There is a new addition on my fireplace mantle.  For our recent anniversary I gave my Beloved a cuckcoo clock.  It is of a sophisticated sleek Danish design, bound in blond wood.  The face is sage green with minimalistic numbering.  A charming yellow bird announces the hour with actual bird song which is heard throughout our house.  Initially this caught the attention of my Labrador Retrievers, who are, after all, bird dogs.  But now they ignore it, the novelty having worn off.  They generally don't care what time it is unless it involves food.

Our lives seem to be dictated by time.  Places to be, stuff to do….  Though I no longer wear a watch, I am always near a computer or my phone so I can see the time if needed.  But this new clock delighted me. Until it didn’t.

Now that I can hear the time, I am appalled by how quickly the previous hour passed.  I always think, Wait! What? How is it possible that another hour has evaporated?

As we’ve all just gone through the dreaded “Spring Forward” adjustment to our Circadian rhythms, my dogs luck out as their breakfast arrives an hour earlier and their dinner time remains essentially unchanged.  The rest of us will grumble and complain for the remainder of the week until something else distracts our attention. 

Time.  How do we grab it, wring more meaning or pleasure out of it?  As little kids time passed sooooo slowly.  They say the same thing is true for dogs, yet they age too quickly and don’t live nearly long enough.

If we could just slow ourselves down, take a breath, and focus on what is actually important then our time might become more manageable.    Maybe we should get rid of those clocks...

Be like my Labrador Retrievers. Be thoughtful in your intent.  Go forth with purpose.  Never pass up a meal.  Being kind doesn't hurt either.

Happy March~