I bet there are only a handful of us who recall the oddball game show from the 70’s here in the U.S. called “Beat the Clock”. Anyone, anyone?
For the uninitiated, YouTube provides an endless array of classic episodes (from the 50’s – which surprised me – through the 70’s). I enjoyed watching with my sister Lisa because the visual antics and games were SO over-the-top that Lisa could easily watch, despite her vision issues. When the board game version was released, similar to what I snipped in above, Lisa and I were thrilled. It became our favorite pastime for years…in part because we could improvise and create our own challenges…never playing the same game twice.
While enjoying a few meditative moments this morning, fun imagery of playing “Beat the Clock” with Lisa rolled in. Maybe it was because I’d been thinking about a recent post where I waxed nostalgic, recalling my childhood fondness for my Etch-A-Sketch? That’s the thing about my self-imposed ‘quiet time’. I never know what might appear, but I try to catch every fly ball…just in case.
Lisa and I rollicked with giggles when we watched “Beat the Clock” …inspiring us to create our own version by recruiting neighborhood friends (and yes, on occasion, mom and dad) into our crazy antics – mimicking the “Beat the Clock” TV show.
Lisa and I were a great team because she had just enough dexterity to be the timekeeper – borrowing mom’s egg timer from the kitchen – and my job was usually the creation of a nonsensical ‘task’. We’d negotiate with each other about how much time we’d give our “contestants” to ‘beat the clock’. Lisa was always more generous…worried about giving sufficient time for success. Me? I preferred being stingy with the countdown clock…all the better to prompt greater goofball antics, borne of desperation. 😉
Looking back, I think ‘Beat the Clock’ was my favorite game because it was just ridiculous enough to temper pesky competitiveness and just silly enough to prompt laughs – even from mom. Especially when hula hoops were involved. Despite Lisa’s challenges with motor functions, she had a knack for hula-hooping and if we could contrive a game that involved some aspect of ‘hooping’ (as Lisa called it) so much the better.
In those days taking video footage was pretty uncommon but gosh, I wish we had a reel or two to enjoy. Lisa’s memory is always more vibrant than mine – her ability to resurrect details is a super strength – especially when she recalls specific scenes with precision descriptions of the set-ups and all the inevitable mishaps. Hula hoops and the dog…hula hoops and jump ropes…hula hoops and juggling cookies…hula hoop relay races. You get the idea.
What’s the point of the memory lane rewind? I’m getting there! Maybe you can relate to this scenario? You find yourself with too little time and too much to do? 😉 For me, housekeeping chores were weighing heavy on my brain recently. I needed to do a sweep – both in terms of picking up errant this-and-that around the house — AND actual sweeping. The hardwood floors had more than dust bunnies…the tufts of tumbleweed looked like dust mammoths…and I didn’t want to spend more time than absolutely necessary in “clean-up mode”.
I glanced at the clock and wondered…what I could accomplish in 30 minutes if I really set my mind to it? (Side note/confession: When I procrastinate, I have this annoying habit of doubling or tripling – in my mind – the amount of time, energy, effort required to do simple stuff. It’s my way of conjuring the mountain in response to a mole hill. What better way to wave off the “doing”? I’ll wait for fairytale magic moments…with oh-so-ample time…that never materialize. Yes. I do that.)
Still, I forced myself to assess as I scanned the kitchen and family room and saw laundry to be folded (and some folded that needed to be put away), the aforementioned dust mammoths and two glass tables that looked gray – not clear – for all the fingerprints – and two rugs that sorely needed vacuuming. So much so. The layer of sawdust from kitchen remodeling added an unpleasant crunch beneath the toes.
While I was at it, with the Windex out, I noticed three windows – heinously hit by obviously ill birds. As I examined the progression of poo across three panes, I wondered if the culprit was one bird or three doing contorted, acrobatic target practice? Stop, stop…. I thought. You’re doing it again, Vicki. It’s bird poop and yes, you can clean that up whilst doing the other cleaning. Get to it. Stop pondering the poo.
So I glanced at the clock AGAIN and realized I’d already frittered away five minutes. Get going! You’ve got 25 minutes to ‘beat the clock’ and get everything done. Go!
And I did. I put on my favorite 70’s nostalgia music (because Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles will always make me move) and without sacrificing quality, I zipped through each task like a merry little bluebird making Cinderella’s ballgown. Done…and done. A childish mind game? Sure thing. But don’t knock it. I’m not telling you what to do, but if you’ve got a chore in front of you, break it down and get some tunes on. And if you have a timer, whether old school or on your phone, set it because bird poop or something else might distract you, too.
Vicki 🥰
Victoria Ponders 
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