As most Americans do, I wore a wrist watch all of my adult life. It was always important to know what time it was. Our structured lives are founded upon schedules. More as a symbol of rebellion and to express my new found freedom, I removed my watch when I retired from the Air Force. No longer was time important. I could get out of bed when I wanted, eat when I wanted, no meetings to attend, and go to bed whenever I felt like it. I did what I wanted, when I wanted. How enjoyable it was to be free from time.... for that one week. Then reality set back in and my new corporate position began. Back to waking up on time to make the 45 minute drive to work, being sure I reported to work on time. I was always watching the clock, making sure I wasn't late to the frequent meetings and waiting until the time I was free to go home to my family. But I continued with my personal rebellion and have never worn a watch once it was removed.
I tried to get Connie to take her watch off, joining me in my little rebellion. But she stayed a slave to watching time until the very end. Finally, when we started to RV fulltime and she was free of her job did she finally remove her watch. I never missed wearing a time piece, as clocks are everywhere! All computers have a clock, my cell phone has a clock, my pager had a clock, the PDA has a clock, the radio's have a clock, there's clocks on the walls everywhere, there's large digital clocks along the highways (usually banks) and most kitchen appliances have a clock. Even if I tried, I'm never out of sight of a clock. Even here in our motorhome, as I sit in the living room, I have 6 clocks within view.
Since starting RV fulltiming, we've again found that freedom from time. Once again we can do what we want, when we want. Sometimes, time seems to fly by. At other times, it seems to have stood still. Since we can't get away from clocks, we usually know what time of the day it is. We don't necessarily care what time it is, other than to know it's "five o'clock somewhere". Being aware of the hour is one thing, but knowing what the date is, or what day of the week it is, is another thing. Dates and the day of the week mean even less to us than the hourly time. Sure, we need to be aware of the day, in order to avoid weekend crowds and holidays. But we usually have to seek out this information. At least 2 or 3 times a week we ask each other what day it is. We just completely loose track of time. If this is the worst of problems, then we're doing something right.
As of today, there's only 2 dates we don't want to sneak up on us. 1) To be back in Arizona with our daughters by May 10th for Cindy's 21st birthday and Leslie's first baby (our first grandchild); and 2) We committed ourselves to start workamping in South Dakota near Mt. Rushmore, starting July 1st. Other than this, we could care less what time it is, or what day of the week it is, or what date it is. We've found our freedom from time. Have you?
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