Wonders of the day and age we live in #1: Glasses

In case you're new: Thankful Thursdays is a series in which, every Thursday, I write about one thing I'm thankful for. Whether it's something as grand as the time we live in, or as specific about the way , nothing is off limits. Check out my intro post for more on why I'm doing this, and how it might help you too.

Ok, I had my fun writing about prism glasses and old man masks. But if the point of Thankful Thursdays is to demonstrate gratitude for the everyday, then I’ll need to write about at least some everyday stuff. As funny as it may be for you to read about my adventures in pranks, they’re not that relatable. So what’s more relatable than the day and age we live in? After all, we’re all in it!

I consider this a mini-series within Thankful Thursdays. There’s simply too much stuff about our time in history I’m thankful for for one post to do it justice. And for Part 1, I’d like to say thanks to the existence of glasses. For my fellow poor eyesighted, it’s easy to take them for granted. They’re a part of us, never separated from us. But for the majority of human history, glasses weren’t a thing. And sure, you could make the argument that people then wouldn’t have known what they’re missing out on. Which may be true, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be thankful for them. All it took was thinking I lost them for a good half hour.

I was walking along the beach, wearing my prescription sunnies (another thing to be thankful for!). As so often, my glasses were inside my glasses case, which was in the outside, open pockets of my backpack. At some point, I noticed that the outside pockets felt surprisingly empty. I swung my bag around and did a full inspection – still empty. Five inspections later, taking all the other contents of my bag out, still nothing. It was then that I started coming to terms with all the things I’d lose out on, at least until I ordered a new pair.

It’s easy to look at the obvious and say the world would be a blurrier place. But that’s boring, and high level. Let’s unpack what that would mean. It would mean I could no longer recognise people, not until I’m ludicrously close to them. That includes real people and on-screen characters. At least I could sit near the TV or bring my laptop toward my face, but that would be very uncomfortable. Without that closeness, I’d also miss out on visual gags in The Simpsons or other animated shows.

I could read, but also only either constantly holding my book up close, or craning my neck uncomfortably downwards. The things I read most, of course, are on a screen, like when I’m at work. Whether at the office or working from home, working would be a nightmare: with my eyes constantly pressed up close to the screen, I’d get constant headaches. Perhaps I could zoom in ridiculously far, but then I’d scroll forever, reading one word at a time.

It may come as a surprise to hear that there’s more to life than text and screens. Not in this glasses-free world, there’s not. Any of my favourite sports – football, tennis, anything ball-related or that relies on person recognition, I’d suck at. I’d probably also get hit by the ball a lot, and maybe get injured more. On that same note, I’d see less bumps and uneven parts of the floor, and trip more. At least then I’d be close enough to see cool things like ants.

I’d be less able to appreciate beauty – whether skylines or fireworks or natural vistas or my girlfriend. I could barely follow live sports. On a more practical note, it would take me longer to recognise when I’m in danger (like if someone’s chasing me) – probably too long. The list goes on, and I’ll try and add more as it comes to me. Even then, I’m sure I’m missing out on a trillion other ways life without glasses would suck a bit more.

Tracing my steps at the beach, I took some solace in the fact that, as I’d wait for my new lenses, I could at least use my contacts. They’re not comfy, but they do their job (yet another thing I’m grateful for!). Worst comes to worst, I could use my prescription sunnies indoors. I’d sure look like a clown at the office, but hey ho. Thankfully, it didn’t have to come to that, because I found them at fence I climbed earlier. My glasses case must’ve swung out and got stuck in the wires. From a distance, they appeared to be floating, like an angel. My relief sure was strong enough to make me feel like I was in heaven.

It was around the time I lost them that I learned of a stoic meditative technique called negative visualisation. The idea being that you focus on one particular object, or maybe a person, in your life, and imagine your life without it/them. The point isn’t to dwell on this sad state of affairs, but to imagine it vividly enough that you can then feel grateful for what that thing or person brings to you in life. I haven’t practiced this as much as I aim to, but having had this real experience without my glasses makes it that much easier to imagine my life without them. And boy, am I grateful for them.

Sure, it may be annoying that I need them to begin with, but I can’t change that. Within this reality of having shitty eyesight, the fact that these things not only exist, but we live in a time where they’re reasonably cheap, quick to order tailored to our eyes, and in a style of our choice, is an absolute godsend. Maybe they’re unwieldy at times, but at least they sit on my ears with minimal effort, and I don’t need to constantly hold them, like a telescope.

You could also look into the future, and say glasses are a stone-age technology compared to whatever instant, perfect eyesight-creating procedures we’ll have one day. Even if that’s true, I have a solution right now that makes my life sweeter in so many ways, so things could be a whole lot worse.

Have you ever been without your glasses for an extended time?