Passing Time

~ Watches ~

            I have been wearing a watch lately. I have two go-to watches: one in brown (shown) and one in black.

            Both boast the familiar tick-tock of the analogue hands creeping their way around the watch face. The sound reminds me of my high school days when I wore a watch every day at school and the bells rang every hour to signal the start of class. I wore one every day in college – there was no other way to know whether or not I would make it on time to class. I also wore a watch nearly every day I was teaching. But then, something changed.

            I know that I stopped wearing a watch after my first daughter was born. I am sure it had something to do with not knowing whether it was morning or night and how I no longer was able to keep a schedule – I was functioning on baby time.

            But it was more than that. Infant baths frequently got my wrists wet and I didn't need it - I had all day to spend with my little girl. I was not working at the time, so I spent many a blissful day walking the local farmers market, pushing my baby in the swing at the park and reading books for as long as baby could stand it at the town library. I just didn’t need to pay much attention to time, and so, the watch lay on my night table – for years.

            When time started to come into play again – classes, story time, work and play dates – I had a cell phone. Texting had recently become popular and I used it all the time – it was a convenient way to communicate when a baby was sleeping on my chest. As the children grew older, that cell phone was always there for picture-taking, a quick Facebook post, an email check, a phone call, a text, and, the time – yes, the time.

            One day, almost eight years later, I realized that I no longer wanted to rely on my phone for the time. Each opportunity I took to check the time also forced me to see a message on my phone, or prompted me to check in on Facebook.

            So, I started wearing that old watch.

            And, you know what? I love it!

            My trusty, old-fashioned watch helps me to keep track of the time and to enjoy the passing of time. I am no longer obsessed with my phone; I am obsessed with my watch ~ and, that isn’t nearly as interesting. So I find I have more time to enjoy with those around me. And that, my dear readers, is what the passage of time is all about.

~ Enjoy the time you have with those you love.