I’ll just stick with telling time the old-fashioned way

Published 4:01 pm Thursday, January 23, 2020

The battery in my watch played out last week, and I haven’t had the time to get to the jeweler to have it replaced.

My poor arm has felt naked without it since strapping one on each day has become a part of my daily routine when I get dressed.

I have also experienced a bit of frustration when I realized it was not there and had to find alternative methods to find out the time of day.

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I began wearing a watch shortly after I learned how to tell time back in elementary school and remember feeling so grown up.

Wearing a watch was kind of like a right of passage; it meant you were smart enough to tell time.

My first little watch, if my memory serves me correctly, was a beauty.

It had a gold bezel with two little narrow black straps.

Of course, it was an analog watch since the first digital watch did not appear on the market until 1972, and according to pcmag.com it retailed for $2,100.

Today that would calculate to $12,000.

Obviously, times have changed. Digital watches are much more affordable now.

However, the younger generations opt-out of even wearing one of these. So many just rely on their smartphones to keep track of the hour. That is unless they have a smartwatch.

Smartwatches are wristwatches that are in essence a wearable computer.

They can count steps, measure the distance you walk or run and calculate your calorie intake and heart and pulse rate.

There are some smartphones that can send text messages and make phone calls, too.

And it is not just the young people making smartwatches popular.

Hubby has one and keeps track of everything he does, even monitoring his sleep patterns.

Since most smartwatches seem big and bulky, I have not been attracted to them.

I do, however, find it curious about keeping track of my comings and goings and monitoring some of my bodily functions, but since I’m a bit OCD, that could cause me to suffer a bit of anxiety if I didn’t reach my 10,000th step for the day.

That was the case when I was given a Fitbit a few years ago.

I also found it a challenge to remember to charge it, and it began to irritate my skin.

What can I say?

Gold has never reacted on my arm.

Therefore, I think I will stay with my antiquated analog watch.

Who knows, maybe younger folks will think I am smart, since I can tell time the old-fashioned way.

 

Terri Cowart Frazier is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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