If you live in the UK you’ve probably noticed that it’s been a bit chilly recently. Today was no exception – fortunately the office at work is pretty toasty.

For years I’ve had loads of regular Alan tics. I work with a man called Alan who’s generally very good at ignoring these and distinguishing between a ticced Alan and a when I’m actually trying to get his attention.

Throughout the day I repeatedly ticced “Alan put some clothes on” a familiar old tic that makes a lot of colleagues grin, quietly to themselves.

When I said it this afternoon just as Alan was leaving the office, his deadpan response was, “Thanks for the advice. I wondered why I’ve been so cold.”

This made everyone laugh.

These moments of tic-initiated shared laughter are very precious to me.