Face It! (The eyes)

Nora "feels bad about her neck." Well, I feel just awful about my eyes.

When I was a young thing, my eyelashes were so long and lush and dark that I had to use mascara sparingly so as to avoid tarantula-eyes. My lashes now are sparse; they've shrunk in length; and they've faded from black to (a sick) mouse brown. I've tried virtually every lash-enhancing mascara on the market (from drug store to department store brands), and what it does is just create fat little globules at the end of the lashes, making them look stumpier than ever.

I not only have crow's feet; the crow has landed! And it's one large, heavy-duty, ever-so-stubborn crow. What were once smooth, taut eyelids have morphed into a loose, baggy, crepe paper like consistency. Since the skin surrounding my eyes has changed so dramatically, I'm sure my eyes, if measured, would be about two-thirds the size they once were.

Oh, how I wish that crow would go away!

I'm in constant pursuit of concealer, moisturizer, foundation, eye-brightener, spackle, grout, putty, caulking or whatever I can find to attempt disguise and/or coverage of the wrinkles, fine lines, bags and discolorations. Some days they work better than others. That's where the sleep and water intake, I've discovered, play a part.

My eyes aren't as forgiving as they once were. If I'm the least bit sleep-deprived, it shows in my eyes. If I've had a glass of wine too many, my eyes will tell the world the next day. Used to be I could get by on five hours of sleep after eating Japanese food, heavy on the soy sauce, and no one ever suspected a thing. Those days are way gone.

And let's talk about the internal stuff that's going on. My optometrist, Dr. Brown, has now given me close-up and far-away contacts, one for each eye (or whatever the correct lingo is). So YAY, I don't have to wear the Costco readers anymore. But...I still struggle with small print in dark places. In other words, while reading the menu in a restaurant, I still squint and look like a trombone player as I attempt to extend my arms long enough to achieve successful reading! Such is the way of my current life.

I love what Katie Couric said though: "God has a way of making your eyes go, just as your body is starting to go."

Thank you, God. I guess.