What To Do With 39 Years

Morgan and I went to Tower Theater to see The Life of Chuck this week. When it finished, I felt like I needed to watch it again to be able to fully process it. It’s a story about time, memory, and what it means to have a life at all.

Without giving too much away, the film plays with structure. It starts at the end and works its way backwards. And at the center of it all are a few repeated phrase: “39 great years.”

That number lingers.

It is not 80. Not 100. Not even what most of us would consider “enough.” But the film does not apologize for the number. It challenges the idea that the value of a life is measured by its length.

We often talk like time is something we have in unlimited supply. We say “next year” and “someday” like they are guaranteed. But in reality, we do not know the number. We only know this moment, this breath, this one afternoon with the people in front of us.

Watching that film made me think about how easily I drift into autopilot. How quickly I let my days fill with distractions, obligations, screen time, and noise. It made me think about how often I delay joy. How often I postpone connection. How often I wait.

But what if 39 is the number? What if that is all we get? What if that’s more than enough, if we’re really here for it?

The Life of Chuck is not just about one man’s story. It is about all of us. It’s about the way our lives ripple out through the people we love, the times we treasure, and the small acts of kindness that no one else sees. It’s about the music we play in the kitchen, the forgiveness we offer, and the courage it takes to show up fully.

I do not know how many years I will get. No one does. But I hope I spend them well. I hope I choose presence over distraction, meaning over noise, connection over convenience.

And if 39 (or 49 or 59) years is what we get, let’s make them great.