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Glasses and sailboats

May Day! May Day! That was the tenor of the call I got last Friday when my friend Jennifer was scheduled to get her first pair of bifocals. Her head was lodged somewhere between shame and panic over the thought of needing bifocals. I assured her it’s nothing more than a wonderful excuse to add reading glasses to her list of wardrobe accessories.

I consider it both a privilege and a duty to help my younger sisters make safe passage toward their older, better selves. I’ve had my share of help and it’s only fair that I pass it on. Twelve years ago, I remember obsessing over turning 40. A somewhat older makeup artist made me feel better by encouraging me to think of myself as a toddler among the older ladies. I’m in junior high today, using that benchmark.

Coincidentally, my annual eye exam was last week. Even though my vision hasn’t changed, I found myself scanning all the frames, wishing to add a pair. The sales lady in the optometrist’s office admitted that she has dozens of frames, matched to her outfits. “My co-workers say I need an intervention,” she said.

I can relate. Since there’s no such thing as Frameaholics Anonymous and prescription frames are so pricey, I buy inexpensive readers instead. It satisfies the craving for different styles and colors for a fraction of the cost. I adore these aqua readers with a vintage vibe, gifted to me by Readers.com. It’s such a fun, inexpensive way to jazz up any outfit. (They have a cool feature that let’s you shop frames by your personality, e.g. the Hipster, the Librarian, the Scholar. Even I can look brainy in the right pair of glasses!)

The betty

Mom glasses Dad

My frames, The Betty, so remind me of the cat-eye glasses worn by my Mom back in the 1950s. Cute, isn’t she?

It feels as if spring will never get here. What I wouldn’t give for a blue sky, sunshine and the sight of a sailboat on Eagle Creek Reservoir! On this dreary, gray day, the nearest I can get to that are these aqua readers and my vintage sailboat tie—a reminder of a shining summer day last June when we vacationed on Lake Michigan.

Sailboat

I added these mementos to my dresser to savor that trip through winter.

That’s what we do in here in the Midwest to get ourselves through winter. We dream—and dress ourselves for where we long to be.

What’s your favorite pair of reading glasses? I’m linking up with Not Dead Yet Style on this one. Be sure to give her a visit!

Life is short. Wear the good stuff.