Seeing Far Ahead
Last week was a milestone for me - after wearing glasses for over thirty years, I have progressive lenses for the first time. The transition (pun intended) was made easier by the fact that my previous eyeglass prescription, which I had filled just before the pandemic began, was incorrect, such that I could see very well close up but not well at all at a distance. Anything further than about 10 feet away was blurry.
The crazy thing was that I didn’t really notice my poor vision for over a year because I was literally not looking very far ahead! My whole life was spent in my house, conducting therapy over a crisp-looking computer screen 20 inches away, or otherwise having a short view of things - my house, the yard, and the daily “creek loop” walk. I rarely drove, and I don’t think I was on a highway for a full year. I didn’t even notice how poor my distance vision was because I wasn’t looking beyond my front door or past the computer screen. It felt very safe and even comfortable, but it sure didn’t allow for much imagination. I honestly think I got a little *too* comfortable living within the confines of my home and the radius of my 1 mile daily walk. I wasn’t looking far ahead at all. What a narrow view of life!
It turns out that stress actually impacts our vision. According to a recent article in Scientific American, when we are stressed our field of vision narrows and we actually cannot see well at a distance. And the inverse, “panoramic vision” is stress-reducing to our nervous system. A long and wide view is soothing to our mind and body. The author states, “We can actually turn off the stress response by changing the way that we are viewing our environment, regardless of what is in that environment.”
When I began to drive again in recent weeks, I finally noticed how bad my distance vision was. I couldn’t see clearly. Everything was blurry. As my life opened up, the limitations of my vision became clear. It was no longer safe to have such short-sightedness. Once I got the correct corrective lenses, I heaved a huge sigh of relief! The adjustment to progressive lenses has been a breeze simply because of that relief. If I was shifting to progressives after having seen well at a distance, I think I would have struggled more with the transition to a new way of seeing.
I am sure the metaphor is not lost on you - this past year of the pandemic has been one of forced short-sightedness, and it has been painful. Now we are being pushed back towards a long view, which can be soothing in some ways and also holds its own discomfort. For some it may be a welcome shift, and for others it may cause feelings of stress and anxiety. For all of us, it brings a change in perspective after a year unlike any we have lived through.
I am so appreciative of my renewed good vision and of once again having a clear long view. An excerpt from one of my favorite books, A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander (about integrating building design with quality of life), expresses what I am feeling:
“When people are in a place for any length of time they need to be able to refresh themselves by looking
at a world different from the one they are in, and with enough of its own variety and life to provide refreshment.”
It is time for refreshment of our lives, and of regaining or discovering “meaningful views,” as Alexander describes them, in our daily life and circumstances. Next week I will be taking some much needed respite in a beloved place to me, where there are many opportunities for long views: The Black Hills of South Dakota. I have an intention to take some time to sit and just be, taking in the world around me, softening my vision to include all that is around me, and filling my lungs with the pine-scented mountain air. It will do my body and my vision good.
What are you seeing with a new view in your life, as your sight becomes longer and clearer?
Be well,
Hetty
