I could see

The Lord did not bless me with good eyesight.

When I got an eye test at school, I believe I had 20/70 vision.

I got glasses just in time for a family vacation to Pennsylvania.

It was my first trip to the North.

We went to places like Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Hersey Park and Gettysburg.

I saw it all.

My vision was clear, except for when my glasses were dirty.

I got tired of glasses eventually, but I couldn’t wear contacts so glasses were my only option to see until laser eye surgery came along years later.

It turned out I was a good candidate for the operation because I have thick corneas.

Surgery day dawned, I got comfortable on the table, my eyes were propped open and I stared at a dot.

The machine hummed, and before long things got pretty blurry.

A kind soul told me it was because some kind of flap had been flapped from somewhere.

I heard more hums, which I suppose were the sounds the laser made while it carved my corneas, and then someone brushed the flap back into place.

When I got up from the table, I could see.

I had to wear safety glasses for a while, and I still wear sunglasses outside most of the time, but the surgery enabled me to see in detail better than my glasses did.

It is wonderful to be able to see, but I wonder how often I take my sight for granted even in the years since a laser improved it.

It doesn’t take a laser to see the injustices which have occurred in recent days, but I think it takes a will to listen to the fact a blind eye has been turned toward injustices for too long.

I think it will take an ability to disagree with one another with the respect we should always show to fellow members of the human race.

I hope we haven’t lost the ability to disagree with respect, though it sometimes seems like it’s gone.

I think real change will take time, care, love, understanding and kindness.

When I saw today’s prompt from Sue, which is “see,” I figured a few words Mark Twain said about kindness seemed like a good way to end today’s post.

“Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”