Tick.

A baby screams as her mom cradles her gently in her shaking arms. One second ago she did not have a birth date nor even a name. One second later she's a new member of society with a fresh start and a chance at a promising future.

Tock.

And just like that, he's gone. A second prior he was breathing. It took one single second. The machines flat line louder than this scream in his family's heads and hearts.

Tick.

Her phone lights up, and the urge to type back never felt so tempting. In one second she veers off the road and kills the grandmother crossing the street. All because of that one second of texting a family must endure months, years, even decades of mourning.

Tock.

The screen results are in. You're riddled with cancer. No second can save you now, so enjoy your last...

Tick.

That one second snort of a high will keep him hooked for life. The clock (and coke) can't be turned back.

Tock.

Their eyes meet. From that moment on they'll be together eternal seconds.

Tick.

"Hate" rolls off of her tongue, so powerfully and bitter. This one second word washes their ten year friendship away. They never speak again.

Tock.

He gets down on his knees, nervous as ever. This second feels like hours. She says yes in (you guessed it) one second.

Tick.

The envelope tears open. Now she's jumping up and down with that college acceptance. Let this new adventure begin.

Tock.

The last shot put him over the edge. "Someone call an ambulance, quick! He's losing consciousness!"

Tick. Smiles. Tock. Heartbreak. Tick. Hopeful. Tock. Hopeless.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Stop.

But we actually can't. You see, the clock is ALWAYS clicking. It's 0.001157 percent of our days, yet can make or break a lifetime. The underestimated power of a second can easily alter who you are and everything you do-- the actions you commit and the consequences that follow. Life and death interchangeably occur in this matter of time. Present one second and vanished the next. Blessed one second and cursed the following.

"One second," you'll snarl to your friends when they're rushing you to leave. To you it's merely a rapid moment in time; a procrastination; a placeholder. Begin to realize it's so much more. From what it determines, to the future it predicts, one second determines the path of the rest of your life. Use this 0.001157% of your day wisely, for it might become your new forever.