Writing Prompt: What Can Happen In A Second

When technology throws you a curve ball you got to move to where the ball is being thrown. I wrote this blog last night, and some how it vanished. So, I get a second chance. 

"Give me a second."
"Just a second."
"Wait a second."
"Hold up a second."

I am guilty of saying these sentences. The one I use the most is "Just a second." I throw that phrase at my boys all the time. Here's prime example. Close your eyes and picture yourself at my house at about 5:45AM. What you see is a little boy lying on the couch in a nest of blankets. What you hear is a little boy bellowing,"Mom! Can you make me a hot chocolate!" That's when you see a bleary eyed mom stumbling down the stairs and mumbling to the bellowing boy on the couch, "Just a second. My eyes are not even open yet."
Time is measured in years, months, hours, minutes and seconds. A second counts. The second is used mainly in races. It used to be that a winner would win the race by a mere second. But somehow, somewhere, and by someone, a second was taken and chopped into 100th's of a second. Now a winner wins by seconds and teeny tiny chunks of a second. Those teeny tiny chucks of second decides who goes on to the Olympics and who gets to stay home and watch the Olympics on their TV. 
I can make a second last for minutes, much to the annoyance of my boys. I frequently use "just a second" so I can get another 5 minutes. That table gets turned on me too. When I'm hollering so we can get going, I get retorted back, "Just a second." 
There are things that can happen in a second. It just took a second for an egg to slip out of your grasp to fall to the floor to cause a 5 minute clean up. In a second, a china plate can slip out one hand's when emptying out the dishwasher, causing shards of china to explode and hide in every crevice. You can lose your finger if you're not paying attention, and that one second of looking away from the saw, has caused a lot of hours spent in the hospital. Clicking on your computer mouse, just takes a second, but if you click wrong it could cause a company to lose millions. Or a click of a mouse could lead you astray. Just taking that second to look down at your phone while driving, may lead to a lifetime of consequences. 
But on the other hand, lovely things can happen in a second. In just a second, I can receive a sticky kiss on my cheek from a chubby cheeked boy. It just takes a second, to give a hug. A knowing wink to a friend takes just a second. A smile to a stranger, takes just a second. Holding the door open, that's a second. Saying please takes a second and add on one more second for thank you. A click of your computer mouse sends a thoughtful email to a dear one in a second. 
We are told as we go bumbling about this life to make our days count, as time passes by so very fast. After pondering about what can happen in a second, I'm going to think about what I can do to make each second count. And I'll do that in just a second. 

From the 4th line,
Arlene