Today was a big day. Today I replaced the clock in the bedroom. Yes. That’s right. After many months of thinking about it, attempting to adjust the existing clock, I decided the time was right. Actually, the time wasn’t right and that is why I had to replace the clock. You notice I didn’t call it an alarm clock. Oh, it had and maybe still has the ability to act as alarm clock, but I can’t remember the last time I set an alarm clock.

Isn’t it odd that we struggle so much sometimes to let go of things we didn’t even know we were attached to?

I never gave it much thought, but it’s been years since I’ve heard an alarm clock go off that I set. Occasionally, Kathy will set an alarm for one thing or another, but I never do. I can’t say if it’s a blessing or a curse, but whenever I go to bed I know what time I need to wake up and I do. This obscure talent along with a dollar bill will almost buy me a cup of coffee. Despite the fact that I don’t need an alarm, standing faithfully on the stand by the bed for years has been my trusty clock. This thing was something when I bought it. It shows the time zones. It has battery backup. It follows some atomic clock somewhere through technology that is way beyond me. It has several different wake-up modes that can be mixed and matched in ways that I can’t even imagine, let alone understand. Last, but certainly not least, it sets itself for Daylight Saving Time.

I could not tell you the last time that clock showed the correct time. It changes to and from Daylight Saving time on the old schedule so it’s a couple weeks late in the spring and a couple weeks late in the fall. It used to take me about a half a day to trick the clock to get it to read the correct time whenever the time changed. I gave up trying several years ago and just reminded myself that the clock was off for a week. Again, longer ago than I can remember, the clock decided that it was going to be 10 minutes ahead of the world, forever. I’ve reset it time and time again, but it still sneaks back to 10 minutes early. This clock has not told the correct time for at least five and probably 10 years. Twice a year, it isn’t even close and yet I’ve put off doing anything about it.

I was on the verge of apologizing when I pulled the plug. I couldn’t stand to look at it on the counter so I put it in a bag so I couldn’t see what I had done. It seemed so wasteful. After all, it was working, just not working right. It’s not like I didn’t know it was 10 minutes late and adjust for it. But it’s gone. I researched my needs and went shopping for a replacement. I really didn’t need an alarm clock, but that’s about all you can get to set on a nightstand. LED display is nice when I get up in the night although now that I think about it, I don’t know what difference it makes what time it is in the night. It’s got a snooze, but I doubt I’ll ever use it. It was quite a significant investment to correct the long standing bedroom clock issue; $7.88 was the price for the new clock. I don’t take these things lightly.

Isn’t it odd that we struggle so much sometimes to let go of things we didn’t even know we were attached to? Then, when we do decide to let go, we feel so guilty? Like we could probably get by for another year or so. The TV in the garage hasn’t worked since last fall. NASCAR season is back under way and I can feel another struggle coming on. My life is completely falling apart all around me.

 Bill Packard lives in Union and is the founder of BPackard.com.  He is a speaker, author, small business coach and consultant. 

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