I just got new glasses. They’re the biggest glasses I’ve had since the days when I had big glasses.
Back in elementary school, “the bigger the better” was the eyewear trend. While I wasn’t thrilled in the first place about having to wear glasses at age nine, this shy awkward kid discovered a sense of comfort hiding behind large lenses.
My grade four glasses were half the size of my round little face, with beige-ish rims that matched my scraggly blond-ish hair. They shielded me from the world, making me feel safe and smart, maybe even a little bit special. In a nerdy kind of way.
I wore them all the time – at home, to school, to gym class, even during recess. My mom used to tell me to take them off when I was playing, but I never listened. I’d wear them every day, rain or shine, riding bicycles or horses, playing tag or dodge ball. Oh how I loved my glasses!
I don’t recall when or how it happened, but one day, I broke them. Oh how I should have listened to my mother! My nine-year-old heart was as shattered as the broken glass I could no longer see through… Read entire story.