Clocks are nasty taskmasters.
When a digital clock starts sounding out beep-beep-beep-beep you know it’s up-getting time. When a stove clock gives a mellow ring you know it’s time to shut off the oven. When father’s wrist watch starts to buzz the kids know it’s bedtime. When the living room clock chimes you know the opportunities presented by the last hour are gone.
Some folks are so worried about being late they arrive too early and have to wait on those who take a more leisurely view of time. At the other extreme we have people who are chronic late-comers, holding up an airplane and 150 passengers while they squeeze in just before the ramp is wheeled away.
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On alarm-free weekends, some can sleep until all hours of the morning. I find I open one eye to check the clock every few minutes.
Then, when the bathroom calls, there’s not much sense in going back to bed, is there?
Whether we slavishly do all the behests of the clock or push our luck as far as we can, today’s clock is a remarkable device. It speaks of the skills humans have developed since the sun dial of the Babylonians in 2000 B.C., the clepsydra, or water clock of about 200 B.C., the hour glass, the burning knotted rope and the notched candle used by ancient civilizations.
We have found ways to make timekeepers cheaply. They may only last a year but nearly everyone can afford a watch.
Whether we get stomach ulcers rushing to beat the deadline or customarily drag in late, we’re all aware that time is ticking away and once it’s gone it isn’t coming back.
