Fourteen years ago I could see colors, but they were all drab, bland. To eye doc. Fitty-four years, had never been to eye doc. Looked at me for what seemed like 30 minutes without a single word. Finally, "how old are you?".. Fitty-four. "You have cataracts in both eyes."
Surgery. Intraocular lens (I think they call it.) Artificial lens's, where one eyeball sees close up very well, the other, sees long distance nicely. A miracle. Threw away 12 pair of readers (one in every rooom of the house, the car, work, yada). If there was any negative, the close and far thing played hell on trying to catch a softball, but size 10 type was cinchy.
To lovely DMV to renew. All the necessary ppwrk, tax junk...finally, eye test. Amazing how well I'd done. Then, she said "OK, now we're going to cover your right eye (the close up one)"... Oh Sh...Oh Shirt*. Read the top row please. "There's a row?" I thought to myself. The nice DMV lady could see I was struggling, and she whispered.."bah..bah...bah" "B" I answered! Then, "haa...haa...haa." "H!"...and all the way down three rows, she assisted. Whew.
Fast forward to 2020. Oh *shirt, time to renew. Walk in, nice lady don't work there no mo'. Oh *Shirt. Came time to close the close-up eye and try to read letters with the far-away-can-see-an-ant-at-the-end-of-the-block, but not one right below me. I failed that part. That's it. I'm never driving again. I can't work any longer.. Hell, I'm gonna have to move closer to the...Piggly Wiggly. (I was gonna say bar, but thought you might not think well of me.)
"So I failed?" "OH NO SIR, it just means we'll have to put on your driver's license "left rear view mirror mandatory." Whew.
Thank heaven, for little girls. No.. that ain't it. Thank heaven for rear view mirrors.
Rear view mirrors tell us much about life. Life in the rear view mirror of 2020 makes us realize, time is precious'er. I know that ain't a word. Again, should be. We can bitch about much - but the river of life is gonna keep right on flowin'. We can bemoan "Oh *shirt... he won, she won, he didn't, life, as we know it, is over." It ain't.
We can get twelve shades of pissy (which I have) on political diddys. Or not. We can, have had, 'battle' with those inclined to not think exactly as we each do. I/we, have been idiots, gotten pissy...I blocked someone not long ago, a classmate actually.. the other day, I messaged an old friend - he's politically opposed to me. He didn't reply.
Time is precious'er. Sorry, but screw that (political regurgitation). Bottomline, we're probably never going to change allegiance - so, pissy makes no sense.
Health. The rear view mirror of 2020 shows us the many fatalities along the way. Some, very old age, maybe expected. Some, shocking. Too soon. Some, the pandemic. Rear view mirror now shouting "PRECIOUS'ER." Life, that is.
I ain't no preacher, I'm no longer a teacher, I've never been a mechanic over and above knowing Lefty-loosey, Righty-tighty. That said...for 2021:
Hopefully calm prevails. The rear view mirror has taught us, sometimes we simply aren't allowed, permitted, to see loved ones in person. We can't forget how precious that is.
We had taken "STEEEEE-RRRRRIIIKKKKKE ONE" and "FIRST DOWN!" for granted....Hell, even curling ceased. Sure, we can still holler 'git ridda the manager, put somone else on the mound, at cornerback, in the GM office, yada.' Just revel in the luxury of being able to do/say that. The rear view mirror tells us it ain't a given. (Along with many things, a full church service, dinner out with friends, heck, even being entitled to attend a funeral to offer condolence.)
Thank God for children. Some, sadly, don't know anything over and above pandemic life. Oh how well they teach us. Without the advantage of a rear view mirror they gleam, glow about life. We can learn from them.
Sorry I rambled. I'll get outta here. Main missive: relax. It's a given we will slip up. Don't beat ourselves up. We're human. Kind is always best. Our outer affects our inner. We see, believe, differently, and that will always be the case. Facial expression is a choice. So are words.
The rear view mirror is mandatory.
2019 we took for granted. Having 2020 in the rear view mirror (Thank God it's in the rear view mirror) teaches us life is precious'er for 2021.
Happy New Year,
Love, Victurd
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