What’s With the Clocks?

Okay, this one has a story and I feel like it’s worth telling, mainly because these clocks are not hand-made (however they were designed by me and my dad), nor do they really fit the little ‘country hutch’ vibe, but they are there nonetheless.

A few years ago my dad’s heath wasn’t so good and I was over visiting him. I was telling him how I had taken a class to learn to get things made in factories and then sell them on Amazon. He said, “You know, I’ve always wanted to make a clock that says, ‘The Time Is Now’.” I said, “Well then, let’s do it!”

I designed the beach clock and then found a factory. After a lot of back and forth we finally received a sample and it was not good. The color was off and they couldn’t fix it without it costing a bunch of money to have more samples sent so I started over with a new manufacturer. I was also working at the time as a 3rd, 4th, 5th grade teacher and principal so the clock thing kind of fell to the wayside.

As his health began to deteriorate, I decided to pick up the clock project again. He told me that what he had always envisioned was the close-up of the buds (dad being a lifelong hippie). We expanded our designs to include the buds and the American flag versions. It was an election year and I thought it might appeal to folks on either side. This is why we have the three.

With the designs finalized, I ordered a sample of each. One Thursday evening after a very long day of work followed by a school board meeting, I arrived home to see that I had received the samples and they looked great! It was too late to call my dad so I figured I would bring them to him over the weekend. The next day my brother called me as I was leaving work and told me that I had better come over. Dad was close to leaving us.

When I went to his bedside, he couldn’t talk, but he was lucid. I held his hand and told him, “Dad! The clocks are here and they look great!” He got the biggest smile on his face and his eyes sparkled. There was something about us actually doing it and having the clocks that looked like such a triumph to him. My step-mom called me away to talk to me. Telling him about the clocks was the last thing I got to say to him.

So, naturally, I felt an obligation to see this clock thing through, and I did! I sent some up to Amazon, sold a few there, and on Marketplace. But now they have earned a coveted spot in my new chapter with Tooie Acres (my dad called me Tooie my entire life). Seeing them there every day makes me smile and I’m hoping that the message, The Time Is Now, resonates with some folks and they decide to get one to be reminded of that important idea. Whether it’s going on vacation, participating in change, indulging in your favorite pastime, opening a new home business, or whatever else is meaningful to you, the message works. The time is now, what are you waiting for?