Why merely useful glasses get forgotten

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 belong with my wallet and keys. Instead, every trip out the door begins with a small judgment call. Will I need them?

Usually the answer is no. I can drive. I can shop. I can walk around. Later, when a road sign stays fuzzy too long, or I hold a menu at arm’s length, I guessed wrong.

Anything merely useful must keep justifying itself. Only necessities become habits.

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.