The Journey Inward

If you saw my post a few days ago, I wrote about how I buy myself a gift each year on my birthday to celebrate and honor myself and shower love and affection upon myself. It’s something I started a few years back when I came to understand how circumstances may have existed that made my arrival less than a happy occasion and how, quite possibly and through no intent on anyone’s part, I may have taken that message in and tried to take up less space as a result.

Anyway, this year’s gift was an unusual one. To go way back, I got my first pair of glasses when I was in Mrs. Krystow’s third grade class at Beechwood School. At first, I loved the attention of the eye doctor and optometrist and mom as we worked together to correct my vision. I loved picking out my purply-pink frames. I was feeling pretty important. Then I went to school and that’s where the whole experience went south.

I hated my glasses and went to great lengths to avoid wearing them. I moved my seat, pretended I forgot them, lost them and just generally lied about my ability to see well. Despite getting new frames every few years, nothing could entice me to wear them.

High school was a different story. As part of my freshman year reinvention, I donned horn-rimmed glasses and wore them all four years. They were part of my “look.” (I also discovered that the world existed in vivid color, which I hadn’t experienced in the last 7 years!). 

I own contacts, but rarely wear them as glasses are a mainstay on my face. I’ve worn small ones, big ones, round ones, red ones, and my beloved horn-rimmed. They are my first reach in the morning and my last grasp at night. In short, they are a complete necessity to my life.

Recently my boyfriend got his first eye exam in two decades, thinking it might finally be time to see if a prescription might be called for. I went with him for moral support, and also because lunch was involved! Left on my own in the waiting room, I fell back on one of my favorite hobbies – trying on glasses. Unlike times when I was actually trying to pick out new glasses and could never decide, I quickly found two pairs that I loved. I even found a pair of very unique sunglasses that I adored. But we weren’t here for me and I didn’t need new glasses or sunglasses. But then I remembered my birthday was coming up and I had nothing in mind. And I thought, I wear glasses every single day until a screw comes loose or an arm breaks off or my prescription changes. Why not see them as an accessory and have some variety? Match to outfits, moods, whim? Why not take an everyday essential and treat myself to fun, not just function?

I took all three pair!