The Upsides of Blindness

If you ask Grandpa what the upsides of blindness are, I know exactly what he'll say: Nuthin'.  If you ask me what I think Grandpa should know are the upsides of blindness, I'll have a different story to tell. 

The first would be that even though he has no vision and may never see again, we came pretty close to losing him last year.  There could have been many different outcomes and while vision loss is frustrating, he's here with us. 

And then, I would proceed to let him know that if he weren't blind, he would see what a mess his house is.  Mostly because I am not a very good housekeeper.  Doing dishes really does not thrill me, so sometimes I'll stand at the sink with the water running while I text people, raid the fridge and cupboards, or go into the laundry room and torment the lovebirds.  (Yes, Mom won a set of lovebirds at a family reunion and left them here to keep Grandpa company.  If I forgot to thank you for that, Mom, it's because they're mean.) 

My cooking skills are even more impressive than the housekeeping skills I have.  Grandpa wanted an omelet one morning, so I made one.  Kind of.  It was more like scrambled slop.  Fortunately, the taste wasn't bad.  Looking at it was quite unappetizing, so in this instance, he was very blessed he could not see what he was eating.

Of course, I cannot forget to mention that sometimes I'm too tired to remove my make-up before bed.  This morning for instance, I woke up with streams of mascara down the sides of my cheeks and crusted eyelashes.  That was a sight I didn't really want to see, so... lucky Grandpa!

Without vision, Grandpa can't see me flip off the 1960's vacuum cleaner that never cooperates with me.  He can't see that Uncle Lyle really isn't wearing a dress, like Uncle Larry says he is.  He can only imagine that Kristen is really reading a Playboy in the doctor's office waiting room. 

He also hasn't been able to see his great-grandchildren grow, but they still sit on his lap and make him turn on cartoons while they're here.  He may not be able to drive, but I'll take him anywhere he wants to go.  AND, he doesn't even have to call shotgun because it's reserved for him. 

Everyday could be full of the downsides of the aftermath of the May 2010 surgery.  Somehow, we both still manage to laugh a little!