Fixin' Leaks and Leeks

When you press buttons “B” and “D,” and hold them down simultaneously, as indicated in the directions for the wristwatch you just bought, you’re supposed to be able to miraculously set the time, but that never happens. What happens is that you end up with an alarm set for 4:47 p.m. You won’t know how you did it, and you won’t know how to get rid of it, so you might as well celebrate it when it goes off at work.

Imagine this not-so-unlikely-scenario, which happened on Tuesday:

(Alarm on my watch starts beeping at work.)

Me: I’m so sorry, everyone. I’ll go to another room until it’s over. I just can’t seem to make it stop.

Magnificent co-worker who sits next to me—also she’s laughing: It’s not a problem. Really. You should celebrate it.

So, I bought some bubbles for the co-workers who sit nearest to me, and now, when that alarm goes off, we’ll celebrate. We’ll blow just a few bubbles and clean up after ourselves when it’s all over.

Who knows? Maybe it’ll catch on, like #fourfortysevenpmparty #itsfourfortysevensomewhere

I can only hope.

If you want to do something similar at work or home, here are the keys I’ve discovered to successfully planning a one-minute party:

–Set your watch to go off at a certain time every day, in the middle of the day, at random. It’s easy if you just follow any directions that come with a wristwatch.

–Stock up on things you can get your hands on quickly to celebrate, such as the following: confetti, bubbles, snacks, noisemakers, a rock band—that kind of thing. You’ll probably only have time to choose one—make it count!

–Whatever you choose, know that you will have to clean up afterwards, by yourself, so you might not want to throw as much confetti as you can in one minute.

–The novelty sometimes wears off after a while. Change things up by getting a new watch.

I think it might also be nice to journal about thoughts and feelings that occur during these one-minute celebrations. For instance, just the other day, when I was finishing up some work from home, the alarm caught me by surprise. I didn’t have anything nearby to throw or eat. I was caught unprepared. Had I set up an unrealistic expectation for myself? Had I set myself up for disappointment? It’s like I’d gotten up in the morning, ready to make that one-minute party absolutely epic—only to have missed it—and be reminded with an alarm. And then, I thought: the alarm, by itself, is the celebration—that beep, beep, beep sound tells me the workday is almost through, and even if I miss the party, it’s going to come back around at about the same time tomorrow, and I’ll blow the biggest bubbles I can in 60 seconds or less.

Your Turn: Do you take the time to treat yourself to something fun during the day? What is it?