Time Keeper

I love watches. I’m fascinated with watches. That's one of my must-haves in life. Unfortunately, I hear that watches are now becoming obsolete because everyone uses their cell phones to check the time. That saddens me because I think watches symbolize life, the passage of time, history. I find comfort and beauty in seeing the hands of an analog watch sweeping over its face and hearing the tick tock of its movement keeping track of our moments and memories. Nowadays I always notice when someone wears a watch and it makes me strangely happy. I notice if it’s digital or analog, the shape and size, how it sits on their wrist. I wonder how/why they chose it, if it was a gift, or if it was a family heirloom.

Recently my mom gave me a watch that belonged to my father. It was passed down to him by his dad and hasn't been worn in over 40 years. As I wound it, I wondered if I could even get it to work. Lo and behold, it sprang to life and is still keeping time with absolute precision. Not only is it a beautifully crafted time keeping instrument but it's rich with family history. And that is something the cell phone can never replace.