"Not to keep hours for a lifetime is ... to live forever. You have no idea, unless you have tried it, how endlessly long is a summer's day, that you measure out only by hunger, and bring to an end only when you are drowsy." -Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

In my opinion, not wearing a watch allows one to better live in the present moment. It's an amazing feeling to totally lose track of the man-made concepts of time and schedule, and listen to your body as to when the best time is to eat, sleep, relax, etc.  Unfortunately, our efficient-minded society makes it difficult to lose track of time.  Clocks are posted in nearly every building and on flashing billboards on many roads.  However, despite the difficulty of interacting in society without being conscious of time, I recommend entering a time-free zone whenever possible.  (This time-free zone has also been referred to as the "zone," "flow," etc. - it's basically being so absorbed in the moment that one is unaware of the passage of time.)

Not knowing what time it is for several days is a liberating experience. I have never lived so truly in the present moment as when I'm backpacking for several days with absolutely no concept of time except where the sun is relative to the horizon; or when I'm totally absorbed in a painting or book. It is amazing how slowly life passes when you're unaware of hours and minutes. When you can suck in every moment and live it for all it's worth, the day seems almost to last forever; to paraphrase John Muir, it's a practical sort of immortality.

I sometimes wonder what life must have been like for many Native American societies, who measured the passage of time in terms of moons (full moons, approximately one month in our time).  For example, "three moons until the acorn harvest."  Somehow I don't think they were preoccupied with the passing of minutes and hours as many people today are... Although it is virtually impossible to ignore time in today's day-to-day business life (short of moving to the Alaskan wilderness), being able to take off the watch, turn off the TV, computer, and cell phone, and live in the present moment is, for me anyway, a great source of everyday happiness. Give it a try the next time you come home from work or on your next journey.

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