This old clock on the wall is a symbol of time in so many ways beyond the obvious. It is more than a time piece against the backdrop of an oft-painted kitchen wall.
In the middle of the night if I had woken up I would peek into the room to check the time. Even though I owned a digital clock at a young age. Perhaps I trusted this one more since it never left its’ place on the wall. I started to think about where it could go in my own home. The trustworthy electronic powered gears would give off an audible hum that could be heard anywhere upstairs in the home. When there was no other noise around, you could always hear this clock rolling along with time.
I remember seeing similar clocks in a few antique shops somewhere and occasionally running into them in different homes I have been in throughout my life. When I see them it takes me back to this place. This old familiar site on the old familiar wall. Where it was surrounded by the sites and smells of many meals, baking, or even just warmth from a tea kettle.
As I walked through the rooms of this house for one final time I had intended to take this old clock with me. I figured I could find a home for it somewhere within the surroundings of my home office. Maybe continue to enjoy the familiar sounds I had become accustomed to for nearly twenty years. It is a sound I would occasionally think of on a few sleepless nights when I was far away from it.
When I returned to the kitchen I reached for the wall with the intention of removing it before I left. I stopped and thought for a second or two about how empty the wall would seem if it was gone. How out of place it would look if I removed it.
It didn’t seem right.
So I walked away from the room for the final time with the clock left in place. Whether it will remain there or not will be left to the new homeowner’s choice. From my perspective, it belongs to this house and on this wall. This is how I will remember it, regardless of where time takes it next.
—
Originally published on Dann Alexander
—
◊♦◊
Here are more ways to become a part of The Good Men Project community:
Request to join our private Facebook Group for Writers—it’s like our virtual newsroom where you connect with editors and other writers about issues and ideas.
Click here to become a Premium Member of The Good Men Project Community. Have access to these benefits:
- Get access to an exclusive “Members Only” Group on Facebook
- Join our Social Interest Groups—weekly calls about topics of interest in today’s world
- View the website with no ads
- Get free access to classes, workshops, and exclusive events
- Be invited to an exclusive weekly “Call with the Publisher” with other Premium Members
- Commenting badge.
Are you stuck on what to write? Sign up for our Writing Prompts emails, you’ll get ideas directly from our editors every Monday and Thursday. If you already have a final draft, then click below to send your post through our submission system.
If you are already working with an editor at GMP, please be sure to name that person. If you are not currently working with a GMP editor, one will be assigned to you.
◊♦◊
Are you a first-time contributor to The Good Men Project? Submit here:
◊♦◊
Have you contributed before and have a Submittable account? Use our Quick Submit link here:
◊♦◊
Do you have previously published work that you would like to syndicate on The Good Men Project? Click here:
Join our exclusive weekly “Call with the Publisher” — where community members are encouraged to discuss the issues of the week, get story ideas, meet other members and get known for their ideas? To get the call-in information, either join as a member or wait until you get a post published with us. Here are some examples of what we talk about on the calls.
Want to learn practical skills about how to be a better Writer, Editor or Platform Builder? Want to be a Rising Star in Media? Want to learn how to Create Social Change? We have classes in all of those areas.
While you’re at it, get connected with our social media:
- To join our Facebook Page, go here.
- To sign up for our email newsletter, go here.
- To follow The Good Men Project on Twitter, go here.
◊♦◊
However, you engage with The Good Men Project—you can help lead this conversation about the changing roles of men in the 21st century. Join us!
◊♦◊
We have pioneered the largest worldwide conversation about what it means to be a good man in the 21st century. Your support of our work is inspiring and invaluable.
—
Photo credit: Shutterstock ID 60348184