Slave to the Clock

I am gearing up for our first Tech-free Day without computers, phones, cars, and clocks this Sunday, and I am both excited and fearful that I am woefully unprepared. What will we DO with a whole day and evening of free time and no way of looking things up on the internet or connecting with friends? I am just hoping to wing it and follow our intuition or our bliss, or whatever strikes our fancy. Food, always my main concern, shouldn't be a problem since for this day, cooking is ok and so is take-out. We just can't use the phone to call and order it.

My biggest worry has actually been our one fixed plan – a birthday party that runs from 10:30am to 1:00pm on Sunday. I now have a better understanding of the difficulty of observing a Sabbath in a world and a community that is on a different schedule and plan. I have been worrying for a week now about how we will get to the party on time without a clock to guide us. I even made a point of checking out how the sun comes in the window at 10:30am, in hopes of timing our departure that way. Paying closer attention to the natural world (the sun) is a good thing, so I don't think it's cheating. And spending time with friends is definitely in the spirit of this experiment, so we are going to make an effort to get to the party. We just might be a little late. Or early. And I have to remember to look up the address on the Evite before Saturday at sunset. Paper invitations are a rarity these days.

I am starting to realize what a slave I am to the clock, especially with a little one who thrives on structure and consistency. My son, Peter, needs to have breakfast by 8:30. He has lunch at 12:00 and goes down for a nap at 1:00. He needs to nap for at least an hour, so if he calls out before 2:00, I encourage him to stay in his crib for at least a little longer. He has dinner at 6:00, so if he asks for a snack after 5:00, I try and keep it light, or give him an early dinner if he is really hungry. He has his bath at 6:30 so that he can be in bed by 7:00 each evening. With all of these checkpoints, I am constantly looking at my watch to see if it is “time” for him to eat or sleep. In a sense, it feels a bit like lazy parenting – I rely on the clock to tell me what he needs instead of looking to him for signs of hunger and sleepiness.

So what if I just let him guide me for a day regarding his needs for food and sleep? Would that be so bad? Sure, he might subsist on rice cakes for a few meals if he fills up on “snack” too close to dinner. He might get to stay up a bit later that usual. That's really the worst that could happen. And on the positive side, my maternal instincts will get a workout as I pay close attention to him to see what he needs in a given moment instead of just going by the clock. Luckily he is starting to talk a bit more, so I can always ask him if he is hungry or needs to sleep. I think I'm getting closer to my goal of familial intimacy, I just hope I don't alienate my friends by showing up for their party at 8:30 in the morning...

By the way, I have adjusted the security settings on my Comments to make it a little easier for you all to post. What do you think? Do you think it is beneficial or even possible to disengage from our attachment to timekeepers in a society that functions "by the clock"?