I attended school at the small red brick schoolhouse

The one across the street from my house

Each grade was held in a different classroom

My third-grade teacher was Mrs. Smith

I didn’t know Mrs. Smith before the third-grade

But I don’t think she liked me

She frowned at me and seemed angry with me for reasons I didn’t understand

One day, we had eye exams in school

I was sent home with a note that said I had been unable to read the eye chart

My Mother made an appointment with an eye doctor

But it takes time to get in to see the doctor

Mrs. Smith had a seating chart and I was seated at the back of the second row of desks

One day, I told Mrs. Smith I couldn’t read what she had written on the chalkboard

Mrs. Smith announced in a very loud voice in front of the whole class that perhaps my parents should take me to get glasses

I was so shocked and embarrassed by Mrs. Smith’s announcement

After school, I ran home in tears

My Mother asked me what was wrong, and in between sobs, I told her what Mrs. Smith said in class

My Mother was angry and sent me to school the next day with a note to give to Mrs. Smith

The note told her that we had an appointment with the Eye Doctor and couldn’t get in any sooner

My Mother wrote that it would be more helpful to move my seat towards the front so I could see

Mrs. Smith was angry about the note and did not move my desk

Once I saw the eye doctor, he determined I needed glasses

After trying on many different eyeglass frames, I picked one that I thought I liked

When we picked up my eyeglasses, everyone at the doctor’s office told me how nice they looked on me

I remember feeling so self-conscious

But I could see clearly again

There were many times throughout my childhood when other children would tease me about my glasses

Names like four eyes were thrown around

I hated wearing my glasses

They got in the way

They slid down my nose

They made games and sports more challenging

I still bear the scar above my left eyebrow from when I played softball

I misjudged a fly ball during practice one day

It skimmed over the top of my glove

The ball hit my gold-colored wire-rimmed glasses, smashing them into my face

The glasses broke and the wire rims caused a gash above my left eye

Our practice stopped and one of the coaches took me home

My Mother was in the house and we all went around back to the shop where Dad and his business partner Bob Lee were building cabinets

I remember Bob Lee telling me I was going to need stitches

I was terrified because I had never had stitches

My parents took me to the Emergency Room where the doctor put three stitches above my eye

My first stitches ever caused by my glasses

In high school, I decided to change to contact lenses

Throughout my twenties and thirties I wore contact lenses daily

Then I heard about laser vision correction

A few minutes of laser zapping and I could see without glasses

No more glasses, no more contact lenses

I could read the numbers on the alarm clock at night without my glasses

As I’ve aged, my vision has changed and I again wear glasses

Several years ago, I purchased another pair of wire rimmed glasses – silver this time

One day, I tripped on the steps outside my house and fell

This time, the frames of the glasses sliced across the bridge of my nose

After I picked myself up and went in the house, I realized I needed stitches

I drove myself to the Emergency Room this time

The nurse on duty carefully placed the tiny stitches at the top of my nose between my eyes

The scar is barely noticeable now

I’ve come full circle from that little girl in Mrs. Smith’s third grade class who couldn’t see the blackboard

To the mature woman wearing glasses again to drive and read the computer screen