The Old Coot lost his
status.
By Merlin Lessler
I had to switch my watch
to my right arm the other day. There was a cut on my left wrist, and the watch
kept opening it up when I bumped into something. I had a hard time seeing the
face of the watch when it was on my right wrist. It was unnatural to twist my arm to see the
dials. Actually, no dials, just numbers: 7:22 as I write this. The watch is
blank until I pull up my arm from the side and twist it. Then it shows the time,
but goes blank 10 seconds later.
I solved the problem; I
put the face of the watch on the inside of my right wrist. It really is the
most efficient way to wear a watch – you hardly have to move your arm to check
the time. I only recall two kinds of people wearing watches that way: nurses and
people in the military. Nurses, so they can see the second hand when checking someone’s
pulse. Soldiers, so they can hold a rifle in a firing position and still see
what time it is.
Many people gave up their
watches when cell phones went mainstream. They used their phone; the time was
right there in their hand. They were lured back, when the Fitbit and the Apple
watch went on the market. I had a Fitbit for a few years, but I had trouble
seeing the display when I was out in the sun. I replaced it with a cheaper watch
that isn’t quite as smart. It tells the time, my pulse rate, how far and fast I
walk, but nowhere near as much as the real smart watches. I don’t care; I can
see the numbers in bright sunlight, and the ten second delay lets me use it as
a flashlight in the dark.
It now rests on the inside
of my right arm, giving me some status, like that of a nurse or a soldier. A
better image than that of an old coot. But it came to a quick end when a young
guy (in his thirties) saw it and asked me, “What war were you in? The Civil War
or World War one, Ha Ha?” I’m not feeling so smug now. I think I’ll get out my
dad’s old pocket watch. No one will even know what it is when I pull it out to
check the time. Maybe they’ll think it’s a new electronic device. I’ll have
status again.
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