Hey, 2021! I’ll be officially kicking it off in style with cataract surgery in a week. Yep, you read that correctly—I’m 38 years old and having cataract surgery. All thanks to my retinal tear in 2020, the gift that keeps on giving. The good news is my new lens is permanent—so, I’m like 40 years ahead of myself with cataract surgery…making a really solid investment in my eye. How’s that for a positive spin on the situation?

Seriously, though, I never imagined having this type of surgery at my age. And, I never imagined that after only 7 years of perfect post-LASIK vision that I would now be forced into glasses for near vision. Permanently.

I’ve found one of the hardest things about aging is reconciling how I FEEL (or THINK I should feel) with how my body actually behaves. It’s an instant reconciliation with that fact that I am not invincible and that this body will not last forever. Our bodies are temporary, and there is a clock that is aging and there is absolutely nothing we can do about the natural deterioration of eye muscles, or addition of wrinkles, or greying hair. But, we sure to try to package up a solution in a bottle, don’t we?

For me, this is where a shift in perspective is really helpful. My eyes will never be perfect again—that ship has sailed—but what a blessing to have corrective surgery to restore my distance vision. What a miracle that I can have a false lens to replace my damaged, cloudy one! It won’t be perfect, but perfect vision does not define me, right?

This is why I’ve become so passionate about eating well and training my body. We have a finite time on this beautiful earth, and we have been given bodies and minds that are capable of incredible feats. Those incredible feats are not guaranteed, though. Every day we wake up, we are faced with dozens of decisions: How we eat. How we spend our free time. What we read and watch. How we pursue our passions. How we treat one another. And how we face adversity.

I know we’re already two weeks into our 2021 resolutions, but this year I’m determined to be stronger both mentally and physically. And through this determination I want to be a beautiful illustration to my daughter of what it means to embody courage, grace, and love. I may have creaky joints and damaged eyes, but I will wake up each morning determined to be a better version of me. And when I looked back at myself in 2022 (likely with glasses), I’ll be able to smile and know that though I can’t fight aging with a magic pill or lotion, the person in the mirror is battled and beautiful. And she always has some really great stories to share over a glass of wine.

Love you, friends! May you face today’s challenges with a smile and a healthy dose of creativity.

Photo credit Lucille Photo