The Little Clock that Can't

So we have this clock.  It hangs in our dining room, up on the wall, over the arch.  It doesn't work.  And it hasn't for some time.  At first it was one of those things that just kept getting pushed down on the to-do list.  Then just fell off the list altogether.

None the less, it still hangs there stalled at 20 minutes to 12.   Honestly, I never even think of it about it.  That is, until someone comes to visit.  It's become quite a conversation piece. 

Even this morning, at a women's breakfast, I was thinking, complaining really, that I had yet to come up with a topic for my column.  Mid-sentence my friend interrupts me, "Seriously, Hills, one day I'm just going to bring you some batteries."

If I had a battery for every time someone has said that to me, well, let's just say the clock would never stop running again. Yet, still it hangs stalled at 20 to 12.

People have threatened to come and take the clock away as well.  I guess I don't deserve to own it if I can't take care of it.  Yet, still it hangs, stalled at 20 to 12.  

I've had people leave in a hurry because they thought it was near midnight when in fact it was just after 10.  By the time I figured out what was going on, it was too late.  They'd call later exclaiming that they thought it was later than it was.  Yet, still it hangs stalled at 20 to 12. 

It really is amazing how many people comment on my broken clock, a clock that  could perform its true purpose if I'd just give it what it needs, 2 AA batteries.  So why don't I?  Is the clock not important to me?  Well, it wasn't actually my clock to begin with. 

The former owners, Amanda and Noe, hung that clock on that wall long before we moved in.  Ironically, they too comment on the stalled status of the lonely and neglected clock.  Wait a second, aren't you the same people that abandoned said clock when you left.  Just saying (with a smile). 

So what's the be done?  Do I leave the clock as-is as my statement to the world, my act of utter defiance?  Or do I put it out of its misery and just change the stupid batteries once and for all.  Better yet, maybe I'll just wait for one of my friends to follow suit with their idle threats. 

What started out as a simple oversight has somehow woven its way into almost every conversation that occurs in this home.  Given the amount of people that come in and out, that's a whole bunch of conversations.

Even my son, who's learning how to tell time, points out the lack of ticking and turning.  In a way, I feel bad, especially considering it's the only dial clock in the house.  The rest are digital and very few have the exact right time. 

Ironically, time is so crucial for me, probably because I'm trying to cram so much into such a small frame.  So why neglect a clock?  Why not just change its batteries and set it back on the right track? 

Maybe I'm lazy, maybe I'm rebellious, or maybe I'm just getting old and forgetful.  Whatever the reason, I know that I have far more important things to deal with on a daily basis.  The poor clock has unfortunately fallen completely off my priority list, and I'm not sure if it will ever make it back on.