Seeing Things Differently

Graeme’s Thoughts · 10th March 2019

Last year my optician informed me that I was developing cataracts in both eyes and I needed to have the lenses replaced with surgery.

I knew my eyesight was getting worse, as night driving was more difficult and when playing real tennis I was losing the flight of the ball as it neared my racquet.

Of course, a friend I play with regularly commented that it was simply that I was just a useless player!

Anyway, moving on, I have just had my left eye done and it has been a total success. I chose to deliberately have short sight, as I do a lot of close work, and this means I just need glasses for driving or sport.

Keep it simple works for me

Hopefully, my right eye will be sorted soon and I can have my glasses finally adjusted. Needless to say, my real tennis needs to be better or I will never hear the last of it from my so-called friend!

At the same time, my dad was going totally blind as a result of having Glaucoma, and Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid, where any sight he had was affected by an aversion to light!

He had some very limited sight until the last few months, which gave him some quality of life and being able to get around the house. But now he has no sight at all.

He has been told that it is not worth another operation as the risk of more infection is very high, as it would mean sixteen stitches.

Dad is very disappointed and does get a bit down at times, but he is very resilient and really enjoys his radio with LBC on, and TV quizzes.

And there is the rub.

How many of us have a whinge about not much at all, while some folk have terrible misfortune and stoically carry on?

Counting your blessings is a well-worn saying, but it is so true.

I think this way having gone through a nasty divorce over three years, and the ongoing machinations of my Ex. However, thankfully, the judge came down in my favour and I won my case 100%.

I have been fortunate enough to meet a new lovely lady in 2020, and despite the pandemic, we are very happy laughing and dancing with life together. Such a lot to look forward to!

purpl

My passion is to help senior doctors and dentists organise their finances to create their own strategy to achieve their goals in life. I do this impartially as I charge fees. Outside of work the words that best describe me are: family man, squash, badminton, jogging, travel, reading, archaeology, genealogy, writing a book on Robert the Bruce. I live in the hills of Northumberland in Rothbury and believe in living the life you love.