Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Wednesday Gratitude #4 /The Fog Clears at Heart and Home

 

Greetings! It's time for 
Wednesday Gratitude,

and I'm grateful that you're here for a visit today! I hope you'll stop by and say hello to the other participants, and consider joining us next week. We celebrate what makes us happy and our hearts sing with Gratitude every Wednesday!  Mcklinky will be up by 6:00 PM PST every TUESDAY. I'm also joining in Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

I want to share something with you that is small, but has transformed my life! I am very thankful for the difference it's made for me every day.

Those of you of a certain age will get what I'm talking about, and will be able to relate to my story. Those of you younger than forty who are reading this and maybe feeling a teeny little bit smug, well, just you wait, someday you'll get it, too!

 One day I was feeling fine, minding my own business, admiring the landscape:



 


The next day, out of nowhere, I noticed that things were not as clear to me as they used to be:


Everything nearer to me than my outstretched arm looked kind of foggy.

Reading anything up close was a problem.

Reading anything up close with low light was impossible.

Ordering off a menu in a romantic, candle lit restaurant was out of the question.

A pair of these suddenly became very important to me.



I began to rely on them daily, and purchase them regularly, whenever I saw a pair that I thought "looked good". None of them looked good. I thought they just made me look old.


I had a pair for the car, and a pair for my purse.

 I had to wear a pair in my Italian class at the college,
around all the twenty-somethings with perfect vision.

In class, I thought they made me look really old
Especially after la professoressa asked to borrow mine, because she had forgotten hers.



I had a pair stashed in every room in the house, and had spent a small fortune
on a collection of every style and color.

If only I had such a varied and colorful collection of designer shoes.
It was sad, and it was getting out of hand.

Two months ago, after ten years of +1.00 readers,
I decided to take control of the situation.

It took me a few weeks to find the perfect combination, but I was determined.

Finally, now I can reveal my secret:



Mono-vision contact lenses have changed my life! I am transformed!

Now, instead of using both my eyes to almost see things,
 I use one eye to clearly see things far away, and one eye to see up close and personal.

Somehow, my brain and eyes figure it out, and I don't have to think about it!

I can read a book again, without my readers.


I can see the world around me, too.

 Just as clearly as I did with my regular prescription lenses, before.



I can see things near and far, and sort of far, and really far, and close and really up close.

When I'm shopping I don't bring items that cost $89.00 up to the counter to purchase,
 thinking the price tag says $34.00.

I can admire the scenery, and tell the difference between ivy and poison ivy.


I can see what time it is on my watch,  and see the numbers on my cell phone!

I can order off a menu without looking like someone's granny. 

 We can eat at dark, candle lit, romantic restaurants more often.

I am truly thankful to the genius who figured this wholo mono-vision thing out.

Now, if only I could hear better.

How about you? How are you handling the part of being alive
 that says we have to age ?

I'm kicking and screaming, all the way!

I remind myself daily to have gratitude, and hope that eventually
I will learn to age with grace.

Because, considering the alternative, I'm really thankful I'm still here!


"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." ~Brian Tracy

Until next time,
XO
Heidi

I'm linking to Transformation Thursday, at Shabby Chic Cottage. Thanks Gina!

9 comments:

Here On Crow Creek said...

I was just thinking the same thing today as I was trying to thread my needle! I used to could do that with ease but not any more..

Apron Senorita said...

Hi Heidi,

I am 43 years old and I can relate. My vision issue is the opposite. I'm near-sighted so I don't need reading glasses. I can work on my computer and read well without them. My prescription glasses and contact lenses are "reversable bi-focals" because there is not vision adjustment on the bottom. I just need glasses to drive so only the upper part of the lense has vision correction. I guess it is just part of aging in grace.

I'm glad we got to spend time again this week. I wish you a great Wednesday Gratitude!

Yoli :)

Denise Marie said...

Girl,

you are crackin' me up!! I'm gonna be 43 tomorrow and the same thing happened to me about 1.5 yrs ago. I've been called a rebel by my Eye dr. glass associate. He says,"Oh, maybe you want to be 1 of my hold-outs." Simply because I balked at the idea of transition lenses and all that I need to be helped at this stage of the game. lol

I'll be thankful when they get the sassy cute frames in that I need to stop being a rebel.

I am so thankful for you and your meme.

Jemsmom said...

Umm, I am 38 and this has started! I can't see things close up with my contacts in!! I can see fine with them out and my normal blind as a bat vision, but when I have good vision... blur. I put on my SIL's reading glasses and they were perfect. How did this age thing sneak up on me like that?!? Along with these darn grey hairs, I may have to trade myself in for a newer sportier model!! Can we do that????

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Cute story Heidi. I started needing readers too after I turned 40 and then they just got worse and worse. Then I was put into glasses all the time. Ugh!! I was told I could not use contacts or get lasix. Now I do have contacts since they continued to get worse and they started making the multi focal lenses. Yay. No more glasses except when I take the contacts out. Growing old is not very fun.

Gypsy Heart said...

I so understand!! I had to bite the bullet years ago and go with glasses...and now I have to wear them all the time. I do use the progressive lenses and love them! I am older than you and have a cataract on one eye so I keep reminding myself of how lucky I am to have the vision I have. I tried the mono lenses and had a very difficult time due to allergies. I go back to my eye Dr in early April so I'm going to investigate them again...thanks to you!

Thanks for a laugh today and for sharing!

xoxo
Pat

Sandy said...

Hi, I saw your blog on TransformingHome home tour! You have such a Lovely Home, you so are talented!

Holly said...

Hello.... I found your blog through Yoli and glad I did.
Enjoyed your post and would be honored to join you on Wednesdays....

Hugs,
Holly

Heidi said...

Hi Heidi!
I found your blog post a couple months back and took your advise STRAIGHT TO MY EYE DOCTOR!

I can't thank you enough! I love my new contacts. I can see EVERYTHING now, and I never have to scramble for reading glasses again!

Thank you SO much for writing about your "secret"....it's mine, now, too!
Hugs, Heidi