The following is probably the best known opening sentence, that’s right SENTENCE, in English literature; it’s from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
And I had cataract surgery on my right eye on Tuesday and am feeling just a wee bit sorry for myself.
The surgery itself was a total success. Although they started with weighing me (always depressing), the team of health care professionals that took me through the two hours of prep before the actual 20 minute surgery were reassuring, excellent, funny, caring, wise, with years of experience oozing out of their pores. They loved what they were doing. It was a triumphant ballet and I was the star as everything orbited around me and my health care.
The anesthesiologist came ’round, assuring me she’d only give me a local, ‘just to make you comfortable so you don’t move around too much’. I am a cheap date and I fell asleep. The physician doing the surgery had to wake me up after it was all over.
I’m feeling the after effects. Yesterday was the worst. Fatigue. Thirst. Inability to focus. Difficulty connecting the dots. I crashed at 9 PM and woke up 12 hours later feeling somewhat better.
After being assured I could take up my yoga, I’ve stretched and breathed and bent and counted. I felt better for a while.
(Re-reading this I realize I’ve used some form of ‘assured’ thrice. It would appear I need a lot of that right now.)
Now I’m feeling teary. “… it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us …”
Besides feeling teary I’m feeling powerless. I’m in the healing process which takes a few weeks. Because I chose to have close vision, my glasses no longer work. Because my glasses no longer work, I can’t drive until I get a new prescription and I don’t see the optometrist for five weeks when my eye is good and healed.
So I have to ask people to help me. Ace has been attentive and kind and patient. I am not a kind patient. This is me, the girl who has humongous highs and excruciating lows. “… it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness …”. I must remember balance. I must remember this too shall pass.
And when I’m in it, it feels like forever and ever. The worst part of this is when I’m in it, I am positive I can no longer write.
Love, yk