Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 107 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Like a Bell

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 107 of our Trek. Yesterday you discovered that you are the leading character, or star, in the story of your life. You learned that if your life is like a movie, then you need to make it a great one – for you and your supporting characters, and it should be filled with the scenes that matter most. Today we want to determine how our life is like a bell.

In celebration of our 100th day of our Wisdom-Trek, please check out Wisdom-Trek.com and sign up for our drawing for a free Wisdom-Trek t-shirt drawing that will take place on October 5th.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are getting focused on the client work that we need to accomplish this week. The first day after traveling is usually a bit of an adjustment, but we are making good progress catching up on some work details that were somewhat behind schedule.  It will take us a couple of more days, though.

It is now time to break camp and head out on our Trek for today. We are making good progress over summits and through the valleys, past the meadows and the rivers. As we crest a hill, we hear from deep within the valley the distinct ringing of a church bell calling out to the people of the village that it is time to come, worship, and fellowship together. In today’s hectic and fast-paced world, we reflect fondly on a simpler time when we took the time to come together as a like-minded community.

Just like people, there are different kinds of bells. Church bells ring melodious while the trolley goes clang, clang, clang. There are cow bells, sleigh bells, schools bells, dinner bells, door bells,and hand bells. Probably one of the most famous bells is the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

Bells have been an important part of my life. Growing up on the farm, we had a big train bell mounted on the back of the house which we could hear just about anywhere over the entire 100 acres. Mom would call us in from the orchard, the valley, or the lake for dinner or other important matters.

At The Big House, we have a large train bell mounted outside the back door that my granny always rang loud and long when company was leaving after an extended stay as she waved and shouted good bye. We still use it for that purpose today.

When our kids are were still living at home, Paula had a different type of bell for each of the three floor – cow bell for the attic, a small dinner bell for the 2nd floor, and an electronic bell for the first floor.  The kids always knew which floor to come to based on the bell used. It sure saved a lot of shouting to round up the children.

This also reminds me that our lives are like a bell. Each bell was designed for a specific purpose. It can ring loud or soft, fast or slow, but it should always ring true based on the type of bell. One truth that is undeniable, though, is that you can never unring a bell.

The expression “You can’t unring the bell” has been frequently used in courts of law. Once an attorney makes a statement or presents evidence, jurors can’t “unring the bell” and unhear what they heard or unsee what they saw. If the statement or evidence is later found to have been inadmissible, it could be grounds for a mistrial. “Unring a bell” has been cited in many legal decisions.

Politicians also know that they can’t “unring a bell” — statements and actions can’t be erased from the public’s mind. There are many idioms similar to “unring a bell,” such as “You can’t unscramble eggs” and “You can’t put t...