Our lives are long roads, roads that we have planned with the events, and accomplishments that we would like to have come to fruition. We all do it. Some of us have one goal in life. Others, have a series of goals that they want to reach. The rest of us have new goals popping up throughout our lives. But what happens when that carefully planned long road, is shortened to only a couple of blocks long?
I confess, I belong to that last group. When I was in my late teens, I didn’t have the slightest idea of what direction my life would take. The only skill I had at the time was as a swimming and boating instructor. I was a very good tennis player, but in those days, tennis as a career didn’t seem promising. Boy, was I wrong! So, I left college, and applied for any position. That position, at the lowest end, was working in the mailroom for a very large advertising agency, for fifty dollars per week.
From there I advanced, learned graphic design. Mentored early on by Life and Look magazine photographers, I added photography to my resume. Toward the end of my working for ad agencies and publishing companies on staff, producing television commercials, and writing copy were added. Working in film and television, expanded my knowledge and skills, and let me use my previous skills in this new medium.
Along the way scuba diving and sailing came into my life, and with it a new direction in my life. Combining everything I learned before, now I was planning the long road for the rest of my life. A life spent sailing, diving, photographing, designing, and writing.
Unfortunately, that planned long road for the rest of my life, came crashing down last week, and could possibly be only a couple of blocks long.
Last week I had my yearly eye exam at the VA. The doctor was very pleased that my cataracts, which were corrected in 2003 and 2007, were very stable, giving me a distance vision, between 20/15 and 20/20. The blow came when I was told that I have macular degeneration. Wow! I knew that there was a possibly, since my father had it when he was in his 90’s. The real shocker came after they took photos of my eyes. First, I was shown a photo of a healthy eye. All dark red with a black spot, the macular. Then I was shown the photos of my eyes. A lighter red, no black spot, but some white specks where the macular was. Now what?
They will start treating it with vitamins, twice a day for the rest of my life. A healthy diet, which I have, with an emphasis on leafy greens. They will monitor the condition of my eyes every year.
The problem is the doctors really don’t exactly know what will happen. The degeneration could get very bad, but not affect my vision at all. Or it can progressively deteriorate slowly, or quickly.
That leaves me with a lot of unanswered questions, as how to restructure the rest of my life. Do I move up my timetable? Do I go along with my original plan, and see what happens? Yes, I know they have software, and devices to let you read, and see better on the computer.
My problem is that I’m a visual person. Most of my knowledge, and skills will be washed away. Do I want to end up, sitting in a room trying to read and write? Dependent on others for day-to-day help? Or do I want to follow that road I planned, and suffer the possible consequences? I can’t answer that right now. But it’s something I have to deal with fairly soon.
