The Blind Boy

When I was young I was apparently half blind and didn't know it. Nor did my folks know it. It's possible they just didn't know the signs of somebody that can't see, but I think it had more to do with how many other dirty faces were in our family.  They were busy with all of us. None of that really mattered though because my teacher knew what to look for, and he understood what was going on. It probably had a lot to do with me squinting to see the blackboard, so it wasn't really rocket science. It was probably inevitable that I would need glasses really--after all, both mom and dad needed them. Mom was the one with the worst eyesight of the two, and I followed her in that direction.

I was dragged to the eye doctor and submitted to the usual battery of testing. I have no idea as to the dialogue that was exchanged between my more and the eye doctor, but I'm sure it was something like, "The glasses won't be ready for two weeks but we can lend him a red-tipped white cane to use in the meantime."

To say my improvement in eyesight with my new glasses was dramatic would be an understatement. I don't remember what went through my head when I first put them on because that was a long, long time ago, but I do remember 'wow' over and over. I distinctly remember being full of wonder and amazement at what I could see and how far away I could see. The individual trees that lined the top of the hill in the Algona distance were individually visible instead of just a stripe of shaded color. Everything was so SHARP! I was just astounded. It was truly like I had been blind all my life and I could suddenly see everything for the first time. I was rediscovering the world, only this time everything in the world was equipped with crisp lines and distinct edges. When something like eyesight goes away slowly you don't really notice it, but when you play "catch-up" all at once the difference is nothing short of startling.  I remember not wanting to go to sleep that night for fear it might go away while I slept.

There was one downside to getting new glasses though. I went from a cute little kid to an awkward-looking geek. My permanent teeth were coming in, and my overbite was very pronounced. Back in those days there weren't a lot of styles of glasses to choose from to begin with, and when you limited your choices down even further to those that will fit a little kid and were durable enough for one, there was only one style: Ugly. The good news was I could see.

EVERYTHING.