The Undecision Decision

So, I got new glasses today. 

The last time I got new glasses was in 2020.  I remember it so well because I didn’t mean to get new glasses.  The occasion back then for the purchase of new glasses was me falling flat on my face.  Going UP the steps of the old Bee-stro, as I was loading the food trailer for a private catering event.  Now, it takes a special someone to fall up the stairs, but both me and President Joe Biden have that special skill.

When I fell back in 2020, I landed on my face, which makes me chuckle as I write this, but I was a hot mess lookwise back then.  My face was bleeding and my glasses took a beating being severely scratched so much that I could no longer see out of them.  Hence, necessitating the need for new spectacles.

Over the summer, I noticed that things just weren’t as clear as they use to be.  It got bad enough when typing (or is it called keyboarding now days?  I don’t know.) that I would put on my Solar Bat sunglasses so I could read the screen better.  I also noticed a change when reading in bed.  My arm had to hold the book at just the right length and position and then I had to blink several times to get the words into focus.  I guess that’s what folks would call a clue as to it being time to get to the eye doctor.

When I went to Dr. Nesty a few weeks back he confirmed my suspicions that I needed an upgrade to my prescription which meant I could pick out something to compliment my new natural gray hair color.   I had already subtly changed some of my make-up tones, but thought I needed something else to add some color back into my face.  New eyeglass frames seemed like the perfect vehicle to enhance my new look.

Now, I have worn glasses since I was 10 years old.  I always love picking out new frames.  It always seems like Christmas Day when my new glasses arrive, yes, they caused me to practice the sense of seeing, but eyeglasses also help define my personality.  As a kiddo, it seemed my prescription changed every year, so that meant every year I got to change my “style” a bit.  When I first started wearing glasses, I had the popular Ziggy and Snoopy characters on the lower corner of one of my lens (I don’t remember which lens.)  Then, as I matured, I left behind cartoon characters in favor of my initials, “JLP”.  Of course back then when I had emblems on my lens, the lens were so huge I think you could land a 747 on them.  Then, lens got smaller, and I went through a “I want to highlight my blue eyes” phase and all my frames for years had to be blue.  At some point, probably during motherhood, I went with narrow metal frames usually in a burgundy tone. 

My favorite pair of glasses were the ones with matching clip-on sunglasses.  I wore those for several years replacing the lens when my prescription needed changed and keeping the frame.  One day, I lost the clip-on sunglass part, but called the eye doctor’s office and they were able to order me a new matching clip-on that went with my frame.  I found the original sunglass clip-on when walking down the road (yes, for exercise) about a week later.  They were lying on the side of Murphy Road just south of Airport Road on the asphalt not quite to the grass.  I must have dropped them when I had gone on my last walk.  I picked them up, clipped them on and they worked perfectly regardless of how many cars had ran over them during the week on the road.  I continued to wear them until my unfortunate stumble in 2020.

So, with my new hair color, change in make-up color, I was ready for a new pair of glasses not only so I could see again, but so I could use the opportunity to define my look once again.   

My childhood neighbor and long time family friend, Leesa Nesty, was excited to show me a pair of fun chunky and funky frames in which to house my new lenses.  The first pair she gave me were fun and chunky, and were lavender.  Lavender is a lovely color, but it wasn’t the RIGHT color on me.  I asked Leesa what she thought about a red frame.  After all, I had been wearing red lipstick lately and it did seem to go well with the gray.  Maybe it would work as a frame color, too. 

Leesa’s face lit up as she got up and grabbed a pair of red plastic Calvin Klein frames.  They were fun.  They were chunky.  They were funky.  And I loved them. 

They weren’t bright cheery red.  They were between red and maroon.  A red that didn’t need to be bright to stand out.  My hesitancy was I was afraid they would be too heavy on my nose.  It would be the first time in my married life that I would wear a pair of glasses without nose pads.  My lenses are pretty heavy in and of themselves.  I stewed.  I sat there way too long eating into their lunch time as a grabbled with this important earth shattering decision.   Leesa grabbed another pair of metal red frames with nose pads.  These I knew I could comfortably wear, but that chunky frame….

I took pictures of me wearing each frame and sent them to the most brutely honest people I know- Andy and our offspring, Judah and Sophie. 

Sophie was the only one to respond.  Her response:  “If you are okay with looking like a cool old lady, go with the thick frames.  If you want to play it safe, go with the other.  They tell very different stories.” 

I immediately felt what she was saying.  I was okay with looking like an old lady as long as I was a COOL old lady.  At 55 years old, I had done enough living playing it safe.  She was right.  Each frame told a very different story and with the rest of my life to live, what story did I want to tell?   So, I ordered the chunky funky frames…..

Then I got home.  Andy hadn’t looked at the photos I had sent.  When I showed him the photos, he said, “I don’t even know who that person is”, causing me to question my bold choice.  So, I called Leesa and told her if it wasn’t too late, to order my glasses with the other “safe” frame.

Never before had it been so hard to pick out eyeglass frames.  Before I had left the eye doctor’s, I had Leesa run the numbers of the cost if I had bought BOTH glasses.  That night, I was unsettled with my “play it safe” decision.  It was eyeglasses for cryin’ out loud.  Maybe it’s because I had Leesa give me the cost of buying both frames that I knew that I didn’t have to make a decision.  For the last 45 years, I never had a back-up pair of glasses in case something happened to my main pair.  After all, Andy had glasses to use in case he had something go wrong with his contacts and it had been over 4 years since I bought my last pair of glasses…. I was justifying the decision of undecision I was making.

The next morning, I asked Andy if he was okay if I bought both pairs.  With no hesitation, he said yes.  By the end of the week generous tips Andy and I received when delivering catered Christmas party meals covered the second pair of glasses.  Thank you kind customers!

So, today, I picked up both glasses.  Both are great, but both tell different stories.  The great thing is I am typing (or keyboarding, whatever they are calling it these days) and can see.  I have worn both pair of glasses as I have written this just to make sure they are both equal in the vision category.

When I want to be low key, “playing it safe”, you will see me wear the metal frame with the nose pads.  But, when I am feeling feisty, wearing my history on my face, you will see me in the fun, chunky, and funky plastic frames- embracing who I have become during the journey called life- a cool old lady.