"Why?" he asked.
"Just give it to me. I'll give it back in a few days," I replied.
"This has to do with my graduation present, doesn't it?" he asked.
"Just give it to me. I'll give it back in a few days," I replied.
"You're going to get it engraved, aren't you?" he asked.
"Just give it to me. I'll give it back in a few days," I replied.
"You're not gonna put something boring on it, are you? Not something like, 'Congratulations on your graduation'?"
"Oh of course not. It's going to be so much more better than that."
But 'Congratulations on your graduation' was in fact, word-for-word, what I was planning to put on the back of his watch. Ver batim.
It's factual. It's straight-forward. A watch engraving is supposed to be commemorative and self-explanatory. It should answer all the important questions:
- What was the event?
- When did it take place?
- Who does the watch belong to?
But apparently I needed something more clever for my son's watch on the event of his high school graduation...
I googled "what to engrave on a watch" and found a lot of quotes about time. I found poems about life milestones and anniversaries and celebrations.
None of them seemed quite right for him. Grant's relationship with time is special. He is an unhurried soul. He knows how to relax. Time seems to bend towards his will. If he has to turn in an assignment at midnight and it's 11:55pm, sometimes those last 5 minutes pass in slow motion, allowing him to finalize the assignment and spell check it and submit it all before the clock strikes twelve.
The internet has no quotes for that.
I found a couple that come close.
Time is the most valuable thing that a man can spend. (Diogenes Laertius)
Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted. (John Lennon)
Neither of them seemed to quite fit the bill, and time was running out. I needed to get the watch and the quote to the engraver before they closed at 6:00 so finally I just made up a quote. I think it's actually pretty perfect for my restful and soulful son.
Time is precious. Be sure to waste a little every day.
Happy Graduation, Grant.
Posts
2 comments:
This is so cool! He will realize you appreciate what some may call, procrastination, when in fact, it’s time management—the Grant system! Congrats to the Gao family, and especially to Grant. He has worked so hard!
The Grant system! Please do not share that with him. He will patent it and start selling classes. 🤣
Post a Comment