Commentary: No Daylight Saving Time like the present

All in good time

Time flies. Free time. No time like the present. We are a society obsessed with time.

At least I am.

I’m the person who always arrives early, even when I try to be late. My days are divided into small segments, dictated by time. When to leave? How much time do I have? How much time is left? I never realized how time-oriented I was, until six months ago, when my watch battery went dead.

I meant to replace it ASAP, but didn’t “make the time” to do it right away. A week later, without a working watch, it occurred to me that this could be a blessing in disguise.

I decided to go watchless. At first, it felt odd, but I found I was enjoying my watch-free time. I still managed to get everything done punctually, but without the pressure.

In the “dinosaur age,” as my grandson would call it, a watch was just a watch, and a clock was just a clock. You were lucky if it had a second hand. It didn’t pay my bills, track my steps, play music or store photos. But it did get me to school and work on time.

This subject reminds me of a childhood story. It was about a man who was always trying to save time. At first, he decided to eat breakfast the night before, in order to save time in the morning. It worked so well, that he began eating his lunch at 7 a.m., so he wouldn’t waste time at noon. Finally, he started eating dinner at noon, so he wouldn’t have to stop to eat in the evening.

You see where this story is going.

So, for my final thoughts, please “give me a minute.” You can’t “turn back the clock,” so enjoy “living in the moment.” Take “down time” instead of “face time.” It will be “time well spent.”

TERRI GOLDSTEIN lives in Newport Coast.