The light switch is old and has started to only work erratically
In the basement, one of those pull chains made of little metal beads
Calvin Bryant invented the bead chain in 1910 as a pull chain for light switches
Bead chain is also used to secure metal tags around the neck of people who are soldiers

Sometimes the switch behaves properly, and light fills the room
But it is failing more often now, no click of the metal contacts, dark
After I retired I bought a small brass sphere for the end of the chain
It looked nice, but now I wonder if the weight was too much for the ancient works

It was there when I moved into the house, I don’t know how old it is
It worked reliably when I was busy with a career, solving problems, projects
I bought new cars on a regular basis, got married, raised children, ate various food
I wish I had put a counter on that switch to keep track of the cycles, on and off
It seems important to me now for some reason, to know the average cycles to failure.