A “mindful clock” reminds us to be in the moment.
Our sense of time is fluid because of our memories (e.g., either something happened that we’re remembering, or something happened that we fear could happen again). The moment it enters our thoughts, a memory turns us into time travelers. Sometimes that can be joyful, other times painful; sometimes comforting, other times agonizing. Mindfulness is not about forgetting or ignoring your memories or even your hopes and fears. Mindfulness simply provides the opportunity to be present in the current moment in a way that can refocus the brain from regret (about the past) or anxiety (about the future), for example.
Here’s a small excerpt using a life event from one of the characters in the Neverending Saga.
[He’d] never worn a watch. Even as a little kid, he’d had an adversarial relationship with watches, clocks, and possibly time in general. He was willing to adhere to most of the rules: bedtime; time to get up; be in your desk on time when the school bell rings; don’t keep parents, other family, and [teachers] waiting by being late.
[After the tragic loss of his parent,] he began to understand how distorted his perception of time could be. Some good things seemed to have happened long ago; bad things not only felt recent, but had such sharpness, rawness, that they seemed to happen again each time he thought of them, with the same impact.
Time, time, time
See what’s become of me
While I looked around for my possibilities
I was so hard to please
Look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter…
I suppose, with a clock that always tells you when “NOW!” is, you will never know when “LATE!” is, and therefore you will never be late.
But, then we would have
Time, Time, Time O’Clock, Time O’Clock rock
Time, Time, Time O’Clock, Time O’Clock rock
Time, Time, Time O’Clock, Time O’Clock rock
We’re gonna rock…
Yeah, that’s just not the same.
I defy you to believe that I can never be late. It’s a gift, and one I struggle not to have. =)
Before the earthquake, there was a tiny billboard at a traffic light that had a lit-up digital clock on it. But, the owners who took the money from the billboard refused to keep the clock correct as much as they refused to tidy up the weathered billboard. They finally set it half an hour off, so that they didn’t even have to bother synchronizing the clock twice a year. Eventually, it slowed down and became hours and halves behind. By that clock, you will always be late.
But they bought an eye-catching, distracting, light up panel to replace the failed billboard and clock. Fortunately, for me, I can completely block that nonsense with my car’s windshield pillars as I wait for the traffic light to change. Now, that should be the new prison for the perpetually flipping hour glass.