During the first few days of the New Year, my family organized a little outing to the small town of Lier in Belgium. I didn’t expect much in the beginning. The trip was in the end much better than I had hoped. The watch inside the Zimmer tower is beautiful. The magical mechanism from the side-façade hatch that shows four stages of life from being a child to a young and older adult is highly intriguing. As it is written in the introduction, “the clock also showed times on different continents, phases of the moon, times of tides and other periodic phenomena.” The world of events and memories is treasured inside this small and highly complex centenary clock and astronomical studio.
As I was walking through the village of Koningshooikt, along side the ancient cobble streets of the UNESCO world heritage site of Beguinage, I was thinking how detailed all memories have been kept and preserved throughout these years. Before going back home, I saw the 15th century - dated Zimmer tower once more time. As time passes by, this formerly called Cornelius tower which entails magic waves of life is completely intact. Just as wonderful as a little slide of childhood that I have carefully kept inside. I wish that the season of childhood will not end. I wish to go back in time to recover fantastic moments with my friends we had have together. I wish that there is a “childhood clock” that plays out all the new worlds between friends that have not yet been born. The meaning of connection among friendship is falling sweetly and softly on our hearts. Although we have been growing apart for such a long time, there will be always paths to find each other back within our original roots.