Excellent pupil

While waiting for the return of my vision last Friday following dilation of my pupils -- and by the way, no, I couldn't have worked, and yes, it did take longer than 2 hours for my eyes to return to normal, more like 5 -- I realized all of the ways in which I rely on being able to see.  How most every waking moment of my day involves use of the eyeballs: whether it's reading on screen or paper, or writing.  That's basically all I do.

So while I was unable to participate in those beloved activities, here is the list I scribbled, describing how I wiled away four hours on a rainy Friday afternoon when I should have been at work:

Things to do when eyesight fucked up:
- Laundry.
- Boil water, make and drink tea.
- Repeatedly check pupils in the mirror.
- Turn up the heater.
- Empathize mightily with the blind.
- Straighten up the house.
- Make banana bread.  Interesting how standing over a cookbook at the counter makes it a little easier to see.  But was that 1 1/3 cup sugar or 1 2/3? Whatever: it was delicious.
- Repeatedly try to discern texts on phone.
- Check pupils.
- Determine that loss of limb better than loss of sight.
- Try to get these words in focus.
- Wonder how Laura survived 6 months of sightlessness.
- Talk on the phone.
- Be sad that my father's macular degeneration means he can no longer read.  What would I do?
- Feel bad for two minutes about jacking up the work day.
- Misplace readers, at least four times.
- Stare at rain.
- Realize that I really have an addiction to vision.

My glasses with their progressive lenses arrive in a week and I honestly can't wait.  Right now, to be able to see up close, I have to wear readers.  They're not bad, cute in fact, purchased on a lucky whim at the check-out at Borders.  But the putting them on and taking them off drives me crazy.  Better to have one pair, always on.  It'll take getting used to, but honestly, if last Friday learned me anything it's that I have absolutely *got to* be able to see.

It's true that I've always wanted glasses, and naturally, now that I'm about to get them, I'm a little bittersweet on the transition.  Yes, my eyes are getting old along with the rest of me.  But as long as the edges of the words on the pages are crisp and clear, that is just fine.