Do you have the time?

I’ve worn a watch EVERY day religiously for as long as I can remember. I’m thinking that it has been since I was about 12…and before that I wore one at least semi-religiously. So, I’ve been completely dependent up on a watch for at least 15 years—I mean--I go nuts if I forget it. Besides being a time keeper, my watch acts as my life management system as I time most things that I do. This rigidity has also contributed to my anxiety (and not in a good way).

Anyway, a few weeks ago I lost my watch. Don’t even ask me how this is possible, I still think my husband hid it from me. (Just kidding Honey.) I do have two backup watches, but one has a really annoying watchband and the other has a dead battery. For some bizarre reason I forgot my backup watch one day and that night didn’t look at the clock to see what time it was when I went to sleep. (Another compulsive behavior I have is to count the number of hours I’m going to sleep when I close my eyes to sleep.) It was the weirdest thing when, the next morning Craig asked me when I went to sleep. I had no idea! I had read a blog post written by a diabetic girl who said that she never wears a watch because her pump has a clock on it. I think I had this in the back of my head and I felt so liberated by not knowing when I’d gone to bed that I deliberately did not wear my watch that day and then didn’t wear it the next day and the next day and it has now been about two weeks since I’ve worn a watch. SO WEIRD

Life is so much more enjoyable when you only look at the clock when you NEED to know what time it is rather than compulsively checking the time every 10 minutes (or every three minutes if I’m bored). I’ve been running without a watch. Seriously, you should try it. Running is more fun when you can’t look at your watch every two minutes. It is actually relaxing. I’m aware that my performance will probably suffer in doing this, but um, I’m not exactly the performance running type. I’m more the—I’ve made the general observation that old people who have made exercise a lifelong routine seem to be more healthy—runner.

Yes, I do think it is mildly annoying to both Craig and I when we need to know what time it is as either he has to get his phone out or I have to get my pump out, but seriously—it is worth it! You should try it…but don’t blame me if you are late for work