SKY’S THE LIMIT
IT’S A BIRD,
IT’S A… WELL,
I CAN’T SEE
WHAT IT IS!
By Jennifer Reynolds | jensunshine3@gmail.com
MY LATE FATHER used to occasionally talk about his allergies. In later years, he spoke about more problematic concerns. Before that, his mom (my grandmother) used to tell me not to get old. Hearing these words, uttered in between tsk, tsk, tsk during newscasts and comments about bills in the mail, I’d inwardly roll my eyes. But that was eons ago.
As is often the case with age and the life reflections that go along with it, I say this: I get it now. Really, I do.
In between swap meets and nice landings, life is often spent doing adult things, such as waiting on hold for podiatrist referrals, rejoicing that the grocery store now stocks your favorite milk brand in gallon sizes and not just half-gallon sizes, and wondering if maybe, just maybe, that eyelid bump is a precursor to, well, the end of the world. Somewhere in between our childlike wonder and estate planning, we still manage to do our thing, though. Of course, flying our models remains a large part of our lives. Thank goodness!
However, an odd thing happens even with that. As one former club member used to say, “I ‘memba’ when I could more easily navigate these darn sticks.” His fingers often felt tingly and frustrated him at times.
Me? Well, my only issue was that I wore sunglasses. I mean, I had it made. I didn’t even need a visor in addition to my sunglasses. And then it happened.
I Can See Clearly Now, the Cataract Is (Maybe) Gone
Earlier this year during my annual eye exam, I brought up a topic that my eye doctor and I had previously discussed.
So, this came in the mail. Let the fun begin!
My vision just felt off in my right eye. My diagnosis? A cataract.
It made sense. After all, it’s not normal to cover your left eye and not be able to read a flightline sign when it’s all of 50 feet away. Car lights in my right eye appeared blurred instead of emitting a steady flashlight-like contained ray. I had light sensitivity on a cloudy but bright day. My left eye is perfect, and both eyes are just fine, but it’s still super annoying.
As of this writing, I’ve booked a follow-up appointment with an eye surgeon, where she’ll more fully assess my eye. I might or might not opt for surgery, but I imagine that, over the summer, I will probably have a better answer (and possibly be free of that annoying cataract).
Until then, I’ve remained hesitant to fly.
limiting my field time to observation more than anything. It can be challenging enough to fly with the occasional sun glare or a gnat flying in front of your eyes, but add funky vision into the mix and it’s quite annoying.
Elbows and Lighter Airplanes
I also “memba” when I could lift my airplane with either arm. I didn’t need to be mindful of the likes of tennis elbow. Yes, this is another thing that was added to my “getting older” list this year.
I’ve been managing a pesky left elbow that gets feisty when I do challenging things such as, oh, you know, lifting a folding chair out of my trunk at the flying field or pinching my fingers together in the grand effort known as pulling up my socks. It’s nothing that a couple of cortisone shots and, more recently, dry needling, couldn’t help. Still, my elbow isn’t fully what it was back in the day—tsk, tsk, tsk. These days, it’s necessary to actually plan the process of how I will be carrying things to the field, with which arm, and in what order.
As I often do when I face “life happens” moments, I’ve found that I focus more intently on the flight-related topics that already interest me. They have allowed me to still experience my love of flight even if this summer, so far, has meant less flying time than I’d prefer. I do fly, just not as frequently as I’d like!
I went to the nearby Audubon center, where I marveled in the beauty of owls and eagles, thinking about how they too can fly, albeit with limitations that require a level of adjustment or assistance. I also visited a local airport’s observation tower to watch airplanes—which I could undeniably see take off and land.
There I go again, drawing parallels to flight and the world around me. I’ve always gravitated toward looking up: the shapes of clouds that look like a jumbo ravioli, a shoe, or maybe Judge Wapner’s face; graceful birds; watching a modeler do a Cuban 8 maneuver; jets; fluttering palm tree leaves; skyscrapers that touch the sky; Orion’s belt. It’s all lovely.
Cataracts and tennis elbow obviously aren’t supremely life-altering events. Still, they change how I think about the world around me. On one hand, I’m happy to see and lift my airplanes, but on the other hand, I’m a bit miffed that the “stuff happens” annoyances have come more into a crisp focus.
As I often say, “so it goes.” I’m happy to be able to still fly and relax at the field. I’m just looking forward to doing it more frequently than what this summer has so far allowed!
