Having something to do, interact with, and be about is one condition of happiness. When we’re sedentary and life has become a chore, we tend to overeat, over-preach, and… buy too many watches. When I was in university and full of ambitious dreams, I wore an F105W, a cheap black plastic (CBP) digital watch costing about $10. Mom asked me if I wanted something better to which I replied, watches aren’t important to me.
It wasn’t until I landed my first job as a technical writer that I put down $100 for a deeply discounted boy’s size Seiko Kinetic. That was my first real watch and the first of many ‘experiments’ that led me to buy over 20 watches over 27 years.
Along the way, as is so often the case with life, I discovered myself through earning and spending money how I thought best. The watches that touched me most were the watches I bought and wore for a purpose, a job role, to meet people. The watches I bought when I was happy, cheap as they might be.
Watches say what you are, not you saying what the watch is (for). And we are thankful that the watch is designed well not to say aesthetically.
I wrote earlier on how people find out what their true purpose in life is, normally only 1 or 2 things, and buy into that ideal. My ideal is a life of teaching on the road, camping in hotel rooms and departure lounges, walking through the city between cafes and meetings. I soon acquired what little I needed: a sturdy pair of Teva sandals, a good quality Caribee backpack, and a basic Nokia smartphone with WhatsApp.
I used to wear a Protrek to church (or ecclesia), now I go with something far more commonplace and understated. A basic model Casio 800h. Just your bog standard CBP digital that nobody notices. What you are about, you should buy quality / splurge for. What you’re not, just buy the accepted norm’s cheap / disposable.
It came as some surprise that I’m not a ‘showoff’ role person despite having a keen eye for art and mechanisms. That I’m more a Ghandi / Dalai Llama type. Last night, I spoke in the mindscape, talking business ideas with SMEs while I wore my cheap $18 Casio. We invented a catamaran (motorized) bicycle and renovated a sex toys shop. Tonight, another session is planned. I forget my watches. They aren’t important to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment