Monday afternoon, had picked my contacts up at the optometrist office in town.
Tuesday morning, I slid them
into my eyes for my 4-hour trial adjustment period.
The contacts were fine for distance.
But after an hour, I was
still having trouble with blurriness “up close”, like hand-held things (cell
phone: contacts, notifications; books, ect.), laptop keyboard tabs … anything
that was not distance related; and that’s a big factor because I like to
read my Bible, and read patterns for handcrafts. Plus, I’m a designer, I work
with my hands on “up close” handcrafted items, and I put my pattern
instructions into print format. Most of my friends are texters: reading
and typing are important in my daily life.
I called the optometrist’s
office, and the technician said the blurriness may correct itself. Then she
added, “If, however, things do not improve today or tomorrow – you may have to
get another prescription to put over the contacts”. Uh … NO: that
would defeat the purpose of the contacts! I already have glasses coming (ordered
the same day I ordered the contacts), that should arrive in a week or so; I
do not need another pair of glasses to wear with the contacts!
After my 4-hour morning
“adjustment” period was over, I removed the contacts and put my glasses back
on.
This morning I suffered another
severe asthma attack (first severe attack was Christmas Eve, 2021) – compounded
by chronic bronchitis: by the time my lungs had cleared and I could actually
suck breath into my screaming lungs, tears were running down my face, soaking
my pj top; and I had visible red strain marks on my face from brow to chin … my
eyes were running nonstop, and swollen: getting contacts in them was not
feasible.
So, when my tortured body
settled back into an easy rhythm after it’s Red Zone experience; and I could talk
without sounding like a gasping fish out of water, I called the optometrist’s
office again and told them to cancel the Contacts Order. The contacts will
not work for me. Whether my eyes “adjust”, or not, is no longer the
issue. The frequency and severeness of the asthma attacks are
the issue … and I am not going to pay good $$$ for a product my body will not
be able to fully utilize. I have worn contacts before with success – but in
this season of my life, they just won’t work. Letting contacts eyewear fall by
the wayside does not send my entire life into a tailspin.
When
I ended the convo with the peeved receptionist, I noticed that there was a
break in the weather from 11 AM to Noon, so I pulled on some jeans and tied on my
hiking boots.
Whenever
possible, I do not allow asthma to handicap me 😉
I may not be
able to wear contacts to help lessen the blinding effects of sunshine and headlight
glare … but I can still enjoy my daily walks when the weather allows 😉
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When I got back to the
parked Highlander, I saw that there was enough time to make the Keenagers
gathering; I hadn’t been there for a while, so I decided to go – even if I was
dressed in my hiking grubbies.
I was still reasonably presentable 😊
Turning off Pacific Way, and
onto Huntington, I was momentarily hung up by landscaping activities.
I had been missed, and everyone
let me know it, with squeals of “Val!” and enthusiastic hugs all around. I enjoyed
myself, and when asked what I’ve been doing … I answered truthfully with a
smile: “staying alive”.
And I laughed when that
song, ‘Staying Alive’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNFzfwLM72c)
sung by the Bee Gee’s ran through my mind 😊
When I got back home –
barely in the door – my phone rang: another friend needed some time outdoors
and asked me if I wanted to go for a walk: I said, “Sure, I’m always game
for a walk; do you want to meet out at Willow Grove, or should I come pick you
up?” I went to pick her up. We had a nice leisurely riverside walk, shot
the breeze on a variety of topics, and enjoyed being together.
Outside.
Soaking up the skimpy sunrays 😊
Kindness, sown in love, is a
comfortable 2-way street that always leads to a happy disposition 😉
And I saw, when I got back
home and kicked my shoes off … that a snippet of the Angel Wing Begonia
plant I hauled home from an Oregon Grange Garage Sale … Bob and I had stopped
at on one of our daytrip ventures nine years ago; had finally burst into
blossom.
That memory made me smile.
So, my day, that started out
so precariously amended; ended happy, and on up notes as the day unfolded.
