Who among us hasn’t followed our intuition or waited too late to take action and, ultimately, dearly regretted it?

Maybe that voice inside kept niggling you to contact someone; yet, you kept telling yourself you’d get to it later. Perhaps you fully intended to make amends with an estranged relative or friend yet never quite found the right time to do so.

My elderly mother gave me the title for this article. If your family is anything like mine, there’s always one of us who seems to be out of sorts with the other.

You’d think by now, since we’re all well into maturity, that bygones would be bygones. Sadly, not so. People, to their detriment, have a way of holding on to hurts even when the situation or the other has radically changed.

Mom was lamenting about these troubling dynamics as she mused about the end of her life. Unless she lives to be ancient, she’s not going to be around that much longer.

She’s trying her best to reconcile with and while she can. She wishes things could have be different and has done everything in her power to try to engineer it so. Now, Mom’s making her peace with what is.

Her message is crucial: do what needs to be done, sooner than later. My work with the dying, in hospice and as a healthcare consultant, reinforces such sage advice.

Death, alongside dollops of therapy, gave me the insight and courage to reconnect with my father after a two-decade severance. We were headed to our respective graves without remedying our relationship.

We’ve gotten to a place where we can simply laugh and enjoy each other, for many years now. How glad and grateful I am! He is, too.

The regrets of my dying patients and their families propelled me to be the Peace Corps volunteer I had always wanted to be. Intending to apply right after college, to paraphrase John Lennon, “Life happened while I was busy making other plans.”

Once my son was raised, by golly, I did it! Those two years serving in Tanzania transformed me more than all that I was able to accomplish there.

These lessons continue. Anything is possible. We limit ourselves with thoughts of lack, "I would except for ___," fill in YOUR blank.

Harry Chapin’s 1974 song, "Cats in the Cradle," begs us to reflect. Take a listen and feel what comes up for you.

Then spend a spell pondering what might be appropriate next steps. Here are a few prompts:

Clarify your priorities. Work backwards by plotting the legacy you wish to leave — in thought, word and deed.

Clean up your conversations. Start with your own self-talk.

Heal your relationships. Begin with the one you have with yourself.

Forgive. Forgiveness never condones the action; it frees you from its snare.

Be grateful. Note even the little joys — daily.

Show your love. Often and unconditionally.

Time’s a wastin’. What do you need to do to live your life without regrets?

Pull out the good china for breakfast this morning. Make that phone call today. Send those flowers now. Do not wait a moment more!