I Can See Clearly Now the Glasses are Gone!

I got glasses when I was 15 years old. It was exciting then, a new look, wearing them during French class just to hear my boyfriend say how cute I was, it was all fun. But then I reached a point where I had the wear them ALL THE TIME! Yawn! For close to 20 years I have worn glasses to the point where the lenses have scratched and chipped, and one pair even broke off in half and I had to tape them together right down the middle, just like "Revenge of the Nerds!" I couldn't take it anymore! I started contemplating contact lens, but would shudder at the thought, because, you see, I have this...thing. You know how everyone has a "thing" that freaks them out, I have several. But this particular "thing" was sticking anything, ANYTHING, near my eye. The thought of that eye machine that puffs air into your eye is horrifying to me! "When's it coming, when's it coming! Ahhhh!!!" I say in my head. Eye drops are ridiculous! Remember the "Friends" episode where Rachel freaked out about the eye drops and has to get held down?

That's me! At one point I had Byron holding my shoulders, Dad holding my head, and my mom shoving the eye drops in my eyes! So what was I thinking wanting contact lenses?
It started when I became a teacher. A little girl drew a picture of me and she was very excited to share it. I looked at it, took a sigh of relief that she hadn't given me green skin or a wart on my nose, but them I looked at my face and I saw them...glasses. When I picture my face in my mind, I do not have glasses on. But I realized that's how people see me, with glasses. I guess I wanted people to see the person I felt I was, without the glasses.
So what was the turning point? What finally pushed me into the tiny, cramped Walmart eye doctor office? Pure vanity and my obsession with celebrities. 4 days before I found myself in the doc's office, Byron surprised me with great news! I was going to the Killers concert with backstage passes to meet the band. Then I looked in the mirror at my overly chubby face and my scratched, unkept glasses and thought, "They may never remember me, but I cannot meet the band like this!" Loosing 20 lbs in a week was not going to happen for me (though I tried my best) but I could do something about my eyes. I dropped Wyatt off at his Grammy's and set off looking for a cheap makeover, new clothes, new makeup, anything to help me feel a little better about myself. And in my head, I had a secret plan. If I can get into the eye doctor TODAY, I am GOING to do it. No excuses! Well, I ended up following through with my plan and left with my glasses in my purse, contacts in my eyes, and new $5 Walmart sunglasses in my hand (something I could never do before).
As I took my picture with The Killer's drummer, Ronnie Vanucci, he had no idea what I did that week, nor did he care, but Ronnie was the one that got my butt in to that doctor's office and I'm so glad. I'm still not great at sticking my finger in my eye, and though I need them, I still haven't bought eye drops, but I look and feel good in my cheap sunglasses and now people can see me how I SEE ME! (BTW, can you all just see me as 20 lbs lighter, too! Thx!)