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tick tick tick

tick tick tick tick

I receive daily writing prompts in my inbox.  I go through streaks of using them, when they intrigue me and dry spells when the ideas bore me.

A recent one that pricked my writing reverie was “write a list of things that tick;” quite different from things that tick me off.  Honestly, there are days that list would be a catalog.  No, this one was simply things that tick. 

I interpreted that as a sound - a clicking or rhythmic beat; and even took it a step further with a check mark indicating something is done.  I avoided the pesky blood-sucking insect that latches itself to you while hiking in the summer.

A few of the words and phrases that I wrote on my list

pocket watch     alarm clock    time bomb    my eye when I’m stressed    creepy working to clean the pool    a metronome    high heels on a concrete floor    Dorothy’s ruby slippers   crosswalk signs    a card placed in bicycle spokes

All of items and actions denote a beat, a measure of time or an accomplishment.  How many ticks and checks do I need before I’m ticked off or calmed down?  Face it, some ticks drone on; annoying, while others are lovely repetitive reminders. 

Ticks create a cadence to our lives.  Just think about a quickly tapped pencil.  Sounds like impatience or frustration.  In contrast, the slow precision of a clock ticking sets a peaceful tone in the quiet of the night.

I have ticks that tick me off, occasionally ticks in my eye and fortunately no ticks on my body.  I see them all as a necessary part of my life tempo.  They keep me steady and set my pace.  When there’s a lot to do, my ticking is rapid.  (Can you hear my heels clickety clicking?)  Then comes those much anticipated moments when the pulse is slow, like a long weekend away at a cabin on a lake.  (That’s coming in a couple of weeks.)

If I had given you the prompt to write a list of ticks…what would you have written?

Missy


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Comments

  1. Wildlife Art by SylSeptember 12, 2015 at 8:20 PM

    very challenging..well written

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missy ASeptember 12, 2015 at 8:47 PM

      Thanks. It certainly challenges me to pay attention to the ticks, and to not let too many tick me off!

      Delete
  2. sewsavySeptember 14, 2015 at 5:39 AM

    Good one, Missy. I have a laborious tick in my engine that needs attention. There is the ticking sound everytime a rock stuck in the tread of the tire hits the pavement or the ticking sound of water leaking from the faucet into the sink in the middle of the night. Since I no longer hear well, I rarely hear a watch ticking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missy ASeptember 14, 2015 at 3:27 PM

      I like your "ticks." I hadn't thought of a rock stuck in the tire. My hubby and son just got back from being out in the woods, and son's tire had rocks that were driving him crazy. Maybe, there's a blessing to the hearing waning. Thanks for reading!

      Delete

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