If you can read this, be grateful for a multitude of blessings. First and foremost is you have the gift of sight. Even if you wear glasses, contacts, or had corrective surgery, you can distinguish dark and light on a very detailed level.
Second, give thanks for electronics. You could break that down to the device (smartphone or computer), information sharing system (wi-fi, cable, or telephone wire), and good ol’ electricity to power that digital screen that flashes the words in front of your eyes. Yup, more than one gift in that one.
Third, thank your teacher. Whether you attended public or private school or learned from a parent, sibling, or friend, be grateful they spent time encouraging you. You were – and are – worth it.
Right now, I want to share my experience with the gift of sight. When my grandmother saw me as a newborn, she said, “What big, beautiful eyes. She’s going to be nearsighted.” She was right. Lasik – my first two surgeries – corrected it, though. I was very happy for years not having to buy glasses or contacts.
Surgeries three and four were for cataracts. Those surgeries were not nearly as successful. I guess the ophthalmologist didn’t calculate (guess) the right strength of the implanted lenses, I was back to glasses.
Vision degradation was ongoing and for no reason other than old age. I had a macular pucker that was tugging and distorting my retina, the ‘projector screen’ at the back of my eye. I was getting a new prescription twice a year. Images seen with my right eye were ten to fifteen percent bigger than my left. That translated to double vision to my brain.
After five years of regular check-ups on its progress, the doctor decided it was time for surgery.
My fifth eye surgery was last week: vitrectomy and membranectomy. I’ll look like a pirate for at least a few more days. Here’s hoping my ‘double-vision’ will go away and I can write more!
In the meantime, check out the newest release from The Authors’ Billboard. If you love Romantic Suspense, here’s a great one: UNFORGETTABLE REVENGE. Loads of new stories, too.
Join the Authors' Billboard Newsletter mailing list and get a newsletter filled with new releases and books on sale every Friday.
Start out your subscription with a free book!
Dani Haviland, formerly of Connecticut, Arizona, and Alaska, recently semi-retired from selling tractor parts, tools, and roses. She moved to a more temperate climate in western Oregon to pursue her passions: writing, gardening, and photography.
View website