Kiss the Clock

My grandkids taught me to "kiss the clock" whenever the numbers read 1:11, 2:22, 3:33 etc. and wish for something. (I think this game must have begun with digital clocks.) Rather than wish for something that some abstract deity is supposed to put on his/her list, I always wish for "good health." Not only because I want to feel well, but because I want the strength to do the work myself to bring more peace and happiness to the world. Good health is not a badge to wear proudly to announce to others suffering from less than it that we have beat the system (for now). It is a gift that is best repaid by using every ounce of your physical well-being and strength to serve the world as best you can, to attend to its wounds and your own invisible ones. 

 

I remember as a child a section in the newspaper highlighting the hard stories of the needy at this Season and asking for your charity. I also watched that bizarre TV show Queen for a Day, where contestants competed for the most heart-rendering story and the “winner” got a big cash prize. In both cases, the intention may have been a good one, but in the twisted way of our “I got mine, sucker!” American culture and making a television game show out of deep suffering, the effect leaned more towards pity than compassion, entertainment than genuine concern. 

 

So maybe I should pitch my own TV show called “Kiss the Clock.” Contestants write down their wishes from a pre-set list of choices and like musical chairs, they have to walk around a clock while it ticks toward 5:55 and the first one to kiss it wins. Meanwhile, I’ll keep alert and keep wishing for good health.