The ducks don't mind...

...the rain.
We have emerged from a major, much-needed rainstorm here in Chico. And while I witnessed humans struggling to weather the weather, presumably to not get wet or cold, I also noticed the ducks and geese that live at Lakeside Pavilion (where our church is) actually like the rain and cold.

Being a city-girl all my life, I had not really seen ducks or geese in any kind of natural habitat. My primary experience with ducks is usually the Warner Brothers kind and well, animated and daffy. So, it has been a delight to watch these ducks and geese do what they do naturally. In childlike wonderment, I tried to figure out where they go to sleep at night or how they keep warm. The fact is, they sleep right there by the pond and on the ground; and some, even stay in the pond or lake. Which means the rain doesn't bother them a whit.

I rather like the rain myself but frankly, do not feel I would do as well sitting outside all day long and into the cold night. Those feathers keep them warm enough?)

What I do mind is that I am dancing (sounds more feminine than wrestling) with the fact that there are changes going on in my body. Don't panic--this won't be a TMI kinda thing--I am much too private for that. This is pretty general stuff for folks over the age of 40.

It's just I have not fully surrendered to the fact that I really need reading glasses to read and can no longer fake or squint my way through occasional labels or signs. In fact, I learned yesterday that I will need to wear (or have with me) my glasses at the gym to workout.

The gauges on the hydraulic machines, the buttons on the treadmill, the numbers on the lock combinations are all too teensy for me to read without my glasses.
How do you spell V A N I T Y ?
I spell it ... AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGH!

For some people who have worn glasses most of their lives, it doesn't feel or sound like a big thing. For me, I grew up with the most remarkable vision skills concurrent with the 'belief' that wearing glasses was for when one got older. I can't quite figure out how I classified regular folks who were already wearing glasses and who were clearly not ancient...but in my head, at least, my wearing glasses had to equate with aging. Damn.

Now I have to not only wear the glasses (for which I am truly grateful to have) but deal with understanding and releasing my belief that wearing glasses is a negative indicator of aging. (Notice the belief does rely on the word aging vs. maturing).

When I get really weirded out by all this, I think of that classic " The Twilight Zone" episode with Burgess Meredith. In this show, he is the sole survivor of some sort of war and it destroys the entire town. However, he was also the misanthrope or loner to begin with so he doesn't mind after awhile. And then he feels it actually turns into a dream come true for him because the library did not get destroyed and now he can read every book for the rest of his life. (I remember relating to this at a deep level...) And then, horror of all horrors, in the rubble and confusion, he steps on and breaks his glasses! I cried for an hour after that show. And to this day, the concept haunts me. What happened to him would be hell for me as it must have been for him.

So I am grateful that I can go to the 99 Cents Store and buy a dozen pair of reading glasses and have them stashed all over the house to use for the random label or note. Grateful that I have the higher powered (like that phrase!) glasses to use for my research or recreational reading.
And I will adjust to having to have and wear glasses when out and about and even at the gym.

The ducks don't mind.