Tick, Tock, I Got a New Clock

Tatiana52 via Pixabay

I've had the same timepiece -- a clock radio -- beside my bed for as long as we've lived in our house. As a matter of fact, I think I've had it even longer than that.

Little by little, however, it's becoming less useful. First, the radio reception became fuzzy. Then, the CD player stopped working so that now it's basically a very large clock taking up more than its fair share of my bedside table.

Last summer, I went in search of a replacement -- something old school and analog, that combined decorative with functional. What I really wanted was the backlit, plug-in clock of my youth but, as the saying goes, they just don't make them like that anymore.

Finally, about a week ago, I found one that was nearly perfect. It wasn't backlit (I'd pretty much given up on that), but it was decorative. Over the weekend, I dutifully inserted a battery and, last night, when I went to bed, I set it on my bedside table.

Within five minutes, I got up and moved it first across the room and then, across the hall.

It ticked. Loudly.

What had been a quiet ticking sound that blended into a house with the various noises of life was an annoying, teeth-on-edge ticking sound in a quiet bedroom.

The odd thing is that sometimes, when I can't sleep, I go downstairs and bring the bathroom clock upstairs and set it on my bedside table. I find its ticking soothing -- it calms me and helps me fall asleep.

But not this clock. Its ticking is persistent (okay, that's to be expected) and intrusive.

I still love my new clock, but it won't be living in my bedroom. Since there's no clock in my home office (I usually ask Alexa what time it is), I'm going to try it there. If it inspires the same reaction it did last night, it might just be relocated to my office at school.

As for my bedroom clock, it still has some mileage on it. And, when I eventually replace it, it will be with something just as quiet.

Just a little bit smaller.