Keeping time, as time slips away

Someone once said, "There comes a time in every gentleman's life when he starts to value time -- he values it so much, in fact, that he wants to wear it as a gorgeous piece on his wrist."

I have always had a small fascination with mechanical watches. All the tiny gears on the inside that work together, the history of various companies, the story behind the watchmakers, the age of the watch and where it has been, etc. One of my favorite stories when it comes to watches is the story of Webb C. Ball, a Cleveland Jeweler. Ball was designated as "Chief Time Inspector" for the railroads after a collision took place on April 18, 1891, when a head-on collision between two trains in Kipton, Ohio resulted in several deaths. Most stories of the event indicate that before the development of railroads across the United States, towns kept their own time based on the sun because there was no need to use a "standard" time. This became a problem when towns began to connect by the railroads. It is also reported that one of the train conductors never looked at his watch during the route that would soon become deadly.

When Webb C. Ball was named as the time inspector, his task was to set up tests and standards for all watches used on the trains. This would become known as the Rail Road Standard Time (RR Standard). Ball's criteria of accuracy and reliability were so strict that they later inspired others like the Swiss Official Testing Institute.

In the law enforcement world, time is something you began to think more and more about. You see tragic endings to life, you find yourself over and over again thinking, "If I had just had a little more time," or, "if I could have gotten there sooner." You get a large picture of what can happen when time runs out, and you find yourself looking at your watch more and more realizing there is not enough time in the day.

During this time of the year, we observe several holidays with family and friends. None of us know exactly how much time we will have on this earth, and that is something we cannot control no matter how rich, or how poor; but we can control how we spend our time and who we spend it with. Whether you like to keep track of time by a sentimental time piece on your wrist, check it on your phone, or follow the path of the sun, make every moment count and take nothing for granted.