New insights from old eyeglasses

“Everything old becomes new again.”

The cliché drifted through my mind as I examined my reflection in the mirror. I'd been wearing my reading glasses for months before the similarity struck me. I'd seen this look before ... in third grade. That's when I'd received my first pair of eyeglasses.

Those glasses, with their red tortoiseshell coloring and slight upturned corners, were virtually the same as the stylish pair now resting on my face. The likeness extends beyond appearance, however. Both sets of eye-wear have helped to expand my perceptions. Thirty-some years ago, glasses allowed me to see the blackboard, opening up a new world of learning. Today they allow me to catch all the crisp detail as I read of new ideas, discoveries and innovations.

Maybe that's why I'm so amazed to find myself in yesterday's spectacles: the world has changed.

I know fashion recycles; modern days pull from times past. I knew this when I purchased new frames. Still, I never expected to see this glimpse of my former self staring back at me.

I'll be honest. I don't look exactly as I did back then. My hair is not quite as curly and not nearly as brown. I've grown up and filled out. Beneath the surface are changes, too. I've packed in decades of living since age eight. No longer a shy child, I have found skill sets and a confidence I never could have imagined. More layers of experience have accumulated. And my world can no longer be contained in a backyard.

So the reason for my surprise, as I again face the mirror, must be the juxtaposition of the eyeglasses and me. Perhaps eye fashion has come full circle, but I haven't. My reflection is proof that the trappings of life will cycle ... but life, itself, advances. And that realization gives me hope and a sense of purpose.

How have you changed since childhood? What about you remains the same?