TICK, TICK, TICK

by Deborah Elliott-Upton

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Time keeps ticking along whether we have enough of it or not. If I could have one wish, it would probably be for more time. (I know, you thought I would ask for something involving Captain Jack’s portrayer, but I like to shake things up a bit every once in a while.) Actually, I need more time to write, read, and have an article ready for Criminal Brief on Thursdays.

When haven’t we needed more time? Okay, yesterday I didn’t need to spend a minute more at the dentist although he’s an angel who has never once hurt me and lets me leave his office with a prettier and healthier smile. But anytime spent in a doctor’s office is time I’d rather spend doing something else.

I don’t want more time to shop for groceries or to clean out closets or do laundry. Those things seem to swallow time like it was a pie-eating contest and it’s winning a life-or-death situation.

I feel like Burgess Meredith in “The Twilight Zone” episode where all he wanted was quiet and time to read uninterrupted. I want to settle into a comfy spot and read the newest copies of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock in totality without having to put in a bookmark to come back to later.

This extra time is no longer just something I’d like. It has become something I need. A need I am not sure how to accomplish unless I adapt my lifestyle with a few changes.

I could stop cooking meals. Heck, I could quit eating three times a day (okay, so maybe there are a few snack times I could miss, too.)

I could stop wearing jewelry. Picking out what goes with what is time consuming. Especially when I try on different outfits before choosing which to wear.

I could stop saying YES to projects or organizations that others are more capable of running than I am. (Actually, I have pared those down these last two years out of necessity.)

I could stop searching the Internet just for fun, but that’s no fun. I’ll have to think about that one.

I could stop worrying about all those things I can’t control anyway. Okay, that’s what I’ll go with for today. No worries, mate. Just be happy.

Doing just one less thing each day could save a lot of time for more important things. There are so many time suckers in the world vying for our attention. It isn’t easy to say NO. (Just ask Amy Winehouse. She had to say it three times and still she ended up saying YES. But, I guess in this instance YES was the best response. In rehab, would they let me just sleep and catch up on my reading, or would they make me go to all those pesky therapy sessions?)

Time’s ticking and I have a great new issue of mystery short stories to read. The subscriptions arrived just in time.

1. Rita Johnson and Ray Milland in the 1948 film noir classic, The Big Clock [↩]