The End of An Era

I am bereft, friends. Despondent. Saddened. Heart-heavy. The filagreed beauties you see before you were, until yesterday morning, my second set of eyes for the past 12 years. Furthermore, there were an heirloom, belonging to my great-grandmother, Lena May Law. After letting the chickens out early yesterday morning, I returned to the house with the dogs, all set to feed my five hungry, heavily vocal cats. As I was removing my eyeglasses, the left side remained stubbornly stuck behind my left ear. I tugged on it with one hand (a colossally bad decision in hindsight, which, unlike me, is 20-20), and saw the middle begin to bend. In a panic, I lifted them off with two hands and watched them gently break in two. 

A trip to a nearby optometrist today informs me they are beyond repair. Once the mold is broken, they apparently cannot be mended. I know I shouldn't be so attached to my glasses. I know that, but I don't feel that. Maw-Maw, as she was known to me, experienced her quiet life behind those frames, as did I. I even have a picture of her wearing them when I was just a baby, along with my mother and grandmother in the photo. Sure, I'll find other vintage cat-eye glasses. It's become my look, after all, one which I've curated and like. They won't be hers, though, making the past the present every time I fit them behind my ears and over the bridge of my nose. 

In the meantime, I'm looking through a lens darkly. Literally. Owning no spare pair (I know, again, another colossally bad decision), I've been relying on my sunglasses. Fortunately, my specs are for distances, so, as long as it's daylight while I'm driving or I'm sitting really close to the television, everything is fine. I'll get a quick-fix pair soon (tomorrow?) and begin the vintage hunt. If you have a good source, I'm all ears (eyes?). RIP Maw-Maw specs. You provided clarity unrivaled. 

*Specs update: It's entirely possible that all hope may not yet be lost. My sweet hubs found a website for vintage eyeglass repair. Cornell, at Frame Fixers, assured me this morning that my glasses can be repaired. Glenn is taking them to the post office today to be sent Priority Mail to upstate NY. Cornell is one of only two persons left in the entire U.S. with the know-how and equipment needed to repair glasses such as mine. Here's to hoping it works! I'll keep you updated as further reports come in...