The ability to see is of the most basic senses that we oftentimes take for granted. Throughout most of my adult life, I had been dealing with an issue where I would have to squint in order to clearly read something, whether it was far or near. For the longest time, I had attributed it to just simply being in front of a computer screen for extended amounts of time. It wasn't until earlier this year when I finally went to see the optometrist.
Let's keep in mind that the last time I had an eye exam, I believe I was in the 5th grade. That's a story for another day...But I went through all the testing and immediately the lady confirmed to me that I had Astigmatism (I always thought she said "a stigmatism" until I actually researched the term).
Ever since that day back in February, for the first time in my life I have had to wear eye glasses. It took me awhile to adjust to them, mainly when it came to approaching steps and whatnot, but my body did finally get used to them. The doctor was amazed that I had gone this long without having glasses and encouraged me to stay up on my optical health. I thought I was going blind until the doctor more descriptively described to me what it is.
Astigmatism is a common vision condition that causes blurred vision. It occurs when the cornea (the clear front cover of the eye) is irregularly shaped or sometimes because of the curvature of the lens inside the eye. An irregularly shaped cornea or lens prevents light from focusing properly on the retina, the light-sensitive surface at the back of the eye. As a result, vision becomes blurred at any distance.
Source: American Optometric Association (http://www.aoa.org)
So basically what I get from this is that this condition is that an irregularly shaped cornea will affect one's ability to focus on the light that's seeking to come in. When I look at the word "Light," I immediately equate it with "Truth."
When it comes to our various circumstances, what exactly are we focusing on? I used to be the person who would beat myself up over the not-so-good decisions I had made over my life. But instead of allowing multiple focal points to enter my periphery, I have learned to just focus on one thing, and that's the lessons learned and the wisdom gained. I would not be who I am right now without the mistakes I had made. The last three years of my life have been the most painful and difficult to endure, but I'm still here and stronger than ever before.
We have to get to a point where no longer allow our past and/or present positioning no defines us. Whenever people try to trap you inside a realm of guilt in regards to where you are in life, Look Again and see where you truly are. Nobody but you truly knows all you've had to go through just to stay alive and survive those storms. In this season of Thanksgiving, if there's nothing else to be thankful for, please be grateful that you're still here. I don't care what your present condition is, I encourage you to take another look and just focus on the good that's about to come out of it.
Just like when I first got glasses, it took me awhile to adjust to the fact that I wasn't as great as I had once thought I was. While it was a humbling experience, that introspection was necessary towards evolving to the level of maturity and wisdom I have today. Sometimes we suffer from false illusions of ourselves. We are not as horrible as we think and for many of us, we aren't as great as we feel we are either.
I encourage you to join me in constantly seeking within yourself, carefully examining to see what it'll truly take for you to heal from whatever condition ails you. Our daily process will never be complete, but you'll begin to see the results sooner than you think. I believe in you...I don't care what the situation is, you've got this!
