You Look Funny

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I went to school yesterday—deciding that I’d not wear my glasses.

Why?

Oh, I don’t know; vanity I suppose. After all, have you ever seen somebody who wears glasses all the time, then, when they get contacts or corrective surgery, they always tend to look like they’re blind? You know, with that I-just-don’t-look-quite-right-look?

Yeah, so have I; there was no way that I was going to become one of those people…I’d already had a student walking down the hall a month or so ago who made the comment, “You look funny, Mr. Z.”

Now, how just does one respond to something like that? Perhaps with a heartfelt ‘thank you?’

Luckily, the child went on to explain: “You don’t look right without your glasses.”

Ugh, the lack-of-glasses-blindness-curse was beginning to descend upon me! So now perhaps you can see my dilemma, and also my incessant desire to not join the masses that ‘look funny’ without their glasses on. To combat this I decided to wear my glasses a few times a week, and then come to school a few times in contacts. That way, I’d look great both ways.

I know…pure, unadulterated genius.

So yesterday I debated on whether or not to wear the glasses, finally deciding to forgo the four-eye look, and sport contacts. Since I was pressed for time, I dropped two of lenses from the package into my computer bag and gathered up my various and sundry items to head out for the school day, confident that I’d just put them in when I had a few spare moments.

Problem #1: most teachers don’t have ‘spare moments.’

Spare moments tend to be a luxury which doesn’t happen very often, and yesterday was one of those chock-full days. There was no way that I had any time in which to put a set of contacts in. From the moment I walked in the school, until I left at some undisclosed time in the darkening hours in the early evening, I was swamped; so with this, poor vision then became the norm.

That’s when I started to make the discovery: when I can’t see properly, I get used to it. I come to believe that that is just what the world looks like, and come to accept it as reality. This is a horrible mistake when, in reality, the world is a much more stunning place with clear and beautiful colors, and everything is sharp and well-defined. But, with the lack of my eye enhancements, everything was a blur for me—the whole day. If I looked down the hallway I’d have to struggle to recognize a student; whereas, with my glasses I could have nailed them with my 20/10 vision.

You heard me…20/10, baby.

So today, I decided that I would put my contacts in before I left for school—taking one extra minute that I knew I’d not have later in the day. Will it all work out in the end? I don’t know. But heaven knows that I need to avoid the ‘blind man’ look with a well-planned preemptive strike.