When God made time, he made plenty of it (Irish and Celtic saying). Why then it feels like we always don’t have enough time for the things we want to do and for the people we want to spent time with? You can give an easy answer and say: “Time flies!” and its true! Tempus fugit!
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Last week I met a person how told me: “No, I don’t want to wear a watch so it will constantly remind me on “time is short” and drive me through the day.”
I, as a watchmaker, love watches. Not for telling me the time and constantly remind me that I must hurry up. No. My watch helps me to slow down. I sit down, taking the watch crown between my thumb and the index finger and turn it slowly. I enjoy the sound of winding my watch. I observe the second hand. How it is slowly cursing around its center. I turn the watch around and see through the sapphire back the movement. An entire universe in a case. The balance is oscillation, the wheels are turning. The power comes from the mainspring that I just wound. A perfect mechanism, beautiful to observe. Living in a complex world, a mechanical watch is so simple and therefore so beautiful. I can see with my own eyes and hear it with my own ears how it is working. Maybe therefore I am a watchmaker.
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In these moments of slowing down I start to think about Time.
For all of us we have 24 hours a day. Some people have the privilege to decide what to do with their time. Some people don’t. But everyone has 24 hours. No matter whether rich or poor, old or young, tall or small. And our watches measure these 24 hours. In hours, minutes and seconds. Just linear. But we all experience time differently. Some moments feel very long and boring that we wish it will be over soon. Like the last department meeting, the lesson in school or the waiting in a traffic jam.
That are the moments that are dragging. But the older you get the faster the days, weeks and years run down. Why do we feel like this? Probably because of fewer and fewer expectations or anticipation with growing age. As a child, you can’t wait for the next event. Children ask when is my birthday? When is Christmas? Or when are we finally there? But when we grow up, we think: oh, Christmas, again! We don’t have anticipation for those things that become normal to us.
What are the things or the people you are joyfully waiting for to do or to meet?
Every morning I wake up early and cannot sleep any more at 4 or 5 in the morning because I cannot wait to come into my workshop and make my watches.
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But for today I’m looking forward to the weekend to meet some old friends.
Have a great weekend ahead!
Steffen Cornehl