Who’s Watching my Watch

As a child and a young adult I wrestled with watches.  I always had to wear the watch on my left hand because my parents insisted I learn the fine motor coordination which I lacked in my right hand.  Sometimes it took an hour or more struggling to put that thing on.  Many times I just broke down a cried for myself. My Siblings didn’t understand why it was so important for me wear the Dumb watch on my left hand. Comments were made by the boys, “Can’t you do it yourself?” The Girls just didn’t have time to buckle a watch band. I really felt abandoned when I needed help. I did it mainly because Papa said so!!!!

But, as the years passed, I realized that I needed to be happy with what I had, so, I resorted to wearing it on my right wrist instead of wearing it on my left one.  I have been doing that ever since before I acquired a  wrist Fitbit. . . . .

 I have been using a “Fitbit” to encourage myself to walk on a daily basis. This particular style of “Fitbit” clipped onto my jean pocket.  I had it for 2 months  then  I lost it.  I felt angry with myself and ended up buying another one.

Last week I was working on Joe’s quilt sewing the binding onto the quilt by machine so I could finally finish it.  While I wrestled with the quilt, unbeknownst to me, the heavy  quilt on my lap had pulled the second “Fitbit” off of my jeans.  I looked every where for three days.  I just didn’t understand where it had gone.  Robbie, my dear husband, suggested I get one that is worn on the wrist.  I was not really keen on it.  I was afraid I would experience the same problems as I did as a teenager.  But, I figured I could try the wrist version and see if it works.

After a couple of days I took his suggestion. I tried one on in Wal-Mart but I didn’t like the way the strap buckled. The strap buckled from the inside. My right hand didn’t have the strength or dexterity to snap it closed.  The right hand couldn’t handle and because of that type of strap I considered “Fitbit” that attached to your clothes.  I thought,  “No, not again! I don’t want to lose it again!”

So, I went home and started looking on the internet. I found one that had a normal wrist strap like a wrist watch. I called Best Buy and asked if they had any in stock. The service representative stated, “We do “price match” and he gave me the price that Wal-Mart quoted.  Another salesman installed it onto my phone.  I asked him to set it so I could use the Fitbit on my non-dominant hand.  I seemed to be working fine. I thought I was swinging arm as normal as my left arm does but, alas, I realized that I was not swinging the arm through the gait as normal as the left hand did  Not all my steps were not counted. I was oh so disappointed. I almost took it back.

The strap on this model looked and acted like a regular watch strap. I racked my brain trying to figure out how I could latch this watch band by myself. When I asked my husband he acted just like my brothers did when I was younger.  That really stung, but he didn’t realize he hurt my feelings. Well, that is par for the course. 

In the meantime, I was working on another quilt and still trying to figure out how I could put this device on my left wrist.  Then, it hit me. The band has a rectangle slot.  So I cut a piece of material the width of the hole and sew it into a band.  I pulled the band through the hole and then through the buckle.  I patiently pushed the stopper though the rectangular hole with my right index finger.

Viola!  “I did it myself."  Robbie, my husband, was surprise and proud that I could find a method that works.  Afterwards, I walked the perimeter of the house and chanted, “   I did it ….. I did it!"