Put Your Glasses On And Look

Posted on by Joyful2bee

When I was 12 years old I noticed I was having trouble seeing the writing on the blackboard in school. I always sat at the front of the class anyway so I didn’t know how long my vision had been declining. 

But soon the front row seat did not help me see the board clearly any more. Squinting my eyes to focus on the teacher’s writing was futile and tiring. So at the teacher’s suggestion I had my first real eye exam and found that I needed glasses for nearsightedness.

How badly I needed them was not “clear” even to me until I put my first pair of glasses on. I was sitting across a small table, maybe 2 feet wide, from the man who adjusted my new, pale, blue, plastic glasses’, frame so that it fit my face and ears. The first thing I said was, “I can see the hairs on your arms!!” (Where had they been all my life?)

A Whole New World

Then when I walked out the door, I still remember, looking at the trees and seeing individual leaves and branches. Everything was clear and bright and so beautiful!! How had I missed all of this and not realized it? Evidently the changes in my vision were so gradual that I hadn’t seen the difference. Everything around me became new and more beautiful.

Years later, sometimes I would take my glasses off and look at the trees’ leaves just to remind myself of how the world had once looked through nearsighted eyes. Then I would put my glasses back on and almost cry with joy when I remembered how the beauty was brought into focus finally. I was given a new view of my world thanks to those glasses!!

Even now, over sixty years later, I enjoy observing my surroundings. That started me thinking about how easy it is to get caught up in our busy lives and neglect to pause and look, to “put on our glasses,” and really see what is there in front of us.

Be in the Moment

Sometimes when you have to wait for someone or an event, take a look around you and see what you might not have noticed before. If you are waiting at a stoplight, look around you at the scenery, the people, the sidewalk, or even a building; you might be surprised at what you see. You may even see someone looking at you waiting for a smile or a wave. You will be less bored and much more appreciative of your world through noticing the sights you didn’t notice before.

Are you really all there?

Now that we have cell phones with a clock, calendar, schedule, maps, information, texts, messages, photos, social media, and even a flash light, it is easy to sneak a peek at our phones at the stop lights, thus literally making ourselves nearsighted. But if we use those moments at the crossroads and look around us we may be surprised at what is there.

When we are walking around shopping, exercising, or even sitting on our porches, it can be a wonderful experience to use all of our senses to feel, smell, hear, and really see what there is in our lives that we have been missing. We can be isolating our senses from a wealth of sensations.

Have you ever caught yourself just shoveling food in your mouth and not enjoying it? I have read that if you put the eating utensil down after unloading it into your mouth, and actually taste what you are eating, you will enjoy it more and not eat nearly as much as you would just dumping food in your mouth.

As a photographer I sometimes see things in a different light, or a series of objects, or often a rather unusual sight! Now I get to share some beautiful sights through my photography with my friends. The first one I saw while stopped at a light. I was shocked to see the hawk looking in my direction!

A Hawk standing on the side of the road.
A hawk standing on the side of the road.

I remain thankful for my corrected vision and my glasses. The pleasure of seeing and enjoying the beauty of the easily neglected sights often reminds me to pay attention to my environment.

Glass wall corner
Is the corner of this building pointing inward or outward?

There are many amazing things in this world to be awed and inspired by. Some sights or photos remind us that things will get better. Others encourage us to make it through the hard times by reminding us that there are inspirations around if we look for them. Live and enjoy the beauty around you!

Sometimes just bringing a little smile to someone’s face may help them remember they are not alone. That is what I like to try to do. So here are some photos for your viewing pleasure. Take a look.

Red barn in pond with blue sky.
Red barn reflected in blue skies reflection.

 

Streetlight through ice laden trees at night.
Streetlight through ice laden trees at night.

I never saw so many seagulls so far away from the ocean! These were spotted on the way home from working the night shift in a nearby hospital. What an incredible sight!

Thousands of Seagulls
Early morning seagulls in front of a Walmart in Holly Springs, NC
Two Tuxedo cats on printed chair cover.
Two beautiful, almost camouflaged sibling tuxedos cats.
Glass sun by spider web.
Spider web imitating glass sun on planter.

21 thoughts on “Put Your Glasses On And Look”

  1. On a “scientific” note: the concept behind putting the utensil down to eat less is based on the fact that there is a delay in the signal from the stomach to the brain. By putting the utensil down, this allows time for the stomach to signal to the brain that it is full.

    I recently took up photography as a way to get me outside walking, away from my writing desk. I discovered I enjoyed it more than I would have expected. One of the results is that I am constantly on the look out for subject matter (the way a fence is leaning, an unique fountain at a small shopping plaza, etc). The result is there is enough photographic opportunities in, say, a five mile radius of my house to keep me busy for quite some time (and that doesn’t include the moments that can only be captured at that moment, like the hawk on the side of the road). It completely changes what many would call a drab or even bleak landscape into something that fascinates and calls out to be explored.

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    1. Thanks for the explanation about how eating slowly biologically help with feeling full.
      I know exactly what you mean! I have thousands of photos that I am going through to weed out the less than the best. I see beauty in sunlight through leaves, water with a slow lens that makes the water from a water fountain look like a rope. I love to photograph my cats too.

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  3. Oh Joyful…you are such a wonderful, mindful philosopher! And your writing expresses your heart so beautifully! I wish I could communicate my thoughts as clearly as you. Beautiful post!

    I got my glasses at 11. The nearsightedness crept up so slowly, I didn’t really even notice until, like you, I just couldn’t see what the teacher had written and found myself squinting (that’s a great word isn’t it?) all the time. And I remember that day I got my glasses – I was amazed. I couldn’t believe that I could see each leaf on each tree so clearly! And there were no more halos around car headlights and the moon. And I remember looking up and seeing so many stars… It took my breath away! Thanks of the memories! 🙂

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    1. Thank you!! That’s some big praise coming from one of my favorite bloggers!! I am delighted that you remembered your experience like mine! We seem to have a lot in common! Hugs and thanks for making my day!!

      Liked by 1 person

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        1. Oscar, thank you for commenting. I have some back issues that sometimes affect my tolerance for walking. I am glad for your sake that you have a scooter. They have been handy for me when I go to the zoo or when my back is acting up. Take care and enjoy the beauty.

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