Sunday, August 11, 2013

Baby Steps


Change is often difficult. One way to make it more comfortable is to take small steps. Today I made a step into the 21st century as I took off my wristwatch and left it at home. Last year, my second graders wrote imaginative descriptions of themselves as 100 year-old people. One of them included the following line in his description, “I would wear a watch.” It made me laugh at the time as I looked down at the one on my 60 year-old-wrist and realized that very few people wear them now. To a child it is a device for the elderly.
So today I decided to give it a try without my watch. The white outline from summer tanning is still there marking its place on my arm. I know because I have looked at it repeatedly throughout the day. Even, I realize, as I type on my laptop, which has the time clearly visible at the top! I am rarely without my cell phone, which requires a simple click to get the time. Will I be successful in weaning myself from the old fashioned tool that has adorned my wrist for so many years? Not without a few moments of frustration, I am certain, but with time and patience, I too, will live without a wristwatch. World of the future, here we come!