Clock Therapy

A number of years ago an older woman made a comment to me about how much she enjoyed "the company of a clock". As a young twenty-something whippersnapper, I really had no idea what she meant but, because my parents raised me right, I smiled and nodded and made sounds of agreement.

For some reason that phrase has stayed with me and every once in a while it comes to mind for no particular reason. This past Sunday morning, I had one of those Ah-Ha moments that we hear so much about recently.

Gerry was sick on Sunday and he spent much of the morning in bed. Our usual routine on the weekends, well really every day, is that he goes down stairs first and pours coffee and brings it upstairs. (Especially on Sunday because there is something in the Bible about he-brews!)

Anyway, there I was downstairs in a quiet house waiting for Maya to go potty when it hit me. The house was totally quiet, save for the ticking of an old wall clock hanging in Gerry's office. I found the tick-tick-tock was oddly soothing and I realized what "the company of a clock" meant.

Our lives are filled with so much noise that it's easy to miss a little nugget like this. I thought about my own typical day. The first thing that I do when I get out of the shower is turn on the radio in my bathroom. From that point on, it's full steam ahead with activities and work and no time for quiet. Deep down I am an introvert, one of those people who can feel drained when she spends a lot of time around other people. Perhaps that's part of the reason why I feel so darn stressed most of the time. It also explains why I treasure a hot afternoon spent alone on the lawn swing with a good book.

So there it is. A lesson that has whispered to me over the years, but which I had missed the meaning of.

The next time I'm feeling overwhelmed by the noise and pressure of life, I'm going to turn off the noise and enjoy a bit of clock therapy.