I take my glasses off and rub my eyes. I notice a big difference when I take my glasses off; I feel foggy, off balance. But sometimes I like that feeling.
I walk around Brooklyn Heights and step into a cafe for a warm coffee. The weather reminds me of dusk in Ohio; out on my lawn, playing. Warm enough to be outside for hours but cold enough to make my nose run.
I traveled back to New York from Ohio a couple months ago. I sat next to two girls who had never flown before. They were in their early thirties. After there was a break in conversation I observed them. I watched what they paid attention to that most who have flown no longer pay attention to. It’s easy to not see what you’ve seen many times before.
Sitting next to them it was an amazing reminder of the new and old and seeing for the first time. If I could look at everything like the first time that’s when I’d truly appreciate it. If I treated every moment like the first, I bet each day of my life would be extraordinary – a teacher.
I look up from the table in the cafe and a baby strolls in. If that’s not a sign I don’t know what is. I pick up my glasses. Maybe that’s why I like to take my glasses off and then put them back on – so I am always seeing for the first time.