The Power of Sight
My, my, what to say about today. One of the most stand-out things I can tell you is that it's very disconcerting to find a skinned rat rotting just outside your patio door. I can also tell you that when flies are buzzing, it's not always dog poop. Just sayin'. Now that you have that lovely picture in your mind's eye (and I'm not showing you the actual picture that I texted to Kef in the middle of her day), try to refocus on what I have to say next.
A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer in her eye. She went through a procedure to radiate that eye, which damaged the ocular nerve and left her blind in that eye. I was talking to her today and she is hanging in there like a real trouper. She's even working VBS, which I wouldn't even subject myself to with two perfectly-working eyes.
Now, I know that people live thoroughly wonderful lives without sight. But I have to tell you that it has always been one of my greatest fears that I would go blind. When I first started wearing glasses in about second grade, I was amazed at the difference those lenses made. I very vividly remember the first time I saw the individual leaves on a tree (or at least the first time from far away). It was amazing!
Over the years, as I went back to the eye doctor each year and found that my eyes had gotten worse, I began to fear the unthinkable. One day I would go blind. As a teenager, I got up the courage to ask my eye doctor if that was going to be my fate. He told me he didn't think so... that eventually the changes would slow. Luckily, he was right and my eyes did stop getting worse every year. But I still have that fear, even years later. I always said that I don't trust people enough to not be able to see what they're doing.
I greatly admire people who push forward, even when they're going through something like the loss of sight. I'm afraid I wouldn't be that noble, strong, push-forward kind of person. I honestly think I'd do a fair bit of wallowing.
Sight is an interesting thing. It allows you to see incredibly disturbing things (that can't be unseen, mind you... like dead rats). But it can also be the most amazing gift. It allows you to see flowers and summer days and vibrant colors and when a bus is coming. When you lose it... it can be gut-wrenching. It can test your resilience and bring forth your true character.
Whatever loss you're going through - whether it's your sight or your dreams or someone you love - I hope you're finding your inner strength. I hope you're looking up and reaching out and making it through like a real trouper. But if you're not, I hope you'll find your tribe around you, pulling together and being your "seeing eye people" until you can find your way through it.
By the way, I had to look up trooper vs. trouper for the purposes of this post. If you're wondering, the saying "being a real trouper" (in the sense that I used it) originally referred to the hard-working dependability of a veteran actor. I did not know that. These days, though, it can go either way. Troopers are really hard workers too.
A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer in her eye. She went through a procedure to radiate that eye, which damaged the ocular nerve and left her blind in that eye. I was talking to her today and she is hanging in there like a real trouper. She's even working VBS, which I wouldn't even subject myself to with two perfectly-working eyes.
Now, I know that people live thoroughly wonderful lives without sight. But I have to tell you that it has always been one of my greatest fears that I would go blind. When I first started wearing glasses in about second grade, I was amazed at the difference those lenses made. I very vividly remember the first time I saw the individual leaves on a tree (or at least the first time from far away). It was amazing!
Over the years, as I went back to the eye doctor each year and found that my eyes had gotten worse, I began to fear the unthinkable. One day I would go blind. As a teenager, I got up the courage to ask my eye doctor if that was going to be my fate. He told me he didn't think so... that eventually the changes would slow. Luckily, he was right and my eyes did stop getting worse every year. But I still have that fear, even years later. I always said that I don't trust people enough to not be able to see what they're doing.
I greatly admire people who push forward, even when they're going through something like the loss of sight. I'm afraid I wouldn't be that noble, strong, push-forward kind of person. I honestly think I'd do a fair bit of wallowing.
Sight is an interesting thing. It allows you to see incredibly disturbing things (that can't be unseen, mind you... like dead rats). But it can also be the most amazing gift. It allows you to see flowers and summer days and vibrant colors and when a bus is coming. When you lose it... it can be gut-wrenching. It can test your resilience and bring forth your true character.
Whatever loss you're going through - whether it's your sight or your dreams or someone you love - I hope you're finding your inner strength. I hope you're looking up and reaching out and making it through like a real trouper. But if you're not, I hope you'll find your tribe around you, pulling together and being your "seeing eye people" until you can find your way through it.
 |
| Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/users/mabelamber-1377835/ |
By the way, I had to look up trooper vs. trouper for the purposes of this post. If you're wondering, the saying "being a real trouper" (in the sense that I used it) originally referred to the hard-working dependability of a veteran actor. I did not know that. These days, though, it can go either way. Troopers are really hard workers too.
Comments
Post a Comment