The Romantic Way

The power of a watch on a wrist always amazes me. While it tracks to the second, the moments of history leaving benchmarks for us to recall achievements, experiences, loves, losses and friends. At the same time a wristwatch grabs our desires, fears, opinions and our very lives by the throat leaving us as mere bystanders who can’t indulge in a single moment. Take off your watch for one week and you’ll see what I mean.

If you can resist having to know the time for two or three days and live in the moment, you’ll begin to see the benefits of leaving your watch at home. Take the wristwatch challenge and you’ll see life slow down, you’ll notice the beauty you’ve been missing and you’ll enjoy your friends more.

When we returned to the US from Russia, I took my watch off and haven’t put it back on since. I found that when I took off my watch, I began to experience the present rather than live in the future, the next appointment, tomorrow’s experience. I found that today’s experience and the people that I’m with today are only here to be experienced now. Tomorrow will have tomorrow’s experiences and I’ll live in them then.

Experiencing the present purely is being empty and hollow;
you catch grace as a man fills his cup under a waterfall.
Annie Dillard

I noticed some interesting phenomenon when I removed my wristwatch. Here are some of them:

• I schedule fewer things in a day, and I tend to schedule things that are less time-sensitive.
• I seldom arrive late, and usually arrive quite early. It’s impressive to those I’m meeting because it shows I’m more concerned about seeing them and less concerned about my schedule.
• I only occasionally ask someone the time, and I always enjoy it when I do.
• My sons gave me a pocket watch with a cover which says “The Greatest Dad”. They said, “Dad, it has a cover so you don’t accidentally see the time if you really don’t want to.” If you stop wearing a wristwatch you might get a cool pocket watch like that, too!”
• When I arrive at an appointment, I often ask my friend or colleague to watch the time for their schedule and that I’m there until they need to leave. “I’ve nowhere to go. I’m just here to see you.” It sends a powerful message.
• When I’m with people and I’m not concerned about the time, I find myself completely captured my them, what they have to say and who they are. I ask many more questions probably because I have time to listen to the answers.
• I talk far less about myself and my problems.
• I notice more. I’ve become far more sensually alive. I notice colors, smells, smiles. I feel life — both pleasure and pain.
• Most important, it’s much easier to get an even tan without the wristwatch!

Take the wristwatch challenge and leave your watch in a drawer for one week. You’ll be glad you did and you’ll think twice about putting it back on!

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