I didn't need reading glasses until I was about 55. My eye doctor told me most folks buy their first pair around the age of 40, so I was really lucky. It happened suddenly. One day I could read the fine print on any food label, the next day I couldn't.
Since then I've accumulated a collection of reading glasses stashed in every room of the house, my car, all my handbags and of course, my briefcase. Most days you'll find me with a pair substituting as a headband, always at the ready.
My reading glasses have become the icon of my 50s. Just about every decade of my life has had an icon that reflects my place and time -- lip gloss during my teen years, always tucked in my back pocket. During my 30s it was an ugly diaper bag hanging off my shoulder, stuffed with all the necessities a mom with babies and toddlers needs at a moment's notice. In my 40s it was my cell phone, a necessary accessory, always waiting for a call from my children's school, my mother's caregiver, or my work colleagues.
I really love my reading glasses. And not just because they bring the fine print into focus. I feel smarter when I wear them. I enjoy reaching for them when I'm in a meeting, or even at a restaurant -- as if I'm silently saying "Let's see what we have here, shall we?" Sometimes I think when I'm wearing my glasses people take me more seriously, or maybe I take myself more seriously. I really think wearing reading glasses gives me power. Either way I'm happy to wear them, whatever the situation. Bringing the world into focus with a lifetime of experience to put it into context is something to be grateful for.
And I am.
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