What Happens When You Take The Shades Off

I wear sunglasses every day. Every season. They keep the sun out of my eyes as well as the wind.  They block all the nasty things that can fly into your eyes when you live in New York. Soot. Dirt. Dust. Falling objects from buildings. 

Yesterday I didn't.

I didn't plan on it. It looked overcast when when I left my apartment. And I was in a rush. So I forgot to take them out of my purse.

A few blocks later, the sun came out. 

The reds and oranges of the leaves that had fallen to the sidewalk appeared more robust than usual. The sky a more vibrant shade of blue. People looked a bit more alive to me.

It took me a few blocks before I realized that my world was looking brighter not just because of the sun, but because I was without my protective eyewear.

I started to reach for them. To cover my eyes with the tint of my lenses that shields me from those unexpected flying objects and the not so friendly rays of sun. 

But I didn't.

It hit me that they were also distorting how I view the world.

I continue walking, feeling a bit naked without those shades but also reminded how the slightest bit of change in routine can color the way we see everything.

And vowing to inject more of that into my life.

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