The Hit List - Retrograde, repair, and the gift of time

My favorite clock stopped working last week. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The clock was old, and it was the tail-end of Mercury retrograde, a transit notorious for breaking things.

This clock, a gift from a dear friend, was more than just a timepiece. It was a souvenir from one of his many trips to China and a symbol of our friendship. The friendly waving cat with the swinging tail greeted me every morning – and I looked at it throughout the day as a way to keep track of my time even though I have a clock on the computer. I preferred the cat clock. It’s cuter than my desktop. Needless to say, it was sentimental, so I was deeply saddened when it stopped working.

Of course, I immediately begin to search for a duplicate. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find a replacement. There were some similar styles, but not that particular one. If you’re a nostalgic type (guilty!), you know that replacements must be as close to perfect as possible, or it feels “off.” A different option won’t do, period. So, I decided to take it to a repair shop rather than settle for something I didn’t want. (Mercury retrograde is the ideal time to repair shit.)

The clock shop was in a neighborhood I rarely visit. This part of the city is more like a town within the city, with old buildings that still bore the original tiles at the door’s entrance. The broken tiles spelled out “furniture,” a nod to this shop’s past. As I walked in, a trio of bored women who seemed disinterested in conversation (they were absorbed with their cell phones) told me it would be done in a week and cost $75.00. Although that seemed like a bit much, I reminded myself this clock was irreplaceable.

A few days later, I received a phone call from an estranged relative. I have not spoken to this person in over a decade. Too many transgressions and boundaries were crossed, so I had to cut ties. Even so, I would ask others about them from time to time. I guess they did the same. But now they felt it was time to repair the relationship. I finally got my long overdue apology. Our conversation was brief but solid. We were ready to put the water under the bridge and start from scratch.

On Thursday, I picked up my cat clock and hung it on it’s rightful place on the wall. After a few days of looking at that blank space, it was sweet relief to have it back, ticking and wagging its tail as if nothing had happened.

Some things can’t be replaced, but many can be repaired. Bonds can be broken, but some can be rebuilt. Sometimes, time is the healer, and other times, it’s a repair shop.

xo,

Theresa

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