1 Second Added To Your Life, What Will You Do With It?

You know in that song "In a New York minute everything can change", well what about in a second, can everything change in a second? It's very little time to work with. It's here and gone in literally a blink of an eye. However, I think 1 single second is enough time to make a difference. So for me, yes, everything can change in a second. For those who have been under a rock since 2006 rolled in, the world has been given an extra second thanks to the first "leap second" in 7 years. It's a timing tweak meant to make up for changes in the Earth's rotation. So what do you plan on doing with that extra second added to the New Year, added to your life? Well I've been giving that some thought and today I will attempt to use it the best possible way I can think of using a second.

If you don't believe me that the world can change in a second, then think about this. It only takes a second to lose control of your car on the road and crash. It only takes a second to gasp your last breath of life. It only takes a second to lean in for a kiss and get those butterfly feelings in your stomach. It only takes a second to see your new born baby for the first time and fall in love. It only takes a second to pull a gun trigger and throw away the hopes and dreams of a teenager. It only takes a second to say hi.

In that short amount of time all those things are possible and believe it or not, I've experienced quite a few of them. I know what it's like to get hit on a motorcycle and see your life flash before your eyes in a spit second. I know what it's like to see someone gasp their last breath of life. I know what it's like to lean in for the big kiss and feel the butterflies. I'm fortunate to say I have never witnessed a teenager pull a gun trigger on his high school and I look forward to the day when I witness my first born for the first time and fall in love. So the only thing that leaves is a second for me to say hi and that is exactly how I've decided to use my extra second this 2006.

Every Thursday morning on my way into work, there is this little old man that sweeps up the street outside a bakery downtown. He is wrapped tightly in a worn coat topped with a threadbare scarf and knit hat. He never wears gloves despite the snow and frost lying on the very sidewalk he sweeps. The bitter cold air whips at his arthritis boned hands and they are dry, chapped and red. He keeps his head down to his work and away from the outside world and those that pass by him daily. He's hunched over and walks with a shuffle in his step. You hardly ever see his face, let alone into his eyes. I wonder who he is, what his life is like and what stories he could tell. I'm not sure why this old man intrigues me so much. I think it's the fact that there seems to be more there than what you see on the surface. For all I know, he could be a bitter senior citizen who hates his business, but is too broke to retire. Or he could be a former standout scholar from just down the street at Carnegie Mellon and he took over the bakery when his Mother passed away from cancer. Perhaps it wasn't his calling in life, but he wants to live out her dream. Perhaps I just think too much on my morning commute.

Whatever the case may be, I know I want to say hi to this old man. It only takes a second and it's how I want to spend my extra second in 2006. I don't know if it will make a difference to him, but to me it will. I don't care if he says hi back. I don't even care if he looks up or acknowledges my existence in the least. I still want to say hi. Don't ask why, I just do. It's something I can't really explain. It's something I just feel compelled to do. Time is a gift, even if you are only given an extra second in life. Do something compelling today with that second. Even if it doesn't change someone else's life around you, it very well may change your own.

Related post of interest...
07/11/05 1-Year-Old Teaches Me To Stop And Smell The Roses