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Saturday Letter: Why Closing Your Eyes Can Make You See Better

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If you would be given one wish what would it be?

When I was young, we played this game.

Of course, I wanted a dolphin or a castle or a never-ending candy bag.

We were too young to want world peace and find a cure for cancer. We left those answers for the beauty pageant girls on tv.

And hey! A never-ending candy bag is a pretty darn good wish.

But there was another wish I never said out loud. A secret wish.

Saturday Letter by SaturdayGift

The Secret Wish

My grandmother was blind since she was a teenager.

And my secret wish was to give my eyes to her for one day. 

This ways she could see how beautiful the world is (and that she could see me).

And because she would have my sight, for that one day I would know how it feels when you open your eyes and all you see is the same darkness you see your eyes closed.

That was my secret wish.

But it was good I was never granted that wish.

And even though I would have, I never should have used my wish for that.

There was no need.

Your eyes are not the only gateway to this world

Sight is the most important of our senses, but your eyes are not the only gateway to the world.

Your eyes sometimes even deceive you to believe something that isn’t true. And other times they’re blocking you from experiencing the world the fullest.

Deceiving? Blocking? 

Yes.

And let’s not even start with the viral debate whether this dress is blue and black or white and gold.

What does red taste like? Or blue?

There are taste tests that have been made where people eat the exact same foods, but different portions are dyed in different colors to see if the color would affect how the food tastes.

Almost always people associate red food as it would be strawberries or cherries – something sweet. Yellow indicates sourness. Green maybe something to do with apples. And blue always gets the most mixed answers or lowest points in taste tests.

Yes. Your eyes can deceive you to think a certain way.

So what happens when you close them? Could it be that a whole new world appears?

Close your eyes and let your mind wander…

There are concepts like mindful eating, mindful body, mindful thoughts, mindful breathing and mindful sounds to name a few.

When starting meditation or a mindfulness exercise you are usually asked to close your eyes.

“Close your eyes and let your mind wander.”

We want to feel centered and connected, be more present and peaceful.

And when we take our most powerful sense out of the equation, we can be one step closer to have all that.

So you might guess already why my grandmother never needed my wish?

You don’t need your eyes to see how beautiful the world is

Even though my grandmother was blind, she saw how beautiful the world was. And how she saw the world taught me so much.

She never missed an opportunity to stay in the sun and feel the warmth. And I learned how to guide her so that it would be safe for her to walk.

She always wanted to know what color the flowers were and when told, she was delighted and said: “how beautiful!”. And I learned how to describe them to her in detail.

She enjoyed the good tasting meals. And I learned how to tell the time when my mom was explaining to her which o’clock on the plate the potatoes were at.

She never believed anyone who told her she couldn’t do something. And I learned that if you’re persistent, you can do anything your heart desires.

She knew how to ask help when needed and when to be independent.

She raised her kids and provided for her family. She cherished her friendships and always had time to help others.

She worked hard, was smart with her money and also enjoyed her pastimes. She traveled the world with friends and family and even by herself.

She saw the good in people and was always trusting in God.

And most importantly:

She always felt happy and fortunate that she once saw a car when she was a child before she lost her sight.

She had a wonderful way to witness this beautiful world, don’t you think?

For the SaturdayGift….

It’s been over a decade since my grandmother passed away. This year it would have been her 100th birthday.

Every week I gift myself something that I want or need. It’s my Saturday gift. And on her birthday week as my Saturday gift I decided to:

close my eyes;
listen to some beautiful music;
touch something soft and fluffy;
scent something divine;
and taste something amazing.

Andrea Bocelli. A cat. Jasmine. Grilled salmon sushi. In that order. 

AND to only see with my heart when my hubby leaves his socks on the floor.

***

To my blind grandmother who taught me how to see. 

With love, Cristina


Close your eyes and answer this: “if you would be given one wish what would it be?”

Did your wish change?

Share in the comments!

This post was originally one of the Saturday Letters (I’ve sent to my readers via email).

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