I signed up for new glasses a few weeks back. Here’s the thing: I’ve been wearing the same pair I got in 2002. The one lens is popping out, they’re scratched as all heck and…I cannot work without them. Heck, I used to think that cigarettes were my essential ingredient for writing but, as it turns out, it’s my glasses.
Please don’t think I’ve gone all that time…not getting my eyes tested. I did. In fact, in 2010, I got myself a beautiful new pair with smart frames and that just felt so great on my face. They worked well for watching TV and work, and I was pleased as all hell with them.
Of course, I lost them. Not just on my head, mind you, but really lost them. So, I went back to my trusty beauts with the one lens trying to pull a Houdini on me.
And that’s where I’ve been ever since. Well, until two weeks ago.
Having my eyes tested was a, er, test in itself. As it turns out, my eyesight is so far removed from what my previous, trusty, lens-popping pair of spectacles could help, that I may as well have been applying Zambuk to my eyelids and then trying to decipher hieroglyphics using just a match and some fine twine.
Thankfully, I now have two new pairs of beautiful glasses, set for my eyesight as it is today, and I’ll be having my peepers tested again in six months.
What’s the point of my Saturday night ramble? Well, there’s two three points, really:
- As I worked today, my hand – as per habit – reached out for my glasses before I started typing. I put on my old glasses (I can’t bear to throw them away) and had my new glasses on my head the whole time. No wonder I hated this morning. When I realised the error, I finally put my old spectacles in their box and stashed them in the bookcase. Now that I’m wearing my new ones, this screen seems exceptionally large, and I keep hitting “zoom out” to make it feel normal again. That said, it’s quite nice to not be stabbing at the keyboard with blurry precision. My point? Don’t be too hard on yourself when you’re trying something new.
- They’re taking some getting used to, but I’ll get there. Hopefully soon, I’ll have adjusted to using these beautiful gogglebits and they’ll feel good on my face. And yes, I got two pairs, in case I lose one, as is my routine. My point? Adjustment is a process, but you’ll need to sign up for it if you want to actually see clearly in life.
- Change is hard though, and it’s doubly hard if you feel like it was foisted on you. I’ve felt that way before though, so I reckon it’ll just take some time. I talked about having change foisted on yourself here, too.
Also, not reading as much news as I was… No, that’s wrong. By committing to not scrolling news sites seven times a day, and trying to not be refreshing my social media feeds every ten seconds, I’m quite enjoying taking a little step back from the world. It feels too jangly and jarring right now and, hey, sometimes we do just need a little nap from it all. I know I’ll be back to my eager eyeball ways again soon, and with a new pair of glasses to peek out at the world within (and beyond) my screen.
In the meantime, here’s a picture of a cat. We could probably all do with looking at pictures of cats right now.
