Can You See Me Now?

In the far reaches of my closet, I found a pair of old “cat-eye” glasses. Maybe you had some like that. How about the ones that were so large they seem to take up the entire space between your hairline and lips. Probably at the time they were bought, those glasses were the cat’s meow. Now I look back and wonder what I was thinking—obviously I wasn’t. I pondered what to do with those glasses. Was I hanging on to the old ones just for nostalgia?

My mantra is, if I’m going to use it again, I’ll keep it, but items that don’t have a lot of sentimental value and aren’t useful have no place in my space. In time management courses, I teach that every item we own takes up space in our head. To keep track of where it is, where the charger is, which cords go with it and if it even works anymore, is causing stress. Therefore, if I have an item that is in my head, and not paying rent by being useful, then it is time to find a new home for it.

Because my old glasses (and Tim’s) didn’t meet the criteria to keep them, they needed a new home. I searched and found that the Lions Club has a program called Lions Recycle for Sight. The website says that they are changing lives, one pair at a time. The recycled glasses are distributed to people in need in developing countries where they will have the greatest impact. It can literally change another person’s life! People wait in long lines for hours to have their first-ever eye exam. For many people it means that they are now able to work because they can see to perform jobs that they couldn’t do before.

Throughout the year, volunteers collect used eyeglasses and deliver them to regional Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers (LERCs). LERC volunteers clean, sort by prescription strength and package the glasses.  LERCs are located around the world – in Australia, Canada, France, Italy, South Africa, Spain and the United States. By searching on the website I found two locations in my city.

Today’s gift was gathering up the old eyeglasses in my house and taking them to the collection center where they can be repurposed and used for someone who can answer yes to the question, “Can you see me now?” So if you think you are being funny by donating you “cat-eye” glasses, thanks to new-old glasses that person now has 20-20 vision. They may well have the last laugh.

In Giving,

Robin