37 Seconds

I have just finished watching Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I have lost count of how many times I have seen this movie. I still get sucked in by the magic and wonder of the story and it feels SO good to be captivated by the special things in life.

The story is about a magical toy store run by Mr. Magorium who is 243 years old. The toys are alive and bouncing and it is a haven for children of all ages. The secret is that Mr. Magorium believes in the store but one day he announces that he is leaving. In fact he says that he is "leaving this world" and he hands over the store to his young assistant.

The assistant is horrifed. She doesn't want Mr. Magorium to "leave" and to make matters worse the store reacts badly and eventually shuts itself down and all the magic departs as well as the customers. The movie has a wonderful moment when assistant takes Mr. Magorium on a special day to help him see the magic of life. He understands at the best last day of life ever. They jump on beds in a bedroom store; they roll out a giant sheet of bubble wrap and dance on it to the sound of popping and laughter and they set all the clocks in a grandfather clock shop to the same time so the whole store breaks out into chiming at the same time.

As the film continues the assistant must either sell the store or discover the source of the store's magic. There is a point in the movie when Mr. Magorium's assistant said that they needed to wait 37 seconds for the clocks to start chiming. He replied "No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime."

I sit and ponder this statement. How many of us are too busy to take just 37 seconds out of our lives to talk to God? Too busy to take 37 seconds to marvel at the magic of this world? I am one of the guilty one to be sure. On some days, I take more time with my smoking than I do with my Creator. There is so much in this world that I am thankful for. Taking 37 seconds to talk with God shouldn't be hard. I am not looking for an answer, I just wanted to send the question out there. In closing I will leave you with this, there is still magic in the world if only we take the time to look and realize that 37 seconds well used is a lifetime.