It was delivered to the office in an unassuming box. “What is it?” we all wondered. Jonathan opened it in the conference room so we could see. A Y2K Countdown Clock. Telling us exactly how many days, hours, minutes, and even seconds we had until the clock would change to the year 2000.
You know, when everything might stop working.
That was it. A hard deadline. When all our systems had to not only be coded to account for a new millennium, but also tested and implemented. And there was no room for error. After all, we were a bank. And if people couldn’t trust the bank to get it right, there’d be a panic on 1/1/2000.
As it was, many were already panicking. Storing food. Taking money out of the bank so they’d have cash. Making sure they had alternate heat and electricity sources in case the power grid went offline. Planning for the worst.
And our clock is now ticking. Showing less and less time with every passing day.
Now, I gotta tell you, by the time the clock shows up, our work is already well underway. We didn’t know how long it would take to fix every date in every system, so we started early.
Design, code, and test.
And the clock keeps ticking. Counting down to Y2K.
Now it’s December 31st. Y2K is here. The clock shows less than 24 hours. After a quick dinner with Jerry, I go back to work, and he goes to a party. With a pair of sparkly 2000 glasses. We run the normal month end. Check everything. We’re ready.
At 11:30 pm, we all gather together around the clock. Nothing left to do but wait. We talk and joke. About what we’re missing. What we think might or might not happen. And we stare at the clock. While it keeps counting down.
One minute left to go. This is getting more tense than waiting for the Times Square ball to drop. Because we know that when the clock reaches zero, it’s time for us to test everything again. For the last time before real people start using the system in the morning.
5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – 2000!!!! Happy New Year!!!
We quickly clink coffee mugs and race to our desks to test. For a while you hear nothing except keys clattering throughout the office. Each one executing what’s on their checklist.
“Check. Check. Check.” Everyone reports back. No problems. Smooth as silk.
Nothing happened.
All that hype. All that work. Led to nothing. A very welcome nothing. Looking like just any other day.
Except it wasn’t. We had accomplished a lot in a short time. Executed flawlessly. While a clock kept ticking. We focused on what was most important and did it.
Today is the eve of a new decade. 2020.
Some are panicking, prophesying gloom and doom everywhere. Our society is in complete tatters. The economy will go under soon. Political polarization has never been greater. They are circling the wagons, trying to protect themselves, their country, their lifestyle, or whatever.
Some are ignoring the clock as it relentlessly keeps counting down. Acting as if they have forever on this earth. Unlimited time. Unlimited do-overs. Unlimited options.
Neither is true.
What is true is that yes, some things are pretty messed up. The obesity rate is alarming and growing. Opioid and other addictions. Plastics in the oceans. And more. All problems that need solving. Problems that will take capital, collaboration, and creativity to solve. Where the solution isn’t easy.
And you don’t have all the time in the world to live. Your clock is ticking. As is mine. Just like the Y2K clock. The only difference is – you don’t know when yours will stop.
What's also true is that you can make a difference. Bring light to the darkness. Ease suffering. Be a friend when someone needs it. Maybe even change the world.
So why not take this opportunity, at the cusp of the new decade, to live every moment. With intention. If it’s time to work, then work. If it’s time to play, then play. If it’s time to rest, then rest. Make the most of the minutes you’ve got. However many they are.
Clear away the distractions. Focus on what’s most important: love, laugh, celebrate, sing, share, serve. Be a light in the darkness.
(c) Photo by D A V I D S O N L U N A on Unsplash
The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you’ve got?
Happy New Year!!! If there’s something you’re committing to, leave a comment.
