Bespectacled Change of Attitude

May has been a challenging month for me in many ways. I've been struggling with a wacky eye issue that involved dilating my pupils every day for 2 weeks, leaving me to practically live as a vampire in dimly lit rooms. I had to cancel many social plans, work from home just a few hours a day, and survive on Netflix Instant and take-out. As a person that thrives on routine and gets anxious about health issues, I was nearly pushed to my limit.

I'm happy to report that things are on the mend, and I've slowly been able to return to the land of the living. To say that a shift in perspective has occurred is a great understatement -- things like driving my car, walking outside in sunshine, and reading a book before bed now feel like luxuries instead of things I did each day and took for granted. It's also made me realize that so many things that I worry about on a daily basis are really small potatoes. 

For example, my biggest struggle was getting over the vanity of it all: I wear contacts normally, but have been forced to wear glasses and in most cases dark sunglasses as well, even for a simple trip to the grocery store. This past Saturday was the wedding of 2 dear friends, and sure to be a very fancy and formal occasion. I had picked what I was going to wear weeks in advance, and had planned on looking my best. But then, a few days before, I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to make it. Even when I was told that I (finally!) could stop taking the dilating drops, I was so sad that I'd have to wear my silly glasses to this wedding I'd look forward to for so long. I knew there would be a million pictures taken, and I still had that mentality that I looked horrendous and unrecognizable in my glasses. 

I let myself feel sad about it for a few days, but I awoke Saturday morning with a renewed sense of positivity - I wasn't going to dwell on it, I was just going to sport my specs and own it, gosh darn it! And the result? I had a wonderful time, I even got compliments (a friend even said I should wear them more often!), and by the end of the evening, I totally forgot I was wearing them. 

And the takeaway? The ONLY thing you can control is your own attitude, and how you react to things. There are so many times that I have gotten down in the dumps for not having the right outfit to wear, chipped nail polish, or feeling that I looked bedraggled. But when it comes down to it, none of that matters -- I had a good time at the wedding because I allowed myself to have a good time. No one else cared what I looked like, they were just happy I was there. 

P.S. A post about glasses would be remiss without mentioning Warby Parker, the fabulously affordable company where I bought both pairs of glasses that I own. This company has the best customer service I've ever encountered, seriously fashionable frames, and a great mission statement. If you're a fellow glasses wearer, check them out immediately.