Keeping time

I got my watch fixed today. That may not sound like a big deal to you but it meant me going back into the world of time keeping. You see, for the past three years I have be largely watch-less. I do, as most people, have a mobile phone that I use to refer to for the time, but it is not quite the same as a watch.

As I left the watchmakers with the newly repaired timepiece loosely strapped on to my wrist I was immediately conscious of the time. The woman in the shop said to me, “I’ve set the date and time for you.” I, in the usual ritual of shop transactions, said “thank you” several times as I handed over the watch, then the money, then took the guarantee. I repeated my thanks one last time as I left the shop and looked at the time on my hand.

I checked the time several times before I reached the end of the shopping parade. As I did so I reflected back into the past. The watch no longer reminds me of a time when I was tied to time. Although my days are still regulated in a ritualistic fashion goverened by the school time-table, I still have a fair amount of flexibility in my working day. A few years ago everything was strictly limited by what time it was; it was not, however, my timetable. Back then I was marching to the beat of somebody else’s schedule. My time was not my own.

Now, with the watch again on my wrist I feel that I have been sucked into the mainstream of society again. But, this time, I can – in some small way – better control the use of my time to suit me.

It was my choice to get it fixed, but I have doubts about how much I will be wearing it in the coming days.

Maybe it is just a case of getting used to the feel of it on my wrist again ... who knows? I’ll see how I feel about keeping time in a week or so.