The End of an Era

Today is the day that I (hopefully) say goodbye to contacts and glasses. I've been so excited about it, and I still am. I'm not one bit nervous. But here's the weird thing: I'm a little bit sad.

I don't know if this will make any sense or not. I've always kind of had trouble identifying exactly who I am or what I'm meant to do, etc. Having bad vision, and requiring sight aids is one of the few obvious things that I felt defined me. Hi, I'm Natalie, and I'm practically blind! It was almost a sense of pride just how blurry everything was without glasses or contacts. Today, I lose that definition.

I realize it's a great thing to do and I know I won't regret it at all. It just feels a bit odd - like I'm losing part of myself. Tampering with things. But I'm trying to look at it this way - I'm beginning to shed the negative definitions and find (or improve) the positive ones. Having great vision will be one less thing to worry about - clearing up space in mind for other, more important worries.

Everyone has been so sweet! Yesterday and today I've gotten so many emails from family (Aunties Melody and Gay) and cousins/best friends (Sarah, Lydia, Moriah) and friends (Susan, Janine, Jill, John, Candace, if I left anyone out I'm sorry) wishing me luck, telling me how happy they are for me, co-workers who can't wait to hear about it on Monday. I'm a lucky, loved girl.

I'll be filing a report first thing on Monday! Tomorrow morning when I wake up from a sweet, Valium-induced coma, I should be able to see the clock.

If you are also helpless to the need of vision enhancing materials, that last sentence probably made you cry.