The title of this post is a quote from a vision improvement student I’ve been working with for a couple of months. He’s worn strong glasses from the time he was a small child, so learning to use his eyes and brain in a different way to see is a big shift for him. He’s instituted a few changes already, like taking his glasses off to walk down the street to the store where he buys his breakfast, before he walks to work. I told him these habits are a great foundation, building blocks he’s putting in place to support his new vision improvement lifestyle.
One activity he experimented with in the past few weeks was going out with friends for dinner without his glasses. He reported with some surprise that he was pretty comfortable, able to see well enough what he needed to see. He joked that he had no problem finding the bathroom! One interesting comment he made was that without his glasses, he noticed he looked more closely at someone when he was in a conversation, not getting distracted by the other people in the room walking by. It may be that he couldn’t see the distant people well. It may also be, which is my belief, that he was more tuned in without his glasses, focusing more intently on the person whom he was talking with. He was more present for the interaction.
His conclusion about this experiment was that it was somewhat of a non-event. He did say it was “kind of cool”, and that he didn’t have any negative reactions to make him think “I’ll never do that again!”. He also said he was realizing as he was walking home after dinner that he felt free without his glasses, “like I was created”. He was seeing with his natural vision, his eyes functioning on their own without being trapped behind the spectacles.
As a vision teacher, I was delighted about this. He is not expecting instant improvement, nor that some magic exercise will “fix” his vision, which he can do mindlessly while he focuses on something else. He’s observing his own reactions, what is easy for him and what is somewhat difficult, listening to me then trying my suggestions out for himself. His visual system is re-learning how to see naturally and effortlessly, and he realizes there’s no rush. It’s already better than it was a few months ago, and we’re both looking forward to it getting better still.
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I wore strong glasses, then contact lenses, from age 5 into my 40s. While making many mistakes, eventually l learned how to improve the way I use my eyes and to see in a more relaxed, healthy manner. It is my pleasure to coach others to do the same. Visit me at https://NancyLNeff.com.
Nancy, It was a compliment, just in case you weren’t sure! 🙂
Nancy, This is such a great leap of faith for people. I constantly hear you in my head when I find myself depending on my glasses too much! Thanks for be the vision warrior that you are! xoxo
Barbara, thanks for calling me a vision warrior! I’m not trying to rip people’s glasses off before they’re ready to do without them. I’d just like folks to consider briefly before putting them on, whether it’s out of habit or true need. Approaching Life more slowly and mindfully, instead of rushing through everything, makes this easier. Thanks for commenting!