Yet you do not
know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that
appears for a little time and then vanishes. God mentions do good now for
the days are evil. Worry about today because who knows about tomorrow. For everything there is a season, and a time
for every matter under heaven in Ecclesiastics 3. God makes it abundantly
clear you might have more than 30 seconds to do well, or you might not.
Why dwell on 30 seconds? Clearly my
mom lived a full 70 years in life. That is a long time for many. Janis Joplin, Jimmy
Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain all died at 27. Prince died at 57, Elvis
42, George Michael's 53, and Michael Jackson was 50. I have awakened to deaths
cold stare at 51. I hope I can outrun him or her but I doubt it. So how much
longer do I have: 30 seconds?
I sit here and love the internet. I
am editing my new book, reading Jane Eyre, and smelling something cooking down
stairs. Theoretically I can multitask all these things in 30 seconds. It could
take me that long to find my wife and hug her; phone my Dad on Father’s Day;
find and pet my dog, and many more simple things. Yet, there not so simple, are
they? They are little things my brother did not have time to do with his mom in
30 seconds.
30 seconds is not that long. 2 hours
isn’t long either. I had not talked to my mom personally in 13 years. It’s complicated.
Yet, I had more than 30 seconds to phone her, write her, or text her. Yes, it
was complicated, but 30 seconds wouldn’t have killed me. However, that is all
she needed to die after getting off the phone.
All I’m saying is take 30 seconds to
say something nice. If it’s complicated then just talk for 30 seconds. If it’s
strained then write a short 30 second letter. If there are bad feelings, a 30
second hug might work (or not). I have changed my heart. I’m swallowing my
pride because I don’t have 30 seconds to tell my mom I will miss her. If a
situation is bad then maybe there are no good answers. Maybe you can’t fix it.
I am saying now maybe it’s bad but don’t make it worse. Take 30 seconds today
to think about your next 30. What would you do if it was your last 30 seconds.
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