East Meadow Time

Posted

Before we treated ourselves to a Sony® cube-shaped clock radio, my husband had an alarm clock that was so loud and jarring I nicknamed it "killer." It looked gentle but it had an evil soul, causing anxiety every time it rang; we'd jump so high and so suddenly I could swear we regularly missed heartbeats as we touched the bedroom ceiling.

These days, even with the cube spewing traffic and weather on the eights and a back-up battery powered clock just in case of power outages (thanks PSEG), we really don't need any of them. All we need is East Meadow time.

Every morning we rely on about an hour to get up and out for work and we know how well our timing is based upon the signs and signals of this community.


On time means we will see the Petro heating oil truck that's parked patiently for its owner outside the local deli. We'll spot the 18-wheeler Dunkin' Donuts truck that's bigger than the store it is delivering supplies to – the one on the corner of Merrick Avenue. And the best indication is the shirtless jogger. If spotted heading east on Glen Curtis that means we are on schedule, but if he's going west on Front Street we're late.

There's no reason not to rely on the environment and its untraditional signs to remind us of the time of day. In fact, there's very little left to justify learning to tell time at all — kids are accustomed to digital rather than analog clocks while most people depend on the accuracy of their cell phone as compared with a wrist watch.

I just know that if I don't see my "same time tomorrow" gym members at the World Gym, or the Jeeps and BMWs that fill the Mineola public parking lot by 8 a.m. thanks to the Chaminade senior class, my day doesn't feel right. Who needs the sun's position in the sky or the path of the moon? I have a whole bunch of new local tools to measure time. Now if I could only make time last longer — or even stand still sometimes — my day would really be complete.

A contributing writer to the Herald since 2012, Lauren Lev is an East Meadow resident and a direct marketing/advertising executive who teaches advertising and marketing communications courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology/SUNY, LIU Post and SUNY Old Westbury.