Jeff Steele, Writer/Photographer

You may habe heard the old addage ‘Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’.

A close family member suffered a severe stroke many years ago.  The damage left upon them impacted various areas and functions of their body.  I a matter of hours they had went from a normal active human being, to near death and disabled.

One of the areas affected by the stroke was their ablity to differentiate between left and right.  Normally our minds comprehend left and right being divided by a thin line or barrier between the two.  The stroke had widened that line into a kind of pie shape.  Wide at the top and narrow at the bottom.  Thus the victim would fall over unable to stand or walk. due to the width of left/right awareness, by the time they realized they had leaned too far one way or the other it was too late to correct it.

Therefore you could say ‘Balance is in the eyes of the beholder’ as well.

I tend to work as much and with as much effort at home as when at my job.  It is a day filled with constant effort of fix and repair, paintimg or staining, mowing or trimming, there is always plenty of tasks to be done.  It is easy to become engrossed in all the work.  It can from time to time even bring negative  feelings about having to do so many chores.

All this work can make us fall before we realize it.  Ignoring quality time, or by failing to share in laughs or events, or not just genuinely listening to what our loved ones are saying.

It took nearly two years of rehabilitation both in various facilities and by family.  Eventually the stroke victim was retrained on how stand/walk.  Though a full recovery could never be achieved. They were able to share and make many wonderful memories during the remaining years of their life. 

Taking time to not become visionally impaired to family is a decision that enhances us and increases our value to family and those around us.