Not Your Guru

But I can see things.

It finally happened!

I'm getting some new peepers! My eyes are so bad now that my doctor decided it was time.

One morning in August 2022, I will wake up, and my vision will be crystal clear as soon as I crack open my lids. The new lenses will correct my nearsightedness.

Cataract surgery? Yes, please.

I've worn glasses since I was seven. Growing up, I've been called names like four-eyes and frog-eyes.

I've been asked (not so politely) if I am blind.

I rarely go swimming because my vision is so poor. I'm worried I won't be able to find my way back to my beach chair.

One time I spent a weekend at a vacation house with my boyfriend. We were with a group of his friends that I didn't know that well. One came into the bathroom by accident when I stepped out of the shower. He did a man-scream and ran out.

Like Eve after the apple, I was mortified. My vision didn't allow me to identify who had seen me in a state of nature.

I spent the rest of the weekend suspicious. I wondered, "Was it him? Or him?" I couldn't look any of them in the eye.

I always believed nearsightedness was a negative experience.

Being on the cusp of great vision, I pause to think about what I have learned. What if an eye doctor hadn't intervened at age seven, and I spent my life seeing things unfocused?

My world would be one of fuzzy edges. Blurry images would have been my experience, and I wouldn't have been wrong. How my eyes interpreted things would be much different than people with 20/20. People with worse vision or who are legally blind would have a different experience yet.

My perception is unique to me.

Everyone else has perceptions that correspond to them.

But "true" doesn't mean truth. I see a grape, but it's a marble.

True can be many things. Truth can only be one thing.

Mental impressions, recollections, or psychological imprints are called Samskaras in yoga. How we interpret the outside world is through our Samskaras.

Samskaras are specific to us. No one has walked in our shoes and experienced life the way we have.

And this is why you and I will always see things differently.

Meditation helps us to question what we see and determine if it is the truth or not. The better you get at meditating, the quicker your Samskaras will dissolve into truth.

This is what my guru told me anyway.

Lots of memories come up during meditation, and I hold them up to the light to learn from them. Maybe even make peace with them. Sitting still has been transformative.

I've finally found something positive associated with aging. While I won't miss my old vision, I am grateful for what my eyes have taught me.

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Have you heard of the Flamingo Challenge? A team of researchers wanted to find out if the ability to balance was linked to mortality. You can read the study here. Let me know how you did by taking the poll below: