#CBF17 | See What I Mean? This Is What I Cherish.

/ Ally Bean

I’m joining the Cherished Blogfest here. Cherished Blogfest is open to all bloggers who want to write about something that or someone who they cherish.

I wrote this post last week meaning to join the blogfest over the weekend, but I failed to meet the deadline.

However, with a hat tip to Joanne for letting me know, TPTB* have extended the Cherished Blogfest deadline to Sunday October 22nd so I’m in.  Better late than never! Why not join in, too?

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Little Ally Bean

This is my first grade school photo.

First you’ll notice that the photographer didn’t manage to center me in the frame.  I was a wiggly little girl, so– you know.

Then you’ll notice that my white cotton blouse collar is going one direction while my itchy wool plaid jumper is going in a different direction.

Clothes horse, never been one.

If you’re still looking at the photo, and I do hope that you are, you’ll notice that I’m wearing spectacles.

Eyeglasses.

Granted, they were dorky, unfashionable ones made of the strongest plastic available and were the cheapest ones on the rack at the doctor’s office– but I cherished these glasses.

And here’s why: my vision was lousy and it wasn’t until I got my first pair of spectacles that I actually began to see the world around me.

In detail.

I mean, who knew that the green blob up on top of the tree trunk was actually lots of little green leaves?

Not me.

Or that billboards along the highway had words and faces on them, not just random and abstract colorful smudges?

Again, not me.

Now I realize that many, many kids [and adults] hate eyeglasses– for whatever reasons. But I’m not one of them. I think spectacles are one of the best things on earth, having the power to instantly, safely connect a person with their environment, whether it be natural or bookish.

And because of that power, to this day I cherish my eyeglasses for what they have, and I hope continue to do, for me.

In fact, I respect my spectacles so much I even named my blog after them.  You, my gentle readers, do realize that you’re reading The Spectacled Bean, right? 😎

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* TPTB for this blogfest are: Damyanti Biswas, Dan Antion, Cheryl Pennington, Peter Nena, Sharukh Bamboat, Mary Giese, Kate Powell, and Paul Ruddock. 

91 thoughts on “#CBF17 | See What I Mean? This Is What I Cherish.”

    • vanbytheriver, my mother wouldn’t let me have anything as colorful as pink frames– not practical. Which is how I ended up with boring gray ones. I don’t remember anyone being jealous of my specs, but maybe they were. 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I refused to wear the glasses I was given in elementary school. Funny thing is, I really don’t know why. I wasn’t teased about them, other things yes, but not about the glasses. I basically wandered around in a blur when I wasn’t in front of my parents for years until I was old enough to get contacts. You had a much more mature attitude than me Ally, and way cooler glasses as well!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, I loved my glasses from the moment I got them. I know many kids hated glasses so you weren’t alone. I wore contacts for a while, but I never liked them. When I was about 30 my last pair of contacts wore out– and I decided to go back to wearing specs without a second thought.

      Like

  5. Excellent topic for Cherished Blogfest.
    I do not love my glasses. I don’t hate them, I appreciate them, but I don’t love them. Having been spoiled with good eyes as a child, I haven’t gotten used to MY INCREASING NEED of them. I am very good at wearing them in the evening and then leaving them at my bedside, only to curse my not having them to read when (as children do) things are thrust into my face, or my husband wants me to look in the big book of monies for him. It’s annoying. I’m not doing a good job at wearing them, and fear I may be the perfect candidate for glasses on a chain.
    You have a much finer appreciation, which I need to adopt. I hope I get there before my ability to see leaves has gone!

    Liked by 1 person

    • joey, I imagine that if I’d have gotten glasses later in life, I’d have a different point of view about them now. But as a clumsy kid when I put them on each morning I could suddenly see things in my way. And I could read. Loved to read.

      I bet that as you get more accustomed to having specs you’ll find them less of a burden. Of course, keeping track of where you put them is step one on the way to learning to love them. Just saying…

      Liked by 2 people

      • But I really should cherish them, Ally Bean. I can’t read a smidgen of print without them, and like you, I love reading.
        I will work on remembering my glasses in the morning. I will!

        Liked by 1 person

  7. What a sweet little photo! The clothes are so reminiscent of our day. You’ve always embraced your glasses. I can’t imagine you without them. I got mine in sixth grade and hated them. I only held them up to my face when I needed to see the board. It was something about the feeling of them on my nose that I disliked. I made myself get used to hard contacts when I got the first pair at age 18. Still wearing contacts now, soft ones. I take them out in the evening and put on glasses.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Beth, yes, you and I both wore those clothes, didn’t we? I remember how much you hated your glasses, but if they bugged your nose I can understand why you did hate them. The frame styles available to us were limited, to say the least.

      I’m pleased to learn that you now enjoy your glasses at night. It’s the first step to joining Team Glasses… which I’m just sure that you want to do! [Not?] 😉

      Like

  9. That photo could have been me! I, too, wandered around in a blurry world until a teacher gave me a long white envelope for my mother. That translated into an eye test, which translated into a pair of brown cat-eye glasses. On the way home from the optician’s, all I did was excitedly read road signs and restaurant signs and…everything I could finally SEE!

    And my school pictures are replete with jumpers and blouses and let’s face it–School Photographers were happy to get kids to sit still, click off the pic, and have the next kid sit down and so on. Besides, unless your eyes were closed, retakes were not an option and who cares?

    You look adorable. I say put that picture out on your mantel and smile at it and about it every day.

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, I get your glee about being able to see clearly for the first time. I was 5 years old, and couldn’t believe that billboards had words of them. I just wanted my parents to drive around everywhere so I could see the words. I couldn’t read most of them yet, but I loved knowing they were out there.

      Brown cat-eye glasses? You were chic!

      I agree about those school photos. The photographers were there to do their best in an environment that didn’t lend itself to quality! I remember my mother looking at this pic and not being altogether pleased with how I was wedged over to the side. Of course, she was a teacher so she eventually got a chuckle over it.

      Like

  10. I too remember having to walk up to the blackboard to write down assignments which ended in an envelope to my Mom. That ended in blue plastic glasses. I remember all to well being able to see and how fantastic it was. I only hope the kids are being tested younger so they don’t go through the struggles of trying to see. I wore contact for 35 years and loved them. I only stopped because they didn’t do so well with my aging dry eyes. There is something weird about my nose as most glasses are not comfortable. I would kill for perfect vision. I did have correction surgery but that only goes so far. I need glasses to read and do computer work.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kate, blue plastic frames! I bet that you looked good in them. So cool. I get where you’re coming from about how fantastic it was to see things clearly for the first time.

      I didn’t do well with contacts, too many allergies, I guess. And the docs tell me I’m not a candidate for laser eye surgery, so I continue to wear my specs– gratefully. Not to mention if I didn’t wear them, then the name of this blog would be wrong. Can’t have that.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Oddly enough, my eye doc would like me to go back to a special contact lens that is suited for dry eye. My resistance is that I will still need reading glasses. Then I will have all the work and expense of contacts plus glasses. Except for reading my visions is good now (due to the correction). Mostly it’s astigmatism correction that I need.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Kate, I didn’t know there were special contacts for dry eye. I suffer from that [of course]– and have an astigmatism, too. I think that dealing with contacts + eye glasses every day would be too much for me. I understand why you’re hesitating.

          Liked by 1 person

        • Hey, Kate! I wore contacts (bifocal–one eye for distance, one for up close) for years before dry eye and Restasis and…UGH, and I often had to supplement with little readers. I never, EVER wore expensive readers. I bought little cheapies at a discount store that had them for 88 cents a pair in dozens and dozens of colours and styles. I kept them perched on my head all day long and matched them to my outfits. I long for contacts again, but right now…TOO DRY.

          Liked by 2 people

          • I used readers when I wore contact lenses but found them annoying as they never were where I was. I long for contacts again but without the need for readers. I want perfect vision! BTW I couldn’t use Restasis. Too much burning. Xiidra worked better but it’s not covered.

            Liked by 1 person

  12. I love this! I only wore my glasses for a year in 5th/6th grade before I got my contacts. They were light pink framed ones, and in no way were they in fashion. But without them, I couldn’t see anything, and it’s only gotten worse.

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    • Sarah, one year! That ain’t hardly nothing in Spectacled Bean time.

      Dorky [translate that to “on sale”] frames were the fashion basis of my childhood and early teen years. I got hard contacts at 16 but never really liked them. I remember that when I got them the optician told me that by wearing them my vision wouldn’t get any worse… but it did.

      Like

  14. Sweet, dorky picture… much like mine in the first grade (sans the glasses). I was clueless that I needed glasses until college when a friend loaned me her’s on a multi-hour drive home. “Wow, so that’s what those signs say!” Anyway, I soon got a pair of my own and have been wearing glasses or contacts ever since. I’m currently searching for new frames that don’t make me look like a bug (I’ve got a small face so I’m they often overwhelm me), but I’m sure they are out there – the variety they have now is amazing. I may not cherish my glasses, but I certainly cherish my ability to see clearly!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janis, I got glasses shortly before this pic was taken. They made such a difference in my life that I never hated on them like so many kids did. I love your story of before/after glasses driving experience. Glad that you figured it out!

      I’ve got a narrow bridge so like you many of the bold plastic frames that are available right now won’t work for me. I’ve gotten to where I really like the rimless glasses because my face isn’t overwhelmed by them–and you can see my eyes with or without eye make-up.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. This is a great reminder of the power that we have to view everything and everyone around us. I am inspired by your gratitude for what, at first glance, can be viewed as quite ordinary. And, I admire your perseverance for getting this post to us …despite frustrating technical difficulties!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, when I read about this blogfest the first thing that popped into my head was: EYE GLASSES. For once I didn’t have to labor over what to write.

      [I learned a few things about publishing in WP this morning. I made a boo-boo that I thought ended this post, but it didn’t. However, I’ve learned from my mistake, so I won’t be doing that again.]

      Like

  16. Pingback: How I won big time by losing the sure family bet #CBF17 – Allie Potts Writes

    • Carrie, glasses seem to have always been part of my life and I’m glad that I found this photo to prove it. Hadn’t thought of their wrinkle-covering ability, but now that you mention it… YAY!

      Liked by 1 person

  18. I love this. Have been in the eye business/eye care fields for over 30 yrs and seeing someone enjoy good vision is the reason for me to continue what I do. The gift of sight indeed. What a cutie you were too. I love looking at old school photos. No touchups back then and so much history there! I have one with obvious healing scrapes on my nose. 😱

    Liked by 1 person

    • dweezer19, I’m supposing that 30 years in the eye business is a long enough period of time to watch trends come and go– and come back again.

      You make a great point in that this photo was not in any way modified. That wasn’t even an option for the photographer back when this pic was taken. Someday you’ll post your pic with the scraped nose?

      Like

  19. Mine were mint green. I was in 4th grade. I agree with how wonderful it was to see again. I got contact lenses in the 7th grade (they were just coming out) and I felt marvelous and never had any issues with them until I got past 50. Then my vision started changing and for a while I was wearing one contact for distance in my right eye and one for reading in my left. That was interesting and it worked. Now I am back to regular glasses that I have for distance only. I don’t need them for reading (or working the cash register at Michaels) so I am looking for a fancy chain to use. Great post, Ally.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, mint green sounds so pretty. I don’t remember any girls with glasses frames that color. I have a friend who tried to wear those distance/reading contacts. She didn’t do too well with them.

      You’re lucky to only need your glasses for driving, especially considering your new job. What kind of chain are you going to get? A few so that you can change them to match your outfits?

      Liked by 1 person

  21. One step ahead of you. I posted that one awhile back during a candid post challenge. Later I’ll find it and send you the link. I was still cute in that geeze what happened to her nose kind of way. Lol

    Liked by 1 person

  22. You were so cute, eyeglasses and all! I got glasses in second grade. I guess I didn’t like them and gradually let them rot in a drawer. Fast forward to 8th grade. My parents again took me to the big city and ordered glasses. A week later they came in the mail. I put them on in the kitchen, looked across the house into my bedroom and said, “The bird cage is BLACK!” That was about 60 years ago. I graduated to contacts but returned to glasses when I needed reading specs. I don’t get out of the bed without first donning my trifocals now. God bless glasses and all who wear them!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Anne, my parents wore glasses so I never thought that it was weird to wear them too. Monkey see, monkey do– I guess. Although as the photo shows, my glasses were never fashionable.

      I love that seeing the birdcage is the moment when you realized that you needed to wear your specs. I wore contacts for a while, too. Never really thought they were comfortable so I went back to glasses when I was about 30.

      I haven’t gotten to trifocals yet, but if [or when] the time comes, you can count me in. Like you said: “God bless glasses and all who wear them!”

      Liked by 1 person

    • Damyanti Biswas, I know that I’m an outlier about loving my specs but I do cherish them. I like to see clearly. What can I say?

      Thanks for stopping by to comment. Always nice to hear from you.

      Like

  24. Brilliant! I love my glasses too 🙂 People don’t usually get it. They always want to know why I don’t go for contacts (itchy buggers!) or perhaps an operation to fix things (and die on the table?). I like my glasses: I can see properly, they’re comfortable, they’re easy to clean, they protect my eyes from the environment and they even have an anti-glare coat so I can write all day on my computer without getting horrible headaches. Take that glass-less ones 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Oh Ally, I’m so glad you found and posted this!

    I’ve never known anyone to be so happy and grateful for their glasses – me included – but reading this made me realize what a life changer it is for a child who doesn’t see well.

    I would write about my youngest son’s experience with glasses, if it wasn’t such a personal story for him. He was such a master of compensation, we didn’t realize he couldn’t see well until he was sixteen and started driving lessons. It was actually his driving instructor who made the discovery.
    I remember taking him to pickup his first pair of glasses and he was gobsmacked walking through the mall realizing there were signs on all the stores.
    I was mortified!! It was one of many *bad mother* moments I’ve felt over the years. How could I not have known as he was growing up?!
    It hurts my heart to think of how different his childhood could have been if he had been able to see clearly, but no one – not even one of his teachers – ever figured it out 😢

    Liked by 1 person

    • Joanne, thanks for your suggestion about how to get my post back. You were right, it was there in my trash, undeleted.

      I wouldn’t beat yourself up over what happened with your son. My dad was a doctor and he didn’t figure out that I needed glasses until at age 5 I started talking about my good eye and my bad eye. Which is how I thought that eyes worked.

      As a kid who never saw clearly from the beginning, it never occurred to me that anything was wrong. I imagine your son was the same way. It was only after getting eyeglasses that I learned what I’d been missing– and absorbed it all.

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      • That’s exactly what the problem was with my son. He was naturally a quieter child and never thought to question how he saw things.
        Sadly none of his teachers ever thought that his eyesight might be an issue in the classroom. His inattention and lack of engagement in class was dismissed as being “lazy”, “undisciplined”, and “unfocused”. At least in the last part they got it partially right. It was his eyes that were unfocused.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Interesting how easy it is to put the puzzle pieces together in retrospect. Sad how so many teachers never thought about bad eyesight as your son’s issue.

          I get the quiet kid thing, I never said anything because I didn’t like to draw attention to myself. Until, of course, my silly chatter about my good & bad eyeballs got my dad’s immediate attention.

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  28. I had a pair much like them, and also was a blond haired little girl! I wore contacts for many years, but when they became chronically uncomfortable, I went back to glasses. They are a great excuse to never wear eye make up! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, there wasn’t much choice in frames for girls when we were young. I imagine we all had about the same frames. You had blonde hair? I wouldn’t have guessed that.

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    • Maggie, how sweet of you to say! My story, I suspect, has been played out all around the world. Little kid with bad eyes suddenly seeing the world because of glasses– and saying “WOW!” It was an amazing experience, and one that has never left me.

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Ally, I am chuckling at your photo because I think I have one…somewhere…that looks very similar. I’ve been wearing glasses since first grade, so I’m there with you in spectacled sisterhood. After the first of the year, I’ll be getting new ones and I’m somewhat excited about what I’ll end up with for the next pair of eyeglasses. It is amazing to go from everything being fuzzy to seeing clearly. There have been times I hated wearing glasses (before the featherweight lenses and light frames), but I’m so used to them now that it doesn’t matter.

    Cheers to you and the spectacled crowd and thanks for your CFB post.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mary, you’re right about the spectacled sisterhood. We got them early in our lives, may or may not have hated them, yet they’ve made us who we are today. I, too, am waiting until January to get some new specs. My current ones are rimless and lightweight, so they are great. But I need a different prescription, my world is looking a bit blurry.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Ellen, thank you. I’ve always appreciated the ability to see clearly, so my specs seemed like the logical topic for the Cherished Blogfest. Thanks for stopping by to comment.

      Like

  32. I love that photo – you remind me of myself as a child! I got my glasses at about 8 years old, and like you, I had the experience of the world just suddenly snapping into focus, which was amazing. I had very similar frames, but blue (there was a choice of blue, pink, or clear plastic), and I did love and cherish them. I don’t love them now, because the prescription is so mush stronger these days and they make my eyes look so small, but I do value them – very much!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jay, I get what you’re saying about then and now. Although I will admit that I’m jealous of your blue frames. My mother was all about neutrals so I got gray ones [here] or later I got white ones. No snazzy colors for little Ally Bean! Thanks for stopping by to comment.

      Like

  33. When I saw your picture I never really noticed all those mistakes in the picture until I started reading the content. However, it is all those little imperfections that make us human. I believe imperfections are a perfectly good thing because it gives us the scope to improve. Imagine a world where there’s no effort for improvement. What a boring world it would be. Thank you for participating in the Cherished Blogfest 2017.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Sharukh Bamboat, you’re right about how imperfections show us what we need to improve upon. Words of an adult, for sure. I don’t know if little me even noticed that my clothes were twisted. 😉

      Like

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