Just a second

By: 
Jane Clark

Time is measured in years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. There are twenty-four hours in a day, sixty minutes in an hour, sixty seconds in a minute, and in one day there are 86,400 seconds.

Kids often think in terms of seconds. Most mothers at one time or another have asked a child to complete a certain task only to be told, “In a second, Mom.” However, it seems that kids have no idea how short a period of time a second is.

When using a microwave oven, we can set the timer in minutes or seconds and often become impatient while the timer counts down. We often complain that computers don’t work fast enough, but we should marvel at the amazing amount of tasks it does in a few seconds.

Disasters such as fires and explosions can happen in just a second. I’ve often wondered how many injuries or mishaps occur because, in our rush to save a few seconds of time, we set up a chain of events that cause accidents. In one second an accident can take a person’s life, and in that same second an organ donor can give the hope of new life to a transplant recipient.  

Although, during the course of our day, we might not think of time in seconds, just one second can alter our future. That fact became quite evident in my life when several years ago my husband Larry fell backwards onto a concrete floor and broke his hip. In that second, our plans were changed for the entire summer. Instead of going on vacation to St. Louis and southern Illinois, we made trips to Floyd County Hospital, The Waters Rehabilitation Facility in Salem, and follow-up visits to the surgeon. Larry healed just fine, but it was several months before he returned to doing the work he had planned for the summer. That one second put him on a different path than the one he chose.  

We have 86,400 seconds in a day.  That should allow plenty of time to slow down and enjoy every second whether we’re using it for work or for play.  It just might prevent an accident that could affect the rest of your life.

Author’s  Bio:  Jane Clark has been Co-director of Writers Bloc since 2009 and enjoys writing essays, historical articles, memoirs, short stories and fiction. Her two novels True Allegiance and True Legacy are available on Amazon.com/Books.

 

Category:

Please Login for Premium Content

Site Login Help

For current subscribers to The Salem Leader and The Salem Democrat, you can login to the site using the following information:

Username: Please use your full email address associated with your account
Password: Please use your last name. Passwords are case sensitive, so please capitalize your last name (eg: Smith)