Trap of Adequate Vision

The problem with my eyesight is this. I see well enough to leave my glasses behind.

That sounds better than poor eyesight, but it isn’t. If my vision were worse, the glasses would become automatic. They would live in the same category as my wallet and keys. Instead, every trip out the door begins with a small judgment call. Will I need them?

Usually the answer seems to be no. I can drive. I can shop. I can walk around the world without difficulty. Only later, when a road sign stays fuzzy a little too long, or I hold a menu at arm’s length, does the decision prove wrong.

Anything that is merely helpful must continually justify its existence. Only necessities become habits.

Glasses that are necessary are rarely forgotten. Glasses that are merely useful are forgotten all the time. The problem with my eyesight is not that I cannot see. It is that I can see just well enough to keep convincing myself I won’t need them.