About 2 weeks ago my glasses broke. I lifted it up from the bathroom sink counter and one temple fell off. I took it to be repaired but the repairman said the break was too deep inside and he could only glue it. It took only a couple of hours for it to break again. I was somehow brokenhearted. I had no choice but to buy another pair, which was kind of discovering the new me.
In my younger days I often wear contact lenses. I felt awkward to go out with my glasses and only wear glasses at home. Nevertheless, I bought a new pair of glasses quite often – every year or six months. I ended up with a lot of glasses, but now I have no idea where they are. It always took me some time to convince myself that the pair that I was going to get was the right one. Looking back, it was a time period when I was still unsettled and unsure of myself.
I started wearing glasses more often when I was pregnant with my firstborn; I was sick a lot and was home a lot too. After she was born I also stay at home a lot too. When I did go out, I did not have time to put eye make up on, still don’t, so my glasses became kind of a shield. The glasses I wore was worn. I got it a couple of months before dating my husband, maybe in 2008. I did not take care of it and it had scratches all over. To be honest, the shape did not fit me very well. In 2012, we decided it was time to get me a new pair. After narrowing it down to two choices, I chose one that had thicker temples and color combination. The other one was a more expensive Chanel, with thinner frames and Swarovski studded, fabric covered temples. I think the old me would have chosen the Chanel.
I was really happy with the glasses. It was not awkward. It fit just right. I wore it from morning to night, taking it off when I sleep or nap – and when my eyes are tired. I placed it too close to the edge sometimes and it would get knocked over. Sometimes my eldest daughter would do the no-no and opened it a bit too wide, but I always caught her before she did any damage. Wear and tear got to it I guess. After two sweet short years, I had to say goodbye. I was surprisingly taken aback by the loss of my dear glasses. It had become a part of my identity.
My husband took me to get a new pair with our youngest. I found the right one in the third store, you know, the kind that you know is the right one in a heartbeat. Well, that was a first. Ok, maybe second. When I was in junior high I found the that-was-made-for-me glasses, but my mom decided it was not, so that kind of did not count.
I am even happier with my new glasses. It’s not like I found a new me. It is more like, I know myself better now.
