What have I done?

After a difficult telephone call …

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Phillip: He’s having a hard time facing the end of his life, he said, “What have I done?”

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Florence: Meaning what had he done with his life? Like Alec Guinness’s Colonel Nicholson after finishing the bridge on the river Kwai for the benefit of the Japanese, saying, “What have I done?”

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Phillip: No, no. Not that. It wasn’t a sudden realization of a great mistake. He delivered it with an air of resignation. Then he said, “Could have done so much more.”

I did so little...

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Florence: A gentle regret?

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Phillip: Regret yes. A sadness tinged with regret. More like Leonardo Da Vinci. “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”

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Voice-over

It’s natural to reach the end of life wishing one could have done more. What’s a suitable response? Whether you’re talking to someone else, or you’re talking to yourself, at the end of life there’s no need for qualified assessments. It’s the time for “You did great,” or  “You were incredible”.

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