I got new glasses last week. This wouldn’t normally be anything to write a blog post about, but these glasses are really weird and I love them.
For years I wore simple, black, wire-rimmed glasses. They did little more than serve the function of keeping my glasses in front of my eyes so I could see. Then, last year, my son picked out frames for his first pair of glasses and he wanted something colorful and mildly decorative. I was inspired by his bold choices and decided it was time for a change. I went from my black, wire-rimmed glasses to very round lenses with a thin gold metallic trim. They made me look like a wizard and people began to say to me, “Hey, I like your glasses.”
I’d never been complimented on my glasses before, despite wearing them for most of my life, and quickly learned I enjoyed people remarking (positively) about my eyewear.
My prescription needed an update so I went to the optometrist a few weeks ago. Once my exam was finished I looked around their office to see if any of their offered frames struck me as much as my current wizard glasses did. And that’s when I saw them. The weirdest glasses I’ve ever seen.
It’s hard to describe them, but they’re just weird enough that you look twice when you see them but not so outlandish that I look like I’m wearing experimental fashion on my face. It’s right in the middle, which is perfect for me.
I was drawn to them because they were the next step up from my wizard glasses. Something that called attention to what I was wearing instead of being barely-noticeable and merely functional. And the older I get, the more I want to try new things. The more I want to experiment with how I present myself. The more bold I want to be outside of art and writing.
I call them my “midlife crisis glasses” because they are so unlike anything I’ve ever purchased for myself and, I must confess, one of the more expensive things. Some men hit their mid-to-late forties and buy a motorcycle or a fancy car. I, apparently, spend money on a bold pair of glasses that will hopefully draw positive attention to my face. If a midlife crisis is treating yourself to something fancy and making a bold expression your possessions, than I guess this is how I’m facing my midlife crisis.
If you see me at Anime Boston next month, or at any of the other shows I’m doing this year (more on that later), give me your honest opinion. I’m ready to face it.