I found my eye this weekend. I had left it in a small container, filled with a sterile lens-cleaning solution, that I had put in a box that ended up in my office at home. I had been cleaning up some of the “debris of life” that I horde, boxing it up and storing it in my office out in my shop. That keeps my wife just a little bit happier than having stuff stacked up in our bedroom and closet. She doesn’t go out into the shop, much less my office, except on rare occasions. I try.
I misplaced the eye way back at the beginning of this year. I had already talked myself into believing that I’d thrown it out accidentally, because I actually have been throwing a lot of stuff out. Unbelievable, huh? This newfound ability is, unfortunately, combined with a growing loss of short, and long, term memory that comes with age. I forgot where I put it and assumed I’d thrown it away. It happens more often the older I get. Forgetting, not losing the eye.
I got a new prosthetic eye earlier this year. I finally decided to replace the one I got when I was seven years old. It was a surreal experience. The new one is very close to my natural eye color and feels great. Your eye color changes as you age, and this sucker has been with me over fifty years. It was a much lighter shade of blue than the new one. I really mourned it’s loss when I discovered it was missing. It’s been with me through every single event in my life since I was seven. It’s seen everything I’ve seen. It knows me like no one else does. There’s not one other thing I have in my life that’s been with me as long as it has been. It’s a friend. Okay, it’s a hunk of ceramic polymer, and is in no way alive. I’m not crazy. Just allow me a little poetic license, will ya? Thanks.
So, now that the original is back, I have two prosthetic eyes. The new one I wear daily; the other is back to my bedside table. I have several ideas about what I want to do with them when I leave this world. I could have them made into necklace talismans to give to my kids. I know Candice would wear them! The boys, probably not. I could put them in a small display case with a closed lid and write a promissory note to anyone who opens the box. Something along the lines of “if you dare to look into the eyes of Gramps he will answer your questions of life” kinda thing. I could even write a story to go along with it. Maybe an ancient curse kinda thingy. I like that. My current favorite idea is just to pick my favorite headshot photo, have it enlarged to approximate life-size and have the eyes imbedded so that I can “keep an eye on everyone” in the family through the generations. That’s one heck of a creepy family memento, don’t you think? Yeah. I love it! I could continue to freak out Stones for many years to come. It’d be interesting to see the kids fight over who will, and who won’t, want that sucker hanging in the living room. Or maybe the bathroom. I spent a lot of time in that place in my life. I’d be okay with that. It’s a sure-fire way to keep the “how much longer are you gonna be in there” times down, huh? If you have any other ideas on what I can do with my “mementos” feel free to write me, care of this paper. I’m sure there’s some ideas I haven’t come up with. Halloween’s coming up soon, and I know you want to get your spooky-creative juices flowing.
Eye look forward to hearing from you!
God Bless Y’all!
Rolling Stones 