Magnifying Glass

I was looking on a local city map today for the name of the area up behind our local supermarket. In Japan these 'aza' names ('cho' in cites) are a crucial part of the address because streets have no names so your address is the 'aza' and plot number. Out here in the sticks the 'aza' areas are centuries old, a bit like English parishes but much smaller. In fact the only place I know of with similar very small administrative areas is Ireland, where until recently 'townlands' used to appear on large scale maps.

But this isn't a geography lesson. I mention it because I struggled to read the second character of this name and in the end I had to get a magnifying glass. And then I realised that it was the second time that I'd used that glass this week.

Well of course my eyesight is pretty well OK and with glasses I'm fine on distance vision, no problems at all when it comes to driving. And until recently my close-up sight without glasses has been fine too. But now it is starting to deteriorate just a fraction, I need the help of a lens to see small things. When I get this darn thesis finished I'm planning to do some serious work in my workshop but will I have the vision to do it? Or in a few years time be able to read the mountains of books piled around the place? Or to study Japanese? Who knows? What would it be like not to see?

We assume so unthinkingly that our faculties won't get deteriorate with age, not even a little bit. And then here we are, looking through a lens at a map. Again.

When I was a child I wondered how it was to be 'grown up' and 'be old' and so far I can't say that I notice so much difference. A lot of the time I feel just like I did when I was twenty. I'm not like I was at twenty of course, I couldn't make it up mountains like I did then for example, or run a mile in less than five minutes any more. But it feels like that, until there is some particular problem. Later it won't, more problems relating to the senses and mobility and ability will arise. And what to do then?