Sight or Sound, which would you choose? When I was young, and we’d play that game, would you rather, and I was asked, “Would you rather lose your sight or your hearing?” My answer was always, hands down; I’d rather lose my sight. Why you ask? I absolutely loved music. I know there is a soundtrack to everyone’s life but I need to hear mine. Music and my soundtrack make the movie of my life worth watching, or it did. Then I gave birth to my daughters.
Now, I cannot imagine not being able to see my children’s faces as they grow from newborns to grown women. I don’t want to miss a moment of it. Every ounce of enthusiasm that I put into music has been focused on photographing my girls. I want to remember it all and I want references for years to come.
I cannot imagine not being able to see their little faces when they do something for the first time or getting their knowing looks when they are scared, overwhelmed or sad. Those looks are ones that only a parent can decipher. How could I stand it if I missed a cue to swoop in and rescue them; to make it all better? I certainly can’t imagine a world where I couldn’t have seen their tiny, squished little faces when they were first born. Honestly, the thought of missing that moment is unthinkable.
I couldn’t be happy knowing that I was missing the most important moments of their lives; satisfaction when they dance on stage in the ballet, pride when they graduate or achieve a long sought after goal, happiness when they see their groom for the first time as they walk down the aisle or the overwhelming gratitude that will fill their hearts when they first set eyes on their own babies at birth. I can live without hearing these moments, though I prefer not to. I don’t know if I could survive not seeing them happen.
My sight is what commits the moments of their life to my memory like the memory that I have of when the girls were 5 and 3 and we went into the city for the day to see The Emperor’s New Clothes at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. I remember getting the girls dressed that morning and driving into the city. It was a beautiful June day and I could see the excitement in the girls’ faces as their eyes widened, as the skyscrapers got larger and larger as we approached them. The girls wore matching dresses and were talking a mile a minute on the drive. Their elation was palpable and contagious. The Big Guy and I smiled the entire drive into the city.
Father & Daughters, Sight of true love
We arrived at Navy Pier. The girls became even more excited when the Ferris wheel and all the people and hustle at Navy pier came into sight. It was their first trip to Navy Pier. My sister, her husband and my nephew met us to watch the show. It all felt so comfortable and normal and it was so nice to be sharing it with my sister. We watched the show. Well everyone else watched the theater production as I watched the girls’ faces as they smiled and giggled at the characters on stage. They were enthralled by the production and I was captivated by them.
The day went on and the memories just compiled; blue skies, the warm sun on our backs as we walked along the boardwalk. The belly aching laughter, lunch with my sister’s family in a familiar jaunt, the smell of the lake reaching up to meet the sweet smells of Garrets popcorn that permeated every square inch of the pier that day made it the perfect day.
I love sharing the places of my childhood with my children and seeing the wonder and excitement in their eyes that I share of the city I love. This was a day that I was grateful for my vision because without it, I would not have been able to see the looks on their faces. The happiness, the wonder and the magic would have been lost.
I received compensation to participate in a SocialMoms and Transitions Optical blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.
If you are at the Taste of Chicago this year, stop by the Transitions both and have your vision checked for free so that you don’t miss out on the most cherished sights of your life.
