Eyes to see

I am nearsighted. Have been for a long time, in glasses since I was 12 and someone noticed it. How was I supposed to know everything across the school gym wasn't supposed to be blurry?

I still remember my first day in glasses. Part of this is embarrassing, but since we're all friends here, I'll spill. Three things I remember: My mother talked me into a pair with pink-red rims. Someone called them "Sally Jesse Raphael" glasses if that helps. Despite the poor choice of frames, I remember walking around a corner in a grocery store and being amazed that the whole aisle seemed to be RIGHT THERE. It actually startled me. This is the embarrassing part. We were in "town" ie., Reno, for my eye appointment which conveniently coincided with my first concert: New Kids on the Block. As a delusional 12 or 13-year-old, I was mortified that Jonathan Knight might see me in glasses and my life would be ruined. Fortunately, we were all spared.

After being hit in the head while playing sports and losing my glass lenses multiple times, I got contacts. I had no such thing as insurance, but I did have an aunt who had a hysterectomy and needed help cleaning her home and taking care of her kids. In return, she took me to the eye doctor her brother went to and wallah, contacts. (I love you forever for that, Jeri...) The land of peripheral vision was opened to me.

Marvelous things, contacts. But Friday, I went in for a Lasik appointment. I wasn't really thinking of doing Lasik, it's just that, well, Bob does radio and sometimes people want to advertise on the station but sometimes they don't want to pay, they want to trade their services for him to talk up their business. Dr. Robbins already did his eyes and everyone else in the family with poor vision. As I am no longer pregnant or nursing, I am the last family candidate on deck for the free surgery. (Maybe we can someday branch out to friends as payment, who knows...)

Anyway, I ignored the ad guys for months and decided the only way they'd leave me alone is if I went to the appointment with Robbins Laser Site. After 2.5 hours of pretty intense eye exams (I've never had my eye photoed so many times) I was totally convinced that this is the greatest thing since...well, ever. I get my new eyes June 14.

Don't ruin it for me. I'm excited. I threw my contacts away (sorry, Jeri...). I'm wearing GLASSES (small, wire rimmed, thank you very much) for 8 whole days. The last two without make up. I may as well join a nerd convention. This would be a horrible blow if my friend Erica weren't going through the same thing this week. We may go to a glass-wearers-only movie watching convention where no one can see our specs in the dark.

I jest. I just don't like to wear my glasses. I liked my contacts. Except the part where they'd hurt or get something stuck in them or tear in inconvenient locations or when I forgot to take them out and slept in them. Other than that, I loved them.

But I think I'm going to love correction-free vision even more.