u s e y o u r h a n d s

There is this digital clock by the tracks at Union Station that counts hours, minutes, and seconds. And I have always liked this clock because it is so prominent, but also because it does count the seconds. It’s so rare that you see this.

And today, I was looking at the clock, at the second hand, and it occured to me that the most important element of time is the second. Because how many ways has your life been changed by a second? Running or not running a red light. Catching a banister before you trip. The second that your heart yields to rest forever.

We never notice the seconds that don’t change our lives. They just add up to the hours of boredom, minutes of bliss. And life is just a very long string of seconds that pass by. It’s nice that at least one place gives them their due.

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I work across from a residential high-rise. I sit in the lunch room and look for jumpers, people having sex. But often, I see people talking on their phones, pacing on their balcony. Or maybe making the bed. And it’s so much more intimate that way.

Today, I found out that they can’t see in our windows. And this really bothered me because I won’t be able to have an actual connection with these strangers, my neighbors. Only a furtive peep.