HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU, KID

This will be a short post because I had cataract surgery this morning and am not seeing too well at the moment.

Speaking of surgery, it’s amazing how even a procedure that takes a mere ten to fifteen minutes requires a Pre-op appointment four days before with multiple tests. Then on the chosen day you have to be at the hospital by six a.m., change into a gown that “ugly” doesn’t begin to describe, tuck your hair into a bonnet and slip your feet into plastic booties. A machine monitors your blood pressure, patches and a finger clamp keep track of your heart, and an IV goes into a vein in your arm.

The next thirty minutes disappear and you think nothing has happened, until you realize you’re not in the operating room anymore and someone is offering you apple juice. The good part is you go home right away, see the doctor again the next day and then rejoice at how much brighter the world looks.

A day later I can watch TV or work on my computer without eye glasses and even read most print. Being a cataract surgeon must be the best specialty for a doctor, because patients are so happy with the outcome.

Like actors, they get paid for doing what they love and people thank them besides. Come to think of it, that’s true of writers too. We love what we do and readers buy our books and even ask for autographs. In addition, better than either doctors or actors, we writers can work in our slippers and jammies. And as long as we want.

Happy writing!