* * * * *
See that big pale mark? That's where my watch used to be.
Here's the watch:
I wore it every day for 18 years, and I like it, as watches go. It was designed by Tibor Kalman of "M&Co," a very creative guy who designed all kinds of things. The watch wasn't expensive, and it's practical because it's easy to read.
Here's the back:
See what it says?
For years I've lived by that maxim, way before Tibor and his watch. As in, "What have you accomplished today? Oh, and by the way, are you late? You ARE late You've been wasting time!"
Three years after I got the watch, I read that Tibor died of cancer at 49, poor man, and after that every time I caught sight of the back, I'd think, "Right! Take note!"
And now I say to hell with it.
Last weekend I realized my mood slipped each time I checked my watch. That quick flick of the wrist was always accompanied by a bossy voice I'd rather not hear (see above). Consulting my watch made me feel less in control of time than I already do at 64, keenly aware that I'm considerably past the half-way mark unless I plan to live to be 128.
Boy, is this liberating! Now I do what I do, I consult a clock occasionally if I have an appointment, and that's it. Time takes care of itself. I'm in charge, and I no longer feel browbeaten. I can't believe how many times a day I catch myself taking a look at that pale patch on my wrist and think how it was a daily series of little punches, hour after hour, prodding me, hounding me. That watch is a bully.
I'm using time much more efficiently without it.
Has anyone else done this?
And now I say to hell with it.
Last weekend I realized my mood slipped each time I checked my watch. That quick flick of the wrist was always accompanied by a bossy voice I'd rather not hear (see above). Consulting my watch made me feel less in control of time than I already do at 64, keenly aware that I'm considerably past the half-way mark unless I plan to live to be 128.
Boy, is this liberating! Now I do what I do, I consult a clock occasionally if I have an appointment, and that's it. Time takes care of itself. I'm in charge, and I no longer feel browbeaten. I can't believe how many times a day I catch myself taking a look at that pale patch on my wrist and think how it was a daily series of little punches, hour after hour, prodding me, hounding me. That watch is a bully.
I'm using time much more efficiently without it.
Has anyone else done this?
No comments:
Post a Comment