Warning: crazy, exciting, run-on post ahead.
Simplify is my word for the year. (You've already seen it on my greeting cards...but I got so excited about it, you can now get hats and aprons with my "simplify," "pray big" and "choose joy" scripts embroidered on them.)
And cute gifts are fun, but I'm even more over the moon about what simplifying things looks like in my life this year.
Ya'll...I had LASIK surgery done yesterday! I am shouting from the rooftops... so pardon if I'm annoying for the next few weeks, because this modern miracle of science is nothing less than a precious gift from God.
I've been nearly blind since I was about seven years old. I started out with the coke bottle glasses, progressed to contacts, and have since been making yearly pilgrimages to the eye doctor to see how badly my prescription had changed, yet again.
I've had to buy contacts twice yearly. Glasses too. (And keep a backup pair handy - because if they break, you get to tape the nose piece and become a supercool fashion trend.) Then, pay for it all with no insurance for the last few years since becoming a business owner. I put contacts in every morning, and then take them out every evening when my eyes get tired. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes twice a day if I have a migraine—because having a jackhammer in your brain once a week does not lend itself well to wearing contacts. Oh—and cue the prescription sunglasses, too—that will cost anywhere from an excellent pair of shoes to a very used car (I kid you not), because driving with a migraine and glasses in the blinding sun? Nightmare.
Then, you buy a LOT of contact solution. And travel contact solution (thanks, airlines). Not the cheap stuff, because that eventually causes problems. (I think one brand even made some people go blind.) And two kinds of eye drops—one for use with contacts, one for without. Then don't forget to take them with you! It's incredible when you stay in a hotel and realize you forgot to pack a lens case at 10pm.
Oh, and remember to keep an updated spare pair of contacts in your wallet, because if one falls out? Instant headache, and there's no chance you can drive yourself home, much less find your car. Don't forget to write "R" and "L" on every single package—because it's super fun when you mix them up.
If you too are blind, this is all just noise because you've been doing it alongside me, too. And if you've been blessed with good vision, I bet you've taken a few vacations with what you haven't had to spend on your vision over the years.
Guys and gals, there's hope. I was borderline for qualifying and almost didn't pass the tests required to have the surgery done. By the grace of God, I found out the morning of the procedure that I had a green light.
They say the technology keeps getting better every year, so keep checking back—because I would gladly pay all over again to have this done.
Simplify...a very, very good word in the life of this artist. I cannot wait to see what a difference this makes in my daily life!
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7th & Palm was created to support giving away more time and resources to help others. Giving back 1% of our time, 1% of our profits, and 1% of our products at a bare minimum to the local and global community, 7th & Palm remains committed to a 1/1/1 giving pledge. YOU can be a part of that by shopping small and voting with your dollar! All artwork, stationery and greeting cards, prints, and home goods are created by artist Andrea Smith. |