The watch that won't die

WE ALL HAVE things we treasure and want to keep. They aren't really worth that much, but they have personal value, more than anything.

About 12 years ago, I was walking down the Lake Michigan beach near my Uncle Peter and Aunt Helen's house, halfway between Saugatuck and Holland. I looked down and saw an Eddie Bauer watch sticking out of the sand. It was in the tide and the waves were crashing over it, another minute or two it would have been covered up and probably lost forever.

The watch was ticking and set for Central time, meaning it likely belonged to one of those BIPs (Bleeping Illinois Persons) from across the lake. Somebody probably went swimming and it either fell off or was knocked off, or maybe it was just thrown from a boat. Who knows? It worked and I loved it and started wearing it.

Still ticking!

A few years ago it quit working. I took it to Dame & Hurdle down the street and they put a new battery in it, but it quit again. So I bought another watch. For some reason, I didn't throw the Eddie Bauer watch away.

The watch is a reminder of walking the beach. On Ebay they are going for $65, so it's not about the monetary value.

I bought a different watch from Dame & Hurdle and liked it a lot. But it grew legs and disappeared recently - I think it might have been at the Cape Girardeau Gus Macker. I felt a little naked without a watch, so the other day I rummaged through a desk drawer and found the old Eddie Bauer.

I took it to Dame & Hurdle. They put another battery in it. And now it's ticking away like nothing ever happened, as if to say, "I've been here the whole time, you big silly. Put me on your wrist! I make you look cool! Well, just kidding. I don't work miracles, you know."

Time to keep track of time again, Eddie. Thanks!