You Know What Time It Is? It's Time To Get A Watch!

So I already know that this post is going to offend some people, and for that I apologize. This has been on my mind lately, and I feel I need to get it off my chest.


Bottom line: I don't trust people that don't wear watches. These are the people that say, "I use my cell phone to tell time." As if.


My time telling saga starts early. I honestly think I was about 10 or 11 before I could accurately tell time on an analog clock. My mother tells me that I would sneak into the kitchen to check the time on the microwave. She realized I did this and insisted I learn to tell time. Let me just say here that for the most part, I could tell time. It was the tricky stuff like when it's between the half-hour and the next hour....that can be difficult if you aren't spatially gifted...and I'm not.


I think I started wearing a watch full-time when I entered the sixth grade. I remember thinking that I would have to know exactly what time it was so that I wouldn't be late to my classes. They allowed 4 minutes between classes and threatened us with certain death if we were late. I remember that first watch was your basic Timex on a black strap. I made it sparkly by putting a small prismatic star sticker in the center. I wore this watch for a couple of years. I then progressed to a Mickey Mouse watch. I loved it and it served me well.


So fast forward to my adult life and being in the work place. I have found that my day revolves around increments of time. A watch is necessary so that you can move the kids along whether you're doing math or getting to your special class on time. (Trust me, special class teachers don't like you to come to their class early or be late picking them up.) It's really hard for me to think about what I have to do in the classroom by subject or topic. I tend to think about my teaching in blocks of time.


Another element of timliness is that not wearing a watch leads to being late. Please note that this is not true for all non-watch wearers, but it does happen. I know some people wear a watch and are also late, but we're talking about my perceptions here and I digress. I saw a show once that talked about people being late. I remember there was this one girl and she was on the show with some of her closest friends. Basically, they said they loved this girl but that she was never on time. She would be late by an hour or more. Her friends tried to solve this problem by just telling her that their outing would start an hour earlier, but found she was still late. Here's what was an eye-opener for me: When you are late, chronically, you are basically telling the people that are waiting for you that you think you are better than them and that their time isn't as valuable as yours. Again, I know you might be saying "Not me" but believe me, if you're late a lot, that's what your friends think about you.



People that check the time on their cell phone bother me. It always looks like they're getting ready to take a call or something. If you work in a place where cell phones shouldn't be seen or heard, getting out to check the time can be dangerous. In some instances, depending on your phone, checking the time also looks like texting. I think most people are annoyed with others and their cell phones, just not their own.


My current watch is one that my husband bought for my birthday last year. In my adult life, I've been a fan of the Seiko. I saw some ads for a Citizen watch that didn't require a battery. It was powered by the sun. David bought me one and by far, it's my favorite all-time watch. I do take my watch off when I get home from work, but I have at least one clock in each room of my house. Including the bathrooms and closets. Really. I don't want to be one of those people that keeps you waiting, so I'll check my trusty watch or clock often. After all, I turn my cell phone off and it won't tell the time.


So the next time you see me and ask me the time, just know that I'm serious when I say, "You want to know what time it is? It's time for you to get a watch!"