9 Tiny Volts Make the Cricket Go Away!

Early last week I heard it: a muffled chirp coming from my recording studio.

“Oh great”, I thought, "a cricket."

Between all the recording equipment, my drums, four cases of CDs, boxes of paperwork, my life-size Three Stooges cutout and the wall-to-wall charcoal gray carpeting, what are the odds I’d ever find it?

As I continued to edit a major production project on the other side of the glass, I noticed that it was a singular chirp, not the traditional drawn-out cricket song…and it was recurring at exact intervals.

“Either that cricket has a wicked sense of timing, or it’s not a cricket”, my brain decided.

After opening the studio door and waiting, I noticed the sound was coming from the ceiling.

“Talented little bugger”, I remarked.

That’s when I realized that it was not a cricket at all.

It was the smoke detector, letting me know that it was in need of a new battery.

That was a week ago…and my ‘cricket’ is still chirping.

Have I actually left the studio at any point in the past week?

Yes I have.

Have I been anywhere near a store at any time in the past week?

Yes I have.

Have I remembered to buy a single 9-volt battery in that time?

Nope.

Why not?

Because I have not made it a priority, subconsciously choosing to tolerate the noise instead of making it go away.

But, like the little nagging problems in our lives, it will not go away until I feel enough pain and do something about it.

Sometimes we wait too long.

That car tire that was a little low is now flat and we have to call a tow truck.

The window screen that had a small hole is now a thru-way for insects of all sizes.

The small glitch in your smart phone has become the blue screen of doom.

Do you have any crickets chirping in your world today?

What can you do to fix them, before they become bigger problems?

For my part, I just attached a note to my day planner: “Buy a 9-Volt Battery!”

Good-bye cricket.

Hear ya later!

-Steve Gamlin