By Mark Carpenter
I’ve always been a person who believes that things happen, good or bad, for a reason. We may not ever figure out those reasons, but there can be a lesson in everything in life. Right now I’m wondering about those lessons. As I wrote a few weeks ago, I have had some vision issues in my right eye and though there has been some very slight improvement, I still have a little bit darker view of the world at the moment. It’s annoying and very frustrating at times, but I am adjusting and managing. (It’s a good thing that computer monitors and laptops can be blown up to 200%.)
One of the most frustrating parts of this situation is my inability to see people from a distance and recognize them. If you say hello to me from a distance and I do not respond, please do not think me rude, just realize that I can’t see you clearly. Put masks on people and it’s twice as hard, but I’ve been amazed at how much voice recognition I have developed. I have been able to identify people by their voices before I can clearly see their face. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blind, but as I explained before, I have entered a world of shadows.
You would think that driving would be a major issue, but actually it has been pretty uneventful. As long as there are lines on the road, I’m good to go, so don’t expect to see me on too many old country roads anytime soon. Not that you would ever see me on old country roads anyway. I’m still driving to work seven days a week, I’ve driven to appointments in the city, and it’s been fine.
I will have to admit that this eye thing has slowed down my sports coverage a bit and I do apologize for that. I’m still writing away as always, at home and at the office, I just haven’t been out to as many events this fall as I usually would have. Soccer has been especially hard because I have a tough time seeing player numbers and therefore keeping up with who scores goals, etc. Volleyball is a little better because I am indoors and there is more light and I can view the action from the overhead catwalk. I’m not being unsocial up there, but I can get a better view and also take off my mask, which means my glasses won’t be fogged up.
It’s weird how you do recognize and follow things when your vision is impaired. I am fortunate to know all of these sports well enough to follow the ball and know where it’s going, therefore I’ve been lucky enough to still be able to capture some fairly decent pictures. mainly because everything is clear when I look through the camera lens with my left eye. I’ve learned another trick to help keep up with the action, one that has come with time and experience. I have seen some of the athletes that I cover so many times in action that I realized that I have their motions and shapes memorized. Odd, but it works.
With the fact that I haven’t been able to be at quite as many games, I rely on coaches to keep me updated on scores, stats, and such, and to be honest, that hasn’t worked too well this fall. I equally share the blame in that but just like any other writer who covers high school sports will tell you, information from the coaches is a lifeline. When it’s not there, the team doesn’t get the recognition they deserve. I could give you examples, but that wouldn’t do any good at this point in the year and I doubt too may coaches religiously read my columns.
I did have a follow-up appointment last week with the neuro-opthalmology department at UC and I surprised myself with how well I thought I did on my eye exam, at least that is what I thought until my wife busted my bubble when she informed me that I couldn’t see the biggest letter they flashed on the screen. But hey, I saw a lot of the little ones, just took me some time to focus. The good news was that the swelling was gone on my optic nerve but I have a rarely seen condition with a name too long to remember and there is no known cure, you just have to wait and see what it does, so in the meantime I will adjust and move on. I’m too stubborn and strong-willed to let it stop me. I’m way too competitive and if my eye wants to fight me, bring it on!
As far as the sports world goes, it’s tournament time now and I will do my best to get to as many of those contests as possible, depending on my schedule. Lately the responsibilities in office have become overwhelming at times. If I’m not there, it would certainly be nice to get some game info to write a story with. If not, there’s no room for complaining.
And if you see me out and want to say hello, that’s great, just be patient if it takes me a minute to answer. I’ll be processing.
