I Gots Vision

Have you ever played the "Which is Worse?" game. You know, the one where you are given two completely horrible scenarios, and you have to choose the lesser of the two evils.

Which is worse: Eating only Brussels sprouts for a week or go hungry for a week?

Which is worse: Never being to be able to tell the truth or never being able to tell a lie?

One of my personal favorite scenarios, which I contemplate often:

Which is worse: Losing your eyesight or losing your hearing?

As is for most people, this question is a toughy for me. I love playing and listening different kinds of music and having great conversations and eavesdropping on people in coffee shops. (The sound of laughter is so infectious.) But when it comes down to it, to completely lose my sight would be devestating.

Just think about how much you would miss out on.

For me, I couldn't continue my job, which depends solely on my ability to see words on a page. I couldn't stroll a museum to enjoy painted masterpieces or stroll the mall to scoff at hideous fashion. I couldn't bask in the glow of a beautiful sunset or the coziness of a rainy Saturday afternoon. I couldn't people watch, examining fellow mankind for their eccentric ideosyncracies. I couldn't appreciate a thoughtful greeting card sent by a dear friend or laugh at the look my cat gives me when she wants to play. I couldn't delight in the color Persian Green simply because it's a fabulous shade on the color wheel, and I couldn't take in the delicate grace of a ballerina on stage, imagining myself in her point shoes for a couple short hours.

I think the reason I know I couldn't bear the ability to not see is because I've been there, done that. Legally blind, a pair of misplaced glasses or a ripped contact would leave me handicapped, unable to cope on my own. Although I've lived with this reality most of my life, the concept of lost vision is humbling at best and frightening at worst.

The past couple months, I've battled one eye problem after another, from allergies to cornea infections, that have left me struggling to clearly focus on the world around me. A visit to the optomitrist confirmed that one of my eyes has gone from really bad to even worse. (Imagine only being able to see 3 inches in front of your face when you could once see 6 inches away. It's that bad.)

Thank goodness small miracles come in the form of high-prescription contacts and competent doctors. Today, I'm back in the business of seeing properly, but momentary handicaps really do make you think, don't they?

Have you ever found yourself living out a "Which is Worse?" situation? Tell me about it.