I’m not sure how we got to the topic. There we were, late on a lovely Saturday afternoon, driving through Laguna Canyon on our way to dinner with friends and the Pageant of the Masters. Maybe it was when we passed LCAD, Laguna College of Art and Design. Hubby mentioned something about college and glasses. I too didn’t wear glasses until college. Honey, tell me more.
Hubby said he was often told he could get better grades. That he was bright enough and very oral, but his testing skills just weren’t where they should be. I could relate to that. Me too. In elementary school the teacher told my Mom that I could get “As” if I wanted to, so Mom told me I should be getting a “A” on everything and to work harder. That didn’t make sense me. What did it mean to work harder? I struggled in some classes in high school, comforting myself with the idea that I was at a college prep high school and perhaps I just wasn’t as smart as others. I was told that I would never succeed unless I stepped up my work. We were warned that in college our grades would drop. Mine didn’t.
OK, back to Saturday. Hubby mentioned that one of his Community College professors took an interest in his reading and learning ability and thought something was wrong. He had him take Psychology 20. In that class the Professor had him tested and discovered that his eyes were not balanced. One eye would be reading on one line, and the other eye read on another line. As you can imagine, makes getting the correct information from the printed page, into the brain, and then out again onto a test answer difficult. Hubby got glasses and a wonderful thing happened. He began doing much better in reading and testing. He got his B.A, M.A. and did work on a Doctorate. He is now a quick study with written material.
I was sitting in the car that day listening to my life. My grades didn’t go down in college – they went up. I thought that was due to a lower standard or being in an educational environment where you were told what was required and the instructor stuck to it, without marking you down because he/she believe you could do better which was allowed in my high school. Then I remembered that I got glasses, which also ended what had been called “sinus headaches” for many years, when I started college. Fast forward a few decades. An Optometrist began asking me about any sports I played. At first, I answered thinking he was getting to know me with general chit-chat. As it continued he asked if I often just missed hitting or catching a ball by an inch or so. Yep. That’s me. I became easily terrified at anything that required catching or hitting a ball coming at me, especially a fast ball. I asked what he was getting at. His response, “Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are not balanced?” No.
You know that part of the test the Dr. gives you when you are to say when 2 vertical or horizontal lines match? That’s the test. I’d say something matched, but it didn’t. The glasses then are adjusted to help you see things equally. But, they don’t always tell you that. You just know that you see better.
I’m not going to challenge myself to try Biology again, or take up tennis to see whether this time I can hit the ball, but it is interesting to wonder whether had the vision challenge been diagnosed earlier (I don’t know whether you are born with this, or it develops as you grow) would things have been easier and made more sense, or, at a minimum, I wouldn’t have been one of the last chosen for a team and slightly terrified each time it was my turn at bat.
Oh well, it was so long ago. Water under the bridge! Live in the moment. Right? Except for happy memories. Those are always good. Hmmmm, a topic for another blog.
Every Day Is A Good Day. VJ
everydaywithvj 