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Perspective: The Silver Lining In Clouded Vision

Liam Shaw
/
Unsplash

I am a somewhat elderly gentleman, retired from my profession, and generally in good health -- with one exception. I am afflicted with macular degeneration, an age-related malady that leaves me, more or less, legally blind. However, I find that there are ample compensations.

For example, I have a certain thrill of victory coursing through my veins when, with the assistance of a magnifying glass, I can actually read fine print. And then of course there’s the glory of having Siri and Alexa, text-audible algorithms, read to me. And then finally, every time I look into my backyard, I see things through the eyes of an impressionist painter, like Monet, at the Art Institute of Chicago. A certain beautiful sheen of mist and clouds.

In every clouded vision, I suppose, is a silver lining.

Above all, I like radio a lot better than I like TV. I have come to rely on audio a lot more. I have exchanged my eyes for mind's eyes. That is a gift I would eagerly proffer to anyone.

I'm Tom McBride; that's my Perspective.

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