Ticking Clocks

I love the sound of the ticking clock in the quiet house

I hear it saying “all is well, all is well, all is well.”

Sending its message through the pleasantly empty rooms

In a way that immediately quiets my mind.

That has been true for me for twenty-seven years

In different houses with different ticking clocks

As I listen I enter that quietness

And it seeps through me

I breathe deeply, connecting with my own spirit

A sense of what is sacred settles over me

As peace comes to my chest

The all is well

A quiet “of course” slides from my lips

I feel my shoulders soften, relax

I feel my heart expand easily

A pleasure in what is becomes clear

These are all words I have written at other times

With the same message

This day they are worthy of repetition

See where you are

Be where you are

There is much to love.

All is well.

—Dale Midgette Smith, November 26, 2016