I Would Hate To Go Blind

A few times a year my eyes will occasionally wig out and I have a hard time seeing for a couple of hours. It's like eye floaters on steroids. I'm not sure if it's caused by stress, not eating enough, or from eating the mushrooms that grow in my front yard. I have never had an eye exam so I'm probably due for one, but I'm reluctant to go because I'm afraid I would be told I need glasses or contacts. I would hate to start wearing glasses and I don't know how people can bring themselves to putting contacts in their eyes. I put that in the same category as giving yourself a shot. Those people are either very brave, or I'm a big wuss. Anyway, my recent pondering got me thinking about how awesome sight is and how much I'd hate to lose it.

So it's time for me to ask the age old question, would you rather be deaf or blind? I enjoy music and I'm sure there are some great sounds out there, (like the Debbie Downer noise) but I'd have to choose sight. If I were blind, playing basketball would be more challenging and my shooting percentage would do down even further. I can imagine my friends playing jokes on me and my kids doing things like dressing me in pink clothes and I'd never know. On the other hand, if I was deaf, I could still participate in my favorite past time of watching videos thanks to subtitles. So I guess my question is, does anyone out there value the ability to hear over the ability to see? Unless you are a composer, I doubt there are any takers.

I think it is inspiring to see people who have successfully dealt with disabilities. Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Lou Ferrigno, Beethoven, Ronnie Milsap, Andrea Bocelli, and Erik Weihenmayer, who climbed Everest blind, come to mind. I think Helen Keller deserves triple congratulations for overcoming and excelling under such difficult circumstances. I was also surprised to see famous deaf people like Napoleon, Julius Caesar, George Washington, Elvis, and Babe Ruth on the list, but then I realized I accidentally typed famous "dead" people in the search box.

I am thankful for many things, but sight is definitely up at the top of the list. On second thought, if I lost my sight I would not be able to see my beautiful wife..., so then I would have to see her with my hands, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.