On Facebook yesterday our friend Jon posted: ‘First Grandfather Clock repair completed’. Jon’s combined his engineering skills with patience and determination to make his old clock go… like clockwork.
‘Like clockwork’ implies dependability, precision… working well… happening in exactly the way it’s expected to… no disruptions or problems.
If only life were like that…
Five thoughts…
…James in ‘Breaking Chains’ is reflecting on victims of trafficking and the sex trade: ‘…He knew all about the gospel of love and forgiveness… but he also knew about justice, and caring for the weak and helpless, and he failed to see how love could allow a sexual monster to go on roaming the streets…’
Mending a broken clock isn’t always straightforward.
…Maria in the Sound of Music The nuns despair… ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria?’ Being‘a flibbertijibbet, a will-o’-the wisp, a clown’ she prevents the convent from running like clockwork.
We all have our ‘Maria’s than prevent life from life running smoothly, predictably, like clockwork.
…Philippe Clement, Norwich City head-coach has problems as key players are injured. In Wednesday’s game he surprised fans by using a central defender as a striker. He was quoted as saying that he wants to look at solutions, rather than problems.
Just looking at the problem of broken clocks doesn’t make them work again. They need to be mended.
…St Paul writes: ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of the others.’
I’m just one cog in my life’s clockwork mechanism, dependent on other cogs around me. ‘Like clockwork’ requires us all to function well together.
…Returning to Jon… Jon found names and dates scratched on his clock… Page May 1830… G Aiuges June 1846… E Juler 1888… Baines April 1961.
It’s good if life runs like clockwork today, but that’s not enough. It must be maintained to run dependably, reliably over many years.
malcolmsmusings.org 