When I think back now, I am ashamed of myself. When I was a young whippersnapper -- in my twenties -- I had a dear older colleague in the symphony I belong to who wore glasses. She was probably 70ish at that time, so the fact that she had glasses wasn’t surprising. However, what was surprising was how many pairs she had. One night before rehearsal, I watched Betty rummage around in her purse. She pulled out a pair of glasses. She briefly put them on and then said, “No, these are my tennis glasses.” She dove into her bag again, found another pair. “No, these are my computer glasses.” Third time, she roots around and comes up with yet another pair, “No, these are my reading glasses.” As she put her hand back into her bag for the fourth try, I asked her, “How many pairs do you have in there, 14?” By now, she had found her trusty music glasses. She pointed at me, while shaking her index finger, saying, “Just you wait, Rosie. Just you wait.” I quickly responded, “Not me, Betty. Not me.”
Sadly, Betty has passed from our ordinary world, but she is probably laughing from above as she sees me digging around in my purse, searching for my music glasses amongst the four pairs of glasses that I currently require.
All I can say is, never say never.
I’m Rosie Klepper and that’s my perspective.
