Day 76

"No eyes that have seen beauty ever lose their sight."

Jean Toomer

(Yes...that is Jack's eye from Lost)

I was sitting at my desk, trying to figure out which subject to write about today, when something weird happened to my right eye. There were these strange squiggles right there in the corner of my periphery. At first I though I had just been staring at my computer for too long, but when it persisted, I started to get concerned. Not to worry! My boss took a look and said there appeared to be a little scratch or irritation. I rinsed it out and about 20 minutes later, everything was fine.But it made me think...Yup. You guessed it!

Day 76: I am grateful for my eyesight. For all the beauty I am blessed to take in every day. 

 I just went to the ophthalmologist a few months ago for a check up. I hadn't been in several years. Luckily, the report was excellent. 20/20 vision. She dilated my eyes for a test and when I left everything was a little foggy. I remember thinking to myself then...."Wow. I am so thankful for a healthy set of peepers!" 

Like so many other blessings, this is one I feel I have taken for granted. Many of us do. We spend so many days rushing around, head to the ground, not really looking up to see the world around us. On my drive home from work every day, I have to sit in traffic on Burbank Blvd. Eyes on the road, waiting for traffic lights. Tonight, at one particular light, I looked up to see something wonderful. There, beyond the cars, beyond the buildings and the smog, beyond my own preoccupations in my mind...I saw over the San Fernando Valley to the mountains. They were beautiful in the late afternoon light. Just lining the horizon. And they've always been there. In all their glory. I'd just never noticed them before. And there's so much more out there. If we take our eyes off the ground or the computer screen or the smart phone a bit more often, we may just see it. Really see it. 

But its more than just scenery. My eyes let me gaze upon the faces of the people I love. Every detail. Every smile. Every look that they have. There are some people in my life whose faces I can read like a book....the way they turn the corners of their mouth or narrow their eyes. A smirk or a twitch can speak volumes. Thank you little eyes for letting me see the face of the man I love every day. For the years you took in the faces of my Mama and Daddy and Sister. How, even though I am far away from them, I can still see their smiles in my memory. Ryan Adams said it best...."And when I can't look at you, I can paint your picture perfectly in my mind." I haven't seen my brother's face since December of 2006. In a Wendy's parking lot just off The Marietta Square. But if I close my eyes, I can see every detail. Even better than a picture. Because the pictures in my mind have movement. And I can see him in my dreams. It was these two eyes that took in those images over our 24 years together. And I am so grateful to have them. 

So, try this. Take a moment today to really look around and find the hidden beauty that surrounds you. Maybe its not so hidden. Maybe its right in front of you. Give your eyes a treat. A feast. Let them roam and soak in all they can. And the next time you look at the face of someone you love, really take them in. Let their image, every detail, sink in. And be grateful for the eyes that let you gaze upon them.