Watching My Pocket

Back in the late 1800s, there was a string of train collisions that were caused in part by the inaccuracy of the timekeeping pieces of engineers and conductors. When one of those collisions took the lives of several people, a commission was appointed and tasked with developing a universal set of timekeeping standards for all railroads. It took two years, but in 1893 the General Railroad Timepiece Standards went into effect and railroad officials scurried to place their orders with William Bond & Sons, the American agent for Barroud & Lund of London. And that, friends, was the birth of one of the most valued and treasured watches in all of history ... the railroad pocket watch.

I remember my dad saying that once the love of trains and railroading got in your blood, it was there forever. That statement was certainly true for Daddy ... he worked for the Southern Railway for 50 years. I never understood what a big deal that was until now, you know ... working at the same place for 50 years ... that kind of loyalty and commitment to a company is pretty rare in many workplaces today. While I would never claim to love all things trains as much as Daddy did, I think he's probably smiling in heaven as I type these words ... I really, really, really love pocket watches, especially the railroad pocket watches of days gone by.

Several people have given me pocket watches down through the years, and I treasure every one of them just as I do the people who gave them to me. Though I love all of my pocket watches, there's one in particular that is extra special to me. It's not a railroad watch, and it's not a fancy, expensive, made by a Swiss watchmaker watch. It's the one that most often resides within my pocket, however, and it is without question one of my most-loved possessions. I don't know why, but there's something about the watch that's calming to me. When I'm afraid or anxious about the future or feeling all alone, having the watch in my pocket helps me to remember that, in time, whatever is troubling me at that moment will indeed pass.

There's something else that my beloved pocket watch helps me to remember ... something that, as weird as it may sound, may well be the reason I've always been so infatuated with the old-fashioned timepieces. See, here's the thing ... no matter what I'm doing, I have to take time out every day to wind my watch or it doesn't work. If I don't do my part ... if I don't wind my watch so that the gears continue to move ... if I don't put in the effort required to keep my watch going, it dies. And every time I wind my old watch, friends, I can't help but think about people ... people I love and care about. I can't help but think about how important it is that I do my part ... that I keep the gears of my relationships with others moving ... that if I don't put in the effort required to keep those relationships going, they will most surely die.

Think about it, friends ... are you winding your watch?