My Slinky
Sitting on the side
Dust crushed
Between the plastic coils
Colorful and bent
I have had you
For untold years
No memory of your origin
A gift?
A prize?
There is no way to know
I grab you when idle
Or stress is rearing up
Shooting you out
Like a weapon
Bouncing between palms
Just to make that sound
And hazy colors
That soothe me
To the core
______________________________________________________
The poem really covers it. As you can see from the picture, I have a slinky that sits within reach. I don’t know if I’ve ever used it on stairs, but I always seem to grab it when I’m getting stressed. Been happening a lot this year because of all the Zoom and Google Meet sessions where I have to be muted. It isn’t a distraction for me and I don’t even notice when I take it. Not until I launch it while holding one end, so it stretches out and shoots back to tap my knuckles. Long ago, I remember trying to grab things like pencils and remotes with it. I succeeded a few times. Weirdest part of the slinky is that I have no idea how long I’ve had it for, where I got it, or when I started playing with it when I was getting twitchy. It gets the job done though.
So, does anyone else have an object that they fiddle and play with when either stressed or bored? Is this an author quirk?
Legends of Windemere 
Um, does my Nintendo Switch count? If I feel stressed or bored, I turn it on an play Animal Crossing. Such a soothing game!
LikeLike
Maybe? I’m now starting to wonder if this kind of stress relief is rarer than I imagined.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know people who have little toys on their desks to fiddle with. I’m not sure if Amazon still sells these but I know someone whose dad bought her a small box with knobs on it. It was made just to be picked up and handled. I bought her some squishy toys for the same reason.
LikeLike
I’ve seen those boxes with knobs and such. Stuff like that tend to be marketed towards those with focus issues. Kind of like fidget spinners.
LikeLike
I don’t have anything like that. Sometimes I wish I did. I usually just get up and have a brief walk around. That usually does it.
LikeLike
Walks can still count. I think.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe it’s a Deceptacon and just showed up in your room.
LikeLike
Must have died long ago then. Thing never moves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I could use that slinky. I’m trying to figure out how long I have to wait to get my ten month old grandson a slinky!
LikeLike
The ends can be sharp and they can tangle around things. Not to mention a slinky can be used like a whip with unpredictable recoil.
Yeah. I’ve hurt myself with it.
LikeLike
I always find fiddling with something random like that helps when I’m feeling stressed. I’ve got a variety of “fidget toys” for the purpose.
LikeLike
I know a few people who keep fidget objects on their keychains. They’re very useful for public stress.
LikeLike
I’ve got some that don’t go on keyrings too. Using them doesn’t guarantee I’ll not struggle, but it does decrease the chances of my ending up on the wrong side of that fine line between having control over my anxiety and not. I even find things like fidget spinners work. They might be advertized for people with attention issues, but they help with anxiety too. At least, they help me.
LikeLike
I should really start carrying something. It’s not easy to use in school though. Brings up questions and some people might figure out why, which makes things awkward.
LikeLike