Today I am thankful for… an old watch.

It is sort of broken. The day and the date are never in sync. But it does accurately do its primary job. It tells time.

It is not smart. No notifications, and it makes no sound. There is no wifi, data plan, or call features. It cannot text, and there is no alarm function either. It doesn’t track my steps, or my heartbeat.

But it does something more important.

It lets me sit outside and focus. 

I can read my physical Bible, listen to the sounds in my neighborhood, and focus on writing letters, poetry, and random personal thoughts (some I choose to share with you). 

I know my phone has a clock, but it is also a barrage of temptation. The buzz of group texts, pings to check work emails, endless spam/scams, and the dopamine rush to scroll mindlessly through videos and curated content about the same topics, same people, and same perspectives. 

Instead of telling time, my phone makes me lose track of it.

But when it’s just me and my watch?

• I observe rather than consume.
• I create rather than critique.
• I reflect rather than react.
• I enjoy the moment and simply know when it’s time to go.

It tells time. That’s it. 

And we all know time is a limited commodity. 

So I wonder, what if my response to the boundaries of time shouldn’t be to do more things, but to do less things in more fulfilling ways?

Be fully present, not fully allocated.

You don’t need to do more to be more valuable. Bring your full self to what you’re already doing. You are the value. Not the checked box.

So today I am thankful for analog. For a quietly ticking second hand on a second hand watch, that helps me focus on the most important things: loving God and loving others. 

Epilogue

There are different ways to love people. I pray that through writing like this, in some way, I am loving you well.

Today’s writing was inspired not only by a watch from a respective former colleague and friend, but also from Psalm 90:12 and Matthew 24:42.

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know ton what day your Lord is coming.”

#grateful #thankful #meetingnotes #timewithGod