Kentucky has a really good governor, elected last fall. He is being a good leader as we wind our way through so many unknowns.... He's very clear that his main goal is to keep all Kentuckians alive. He thinks for himself, and he is very empathetic, an important quality a leader needs to have!
I mention this because I was about to have cataract surgery in March, when everything was suddenly shut down. That included all non-essential surgeries; they were off the table, so to speak. My eager eyes had to wait until three weeks ago to get started, but the second eye was done only a week after the first eye, so I made it through both of them without another statewide shutdown happening. This is good. I am grateful. And, as I was told ahead of time by others with redone eyes, there are some big changes in what I am now seeing. (As a color photographer, I have been very curious about what colors I haven't been seeing clearly imperceptibly over the years.)
The first "wow" came the first morning after the first surgery. I woke up in my bed simply relieved that I could see anything! Then I noticed that one end of my bedside woven, arty throw rug was now a much brighter and beautiful blue! So next, when I covered my not-yet-done eye, the whole rug became brighter. By the next morning, the new blue had taken over my brain, and the whole rug was, on its own, without contrast, evenly and marvelously blue.
I obviously can't show this in photos, however, so please do believe my story. I am showing two photos even so, because I had had no idea that I had such a purple shirt! Of course I have been trying to figure out if anyone can know how someone else sees. I'm sorry in a way that I will get used to my revised world, because the shock and awe is a treasure, a luxury, a gift, that will be easy soon to take for granted.
In the meantime, our wounded world continues to need attention, and I can't not mention a couple of recent concerns beyond my very personal trip through eye transformation. The first is a screen shot I made of the Attorney General of Colorado, Phil Weiser, who is working fast and furiously on many issues, with a good team, including my son who is the Solicitor General. The AG has recently been appointed by the governor to take another look at the murder of a young black man last August, I believe, Elijah McClain. I wanted to explain why this story interests me so much, in addition to my concern that our nation is discovering the brokenness of race relations over hundreds of years that needs to be highlighted, better understood, and rebuilt from the ground up.
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| an Instagram post I screen shot |
Also this past week I "attended" (via Zoom) a national gathering hosted by the Friends General Conference of the Society of Friends (Quakers) which was largely focused this year on the concerns of community and race inequality. I am still putting together what was said, talked over, communicated about and committed to within the week even without shaking a single hand or eating together. I mention this because of the importance of the topic and because it is so much on my mind. The young girl in the photo below is 16; she has been an activist since she was 9.
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| another screen shot, while Zooming |
I end tonight by showing these same day lilies I've shown before, which still look like they always have -- even with my new eyes. Very loyal bunch. I thank them for their beauty, and for their not being good to eat if you are a deer..... Please stay safe, vote in November, hopefully by mail, and thank you for reading this far!!!!
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