My latest wristwatch is nothing to brag about. On receiving it, I admit to laughing at how ugly and ungainly it appeared. Certainly, no one would wear such an odd duck of a watch. Too big, cheap appearance, stiff wristband, dim digital readout. At twenty bucks, it was over-priced. Would I wear something so inelegant, when I have several contemporary and attractive watches already? But the watch came into my life unexpectedly, so I felt it polite to accept it and store it in a drawer. I could always donate it at the local thrift store after a respectable amount of time has passed.

But the next morning, when I was just orienting myself to a new day, I decided to play with the watch and see how to set the time correctly. To my surprise, setting it for time, day of the week, and day of the month just took a few minutes. Having those three bits of information on my wrist seemed like a good idea. So, what the heck, I’ll wear it for a day.

Well, that day turned into two days, and then a whole week. The more I wore that watch, the less ugly it became. Was it too big? No, it was a fine size. What’s that? It even had a light for reading in the dark. Do I still think some options are dumb? Well, yes, it’s still a cheap watch. After all, a watch that points north only when you’re facing north does not mean it is a compass. Strange as that is, that bit of craziness just made the watch more endearing for its having taken a different walk. And… the watch works; it does exactly what it is advertised to do. There’s value in that if nothing else.

There’s a story there, wouldn’t you agree? A story about value, ego, and purpose. I mean, even the cost of having the battery replaced will be more than the watch is worth. If a person values items for their price and not their intrinsic value, then the true value is never known. If one is embarrassed to wear inexpensive items, that is a sign that the person feels of low value. What we project onto items reflects how we project within ourselves.

My introduction to this watch initiated my inner self’s finding that watch beneath my wearing it, but the problem was mine, not the watch’s. For me, it took a revisit of what purpose that watch served, and in doing so, I discovered its value for me. And this was a teachable moment as well, a reminder that I am not dependent on items to define who I am. There is an inner self that is in each of us, trying to coerce us to judge our worth by what we own. Finding peace within ourselves can never be achieved by counting our toys. Let it go. Life is better with less clutter to manage.