Tic Toc

Some time ago I inherited my great-grandmother's bed side clock. She must have picked it up on one of her travels. Its a Linden Blackforest wind up clock made in "West Germany" by Cuckcoo. The clock is small- only about 2 1/2" tall by 2 1/2" wide. It is looks like it is made of brass, with roses inlaid on the sides and on the face serving as a delicate decoration.

A few years back I placed the clock in my living room and would wind it up when company was due, because friends would chide they stayed too long, never knowing what time it was. But that was short-lived. This little clock has a lovely, strong "tic toc" sound. I love it! For me it was soothing, metronomic. For visitors, it was an annoyance. And back to the bedroom it went. Every now and again I find myself winding the clock for comfort. It still functions like a champ. The seconds pass as if a heartbeat, steady and true.



I've been thinking about time a lot lately. Work time, school time, dinner time, play time. Being a single mom to my niece makes time scarce, sometimes seemingly repetitive. Some days are barely distinguishable from the one previous. Or are they? What if, on a grander scheme of things, we all heard a loud "tic toc" everywhere we went? Would we be annoyed at the passage of time? Or would we be awakened to the things going on around us?

I was laughing to myself over the recent introspection en mass caused by the series finale of the TV show "LOST". Granted, I was moved, I looked inward...but does it really take a TV show to wake us up and make people take stock of what gifts we have in this life?

Tic toc. An elderly woman in a parking lot struggles to get her groceries into her car. Tic toc. A friend is in a funk over some difficulties. Tic toc. A day passes without us telling those around us "I love you." Tic Toc. You didn't take up a new hobby because you think you're too old.

The cadence of tic toc is suddenly SO evident to me, its almost palpable. What am I doing with my time? How am I investing in relationships with my family, friends, my God? How am I raising my child and preparing her to be a kind, loving woman?

Here's to hearing the clock and embracing the reminder of our most precious gift: time.