January 9, 2026
As of yesterday, I am intelligent, wise, studious, and stylish. These are some of the adjectives Google tells me describe one who wears glasses (I left out “nerdy” because I am not that), and I am the newest member of that distinguished group.
My vision has always been excellent, but it has been declining for several months, especially at night. Reading road signs while driving after dark is starting to feel more like guessing than actual reading. I basically know my way around Phoenix, so it has been okay. But not so much in Missouri, where we will be moving.
Not only that, but the airport, with all of its lighted signs, looks like a blurry sea of half-formed words.
I am not going to admit that I am getting old. Only my eyes are getting old, and the rest of me is like the fountain of youth.
Yesterday, I went to the optometrist to find out what all this blurriness meant. After the exam, these words came out of the doctor’s mouth: “Your eyes look young and healthy.”
But apparently, that was a lie an exaggeration because she then proceeded to recommend glasses for “night driving,” thanks to “the lowest level of near-sightedness possible” mixed with “a slight astigmatism” in my left eye that makes seeing at night more difficult.
I feel validated. But also, I can read just fine, so my eyes ARE young and healthy, thank you very much.
My purple-framed glasses will be arriving in a couple of weeks, so no pictures yet. (The picture at the top has now been updated.) But let me assure you that, while wearing them, I am a model of intelligence and style. I might just wear them all the time, not just for night driving, for appearances alone.
I need all the help I can get.
**Read the rest of this journaling series here.
