Difference in Time and Times
by Bryce Martin

Not all that long ago, say, in the 1950s, if you asked someone (strangers included) how far it was to a certain locale, you would always get your answer in one form: in miles.

Disregarding the few who would respond with their own question, "Clock time, or as the crow flies?"

Ask today, and you will still get an answer in one form: in time.

Since I base how long it takes to drive somewhere on the old mile-a-minute ratio (at 60 miles an hour), I have a real dislike for those who relate to minutes or hours and not distance. Considering that most people today drive ninety miles an hour minimum to go a mile to get a quart of milk or 40 miles to go to work, I don't find their response beneficial.

Instead of driving fast to go everywhere, people drove the speed limit, but left earlier if they had an appointed time. It goes deeper than that. You left early so if you had a flat tire you had time to change the flat and still be on time. Being punctual meant something. You allowed yourself time because you were a responsible person. Personal responsibility today is an arcane concept. That's why you now get your destinations in minutes and not miles.

"Do you have the exact time?"

Holding his own pocket watch as if to simulate a time comparison, my grandfather would periodically ask a shopkeeper or other citizen on the sidewalk that question. Why "exact" instead of just asking what time they had, or what time they were keeping? Because people had wind-up watches and they all tended to run fast or slow. People who owned the watches knew after a period of time about how many minutes fast or slow they probably was running based on the last winding.

It was just my grandfather's way of making sure they kept up with their calculations, or, in rare cases, they had a watch that kept correct or near-correct time. Plus, it almost always encouraged further talk about the make of the watch and how consistent it was, not in keeping good time, in the minutes it ran fast or slow.

Of course, if you was in a real hurry, such small talk would have to wait for another day.

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