Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Lessons from Laser

A few years ago I was talking to someone who visited the elderly in their homes, helping them live on their own with minimal assistance.

What has your work taught you about getting old? I asked.

To have interests that use different faculties, she quickly replied. If you only enjoy reading, and you lose your vision, you have nothing. The same thing for those who love music and go deaf. Or those who love walking outdoors and can no longer walk.

It's important to have interests that depend on different senses or skills - not just one - or you can be left with nothing...

The truth of her words have rung true to me the past 5 days - as I recover from laser eye surgery to correct my vision. I can no longer knit or quilt or read (without a magnifying glass) and I can only use the computer for brief periods of time - and then only with the screen enlarged (Control + is a wonderful tool!)

But even the brightness of the screen hurts my eyes after a few minutes... so I move on to other tasks - like cleaning and laundry, where I was never much of a perfectionist at the best of times!

I wish I had borrowed some books on tape from the library before my surgery.

This whole experience has taught me how much I use (and need) my eyes!

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