Pink's Sense of Design: Put it on a Table

In a Flash

Anna Rajala

Time has always been important to me.

When I was little, I usually wanted to change the balance of time: less time spent cleaning or pulling out weeds in the garden and more time spent playing games or staying at my friends’ houses. I was convinced if only I didn’t have to do all the activities required of me, I would have more than enough time to do everything that was important.

Now I find myself constantly wanting more time. There is never enough, no matter how productive I am. I am bound by schedules, deadlines, and expectations, all dictated by the clock on the wall, or the little one on my wrist. However, my GPS watch has been both my captor and my release.

When I see my watch, I think of when I got it during my freshman year cross country season. I feel the excitement I felt to have such a high-tech gadget at my disposal, and the pride that came along with feeling like a real runner. I remember all those afternoons when it almost fell off, covered in sweat from an exhausting workout where I almost wanted to stop and give up—but always kept on going. I can hear the cross-country race when I finally medaled for the first time, my teammates shouting and cheering. The smell of early morning walks or runs along the beach is salty and cool in my memory. I can almost taste my homemade lunches in high school that I quickly scarfed down while staring at my watch, waiting for it to signal the end of my remarkably short lunch break. My watch kept me company during life’s big and small moments. It was there when I was waiting for my birthday cake to come out of the oven, when the minutes felt endlessly long, and the few days with my brother before he went to college, when the hours went by in a flash.

I chose to think about my watch because it is a symbol of growth for me, and it was present throughout my transformational high school years. I went from never doing a team sport to being team captain, having no friends to being surrounded by a group of some of the coolest people on campus, being ashamed of the way I was to accepting myself with all my gifts and flaws. And this journey of new experiences is mirrored in my faith journey. By leading me to start running, God blessed me with friends and confidence, and He gave me hope for the future. My watch reminds me that though I am bound by time, He is not, and nothing can stand between Him and His plan for me.