Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Detours



It's a weird day at the tail end of a very weird winter. (Weird? This winter sucked.)

Right now it's 70 F. They say there will be thunderstorms and wind. The temperature will plummet to the teens or lower 20s in the wake of the front headed our way. By tomorrow morning, we Washingtonians will be wearing long underwear - again!

A dramatic change in the weather brings along with it some sturm und drang. It just does.

I woke up moody, of course. I wasn't the only one. On my way downtown to pick up my new glasses, people were shouting, mumbling - to themselves, into their phones, at each other. People were glowering. They were stumbling, too, lurching almost. It was intense and a little scary, but I kept my head down and my eyes on the prize: my new glasses. But, as it turned out, I couldn't see through my new glasses. I was seeing double, couldn't read - it was unnerving how bad they were.




It was kind of a shock since I went this time to a real eye doctor as opposed to the places I usually go: shops that sell groovy frames and, oh yeah, they'll check your vision, too. I was so excited during the exam because this doc told me things about my vision I had never heard before. He talked to me extensively about the ways I use my eyes. I was so jazzed. He wanted to help me see more easily, with less strain, he said. But the result of his strategy was a disaster! How bizarre.

I have to go back so they can take measurements and reassess what went wrong, then reorder the glasses. They're so nice, and I've been nice, too. I would love to be the easiest patient. I would love to be a no problem patient. Unfortunately I'm turning out to be one of those pain-in-the-ass patients they hope will go away, never to return. I could see it in their faces. Oh dear.

I tried to run a number of other errands on my way home. One store I hoped to visit was closed and shuttered. Another didn't have what I needed, that sort of thing. I ended up stopping at a liquor store where I bought vodka and vermouth. After work tonight, I'm thinking a rather large martini is in order.

My calling as a shaman is to dance in alignment with the energies afoot. On an unsettled weather day like today, what do I expect? Of course everything I attempted to do came to a dead end, of course the crazies were out, cursing and shouting.

Back in the day, a series of frustrating dead ends would have me beside myself with frustration. This is really the greatest blessing of being in my sixties. In the grand scheme of things, today was nothing. An annoying day. Who cares?

After work, I'll watch a Bette Davis movie, drink a martini. The weather will come through. I will turn up the heat and say a prayer of gratitude for living in a warm, cozy, beautiful apartment, for being old enough to remember that days like this end just like wonderful days.

Life is good and I am grateful. Shalom.



8 comments:

  1. I love the reminders that (a) the winter sucked and is not over yet, in spite of yesterday's 75 degrees, and (b) when the temperature changes from 75 and balmy to rainy, windy, and cold overnight, that it is indeed okay to feel really out-of-sorts. Some at-home yoga, roasted vegetables and yes, a robust martini are going to happen here!

    ReplyDelete
  2. One for-sure thing is that you want your vision to be right. Last year I went through a spell where I had double vision sometimes, went to 2 docs who both said the same thing: you are aging and your eyes are unstable; let's change your lenses again. With every passing month I was becoming less myopic. It was crazy. I thought I might have a brain tumor or something. But after the 2nd doc told me the same thing...that very day I stopped having double vision. A year is up & I'm supposed to go back.
    Anyway. I can't believe what a rowdy winter you're having in DC. I wonder if when it ends you'll plunge into hot summer temps.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What an amazing stream of birds.

    You HAVE had a crazy winter there. I'd respond with a martini craving, too!

    I got glasses once, about 15 years ago, to correct a blurriness so minor I'm not sure it was even real. (Long story -- basically one of those fancy frames places talked me into believing I needed glasses!) They never suited me, gave me headaches, and I stopped wearing them after a few months. I have had perfectly good vision ever since!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've worn glasses since second grade. Can't see a damn thing without them. I see fabulously through my current pair. I want to replace them because the lenses are scratched and the frames are crusty. I asked my old eye doc for the same prescription, which they refused to do. So weird. This doctor was trying to help me, but the prescription is not the problem. Sigh.

    It will get resolved, I'm sure of it. Or I'll just keep wearing my old glasses until they biodegrade!

    ReplyDelete
  5. No wonder people were angry. A taste of warm weather and then the winter that has over stayed its welcome is back.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This reminds me of what I have been going through my dentist. I had a three tooth bridge replaced and have had nothing but problems with it...the dentist has been nice...I have been nice...but if we could never see each other again we would both be happy!....Like you say...in the grand scheme of things not a big deal!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dentistry is a big deal for me! Hope it settles in.

    ReplyDelete