Glasses

One fine morning the youngest helpful gent decided to help me put on my glasses, and that was the end of that pair. It was time for a new pair anyway, but in the meantime I dug around for my old wire-rimmed pair and wore those while I waited. Every time I looked in the mirror my glasses just disappeared into my face. I just didn't look like me any more. Kind of like the time I dyed my hair red-- it was cute, but I didn't look like me to myself.

"Boys don't make passes at girls who wear glasses." Those geeky, intensely self-conscious high school years wishing I didn't wear glasses took their toll. I always chose gold wire-rimmed "I'm not really wearing glasses" glasses. But secretly, I kind of wished I was brave enough to choose something just a little different.

And then I did. What prompted the change? Who knows? But a couple years ago when I ordered new specs I chose red "I wear glasses! " glasses. (Ok, in the interest of honesty, the eyeglass lady chose them for me. By the time I get close enough to actually see the glasses my nose is nearly touching the mirror-- squinting at a pair of glasses from a couple inches away doesn't quite let one know how they look. But I did tell her that I wanted glasses that say "I wear glasses!" ) When I ordered my replacement glasses I asked for a pair just like the ones that were broken by my sweet guy.

My new glasses are in and I look like myself again-- the shy nearly invisible glasses are back in the drawer. I still look kind of geeky. But now I look like I'm doing it on purpose.