The countdown

The countdown sharpens my focus. It snaps my attention to a moment, to what’s about to unfold. Or what’s unfolding. The numbers are dropping, never rising. The closer to zero, the more the tension rises. But the real point isn’t the numbers, it’s the promise that’s been made. Zero on the count means we do the thing, or we just did the thing. The commitment gets made first. A countdown just carries what’s already been decided.