Time Will Tell

The value of a watch!  Well, that could be the beginning of a major debate, hey?  I've never liked wearing a watch - something about having it strapped onto my arm is uncomfortable for me.  But I've always kept in mind what I once heard somebody say.  "Your watch reflects more about yourself than any other article of clothing or jewellry that you could wear."  And I suppose that makes sense to me.  Really, why shouldn't it?  Because there are so many elements of a watch to choose - the shape, the size, the colour, the style of the hands, the style of the numerals, the clip itself even.  There's a lot there to reflect your tastes. 

And then my brother gave me a Christmas present.  Mind, this is dating back to when it was actually Christmastime. 

He wrapped the little box with homemade wrapping paper, and the card that he has made himself said very suggestively "In this style 10/6".  This was a very clever little twist of ideas.  Not only was it the same inscription as the card in the Mad Hatter's top hat (from the book!) but the gift itself was 'in the style' of Wonderland. 

It was a silver pocket watch.  It was just the right size for me.  Just the right colour.  Just the right thickness.  The design was elegant and complex and baffling all at once in true Wonderland flavour, and you could see straight into its little hard-working heart, with the whimsical brass wires and golden cogs toiling humbly to a gentle beat.  And it doesn't strap to my wrist.  It snuggles in my pocket.  I whip it out at the momentary impulsenand flip open the lip to peek affectionately at the numerals.  It is so wonderful.  I adore having to wind it every day.  There is such a sturdy, unfailing mechanical...ness to having to wind it.  I love it.  Until I was given it, I had trusted entirely to my body clock, which as you undoubtedly have discovered, is not the most honest time-measurement ever invented; mine has a frustrating propensity to trick me. 

There is great value in having a watch.  And I think mine reflects me beautifully.  Isn't it sweet that my brother could choose it so perfectly?  You know it tickles my delight so much that I have a pocket watch for the sake of it being a POCKET watch.  You know Sherlock Holmes, or even my gorgeous Watson, for that matter, would have easily been able to deduce from my pocket watch my daily habits?  Mmmmm.  It's so great, isn't it?