People have asked me, many times
over the years, if I had the opportunity to get twenty/twenty vision—via some
sort of surgery—would I take it? And, to the bewilderment of most, I answer
that I'm not sure.
I've grown accustomed to things as
they are. And, certainly, there are
times when I wish I had twenty/twenty: when I think about not being able to
drive, for example, but then I remember that traffic and parking is crazy in
New York, anyway. Or when a train
approaches a station like Union Square, where its really loud, and I can't see
the number on the side of the train and I'm struggling to get someone's
attention so that I can ask them. Or
when I'm at a busy intersection, and its the middle of the day so I can't see
the streetlights, I think how easy it would be if I could just see them
whenever (but, I don't necessarily need twenty/twenty for that, just more
vision than I have now). Besides, I've
spent years working with mobility teachers (click
here for a definition) to perfect my street crossing skills. So the only thing I would really need
twenty/twenty vision for would be driving.
And I can live without that; I plan to live and work in cities).
However, if I could have ... better vision, I would take that. Maybe restore what I've lost (I didn't take
my drops for a few years) so I can read money again. I don't remember if I could distinguish
facial features before, but I'd love to be able to do it now.
As I sit here, watching the people
stream past me, I wish I could see their faces and attire, it would make coming
up with character descriptions a lot easier.
I enjoy letting dialogue flow around
me and picking out the interesting bits; they also help me build characters,
and make their dialogue as realistic as possible. But I don't get the full picture, you know?
Yes, I do construct images of people
in my mind's eye. I've asked my friends
for descriptions of other friends, teachers, etc, and then I see if how I
constructed them mentally is accurate to how they actually look. And, surprisingly, more often than not, it's
fairly close. But I've definitely had
moments where I was so far off...
I've gotten around not being able to
people watch, by sitting with friends having them do it for me. And it's actually pretty fun. And I appreciate that I have a few friends
who can give me unbiased descriptions—you know, just giving me the facts—before
the hilarity ensues when they start offering opinions/making commentary.
But I would love to see it for
myself. And again, I don't need
twenty/twenty for that, just more than I have now.
* * *
I think what keeps me from posting
regularly is the amount of pressure I put on myself. So many things happen each day, and I start
writing it down, but then I start to second-guess how interesting it is. But sitting here now, on the skybridge—it's
an enclosed bridge that connects the buildings of my school at the third story—and
watching the figures stream past me, I thought about a post, wrote it, and,
since I brought my laptop with me today, uploaded it. I didn't overthink.
And I still plan on uploading on
Saturday.
Well, till next
time
Timo-itazke
(Nahuatl for
goodye or see you later… love the Aztecs)
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