TIME

The wife read a previous blog - you know, the one about our hoarding glassware - I'm sure you've read it, it has gone viral in several 3rd world countries. She made the comment that I mustn't have very much to do - thus my taking the time to count all 253 drinking vessels* that we have amassed over the years...good years, all of them mind you, never any marital issues. Whew!

* 252 if you don't include the dogs' water dish

The time comments got me to thinking about the essence of time, itself, and how I have changed my perceptions of time since retiring. While employed, I was obsessed with time and felt an absolute obsession with timeliness. I must have been the only one as, when I showed up for meetings on time, I was the only one there. Once I left the workplace, I could see no use for wearing a watch, so now I rarely wear one. Why would I need one? There are no meetings to attend, no deadlines to keep, no schedules that demand punctuality. If I need to know what time it is, there are enough timepieces hanging here and there to give me the information that is needed. Even without the ubiquitous time devices, there are plenty of secondary clues that give an approximation of the time of day. For example, if a storefront has a sign that says that they open at 9 a.m. and the door to that store is open, you know that it's after 9 a.m. At the same time if the store next door to the first store says that it opens at 10 a.m. and the door is closed, you know that it's somewhere between 9 and 10 a.m. Better still, just look at the clock outside the bank across the street and it will tell you that it's 9:35 a.m.

Sitting in our living room is an inescapable maze of time pieces within view: one on the wall with a picture of a dog on it, the digital clock on the microwave as well as a digital clock on the range. There's one more: a console clock two feet below the clock with the dog picture on it. Into the dining room you'll find an attractive analog clock. The clock on my computer always has the accurate time, plus our phones display the correct time. The extra bedroom's clock is there but is an hour ahead as I never turned it back for standard time. No big deal - daylight savings time will be here shortly.

Note to self: I think that I need to revise the Hoarder's blog as I have discovered that we are also clock hoarders.


Readers, enjoy your day...one minute at a time.