Friday, 17 April 2015
Oh, the Irony of It All
By Nancy Leitz
As some of you may know, my beloved husband, Roy, passed away in May 2013. We had been together for 67 years (63 as husband and wife). It was quite an adjustment for me and there was a lot of loneliness and tears.
To be truthful, the tears part was really easy because, as Roy used to say, I would choke up at supermarket openings and I cried at card tricks. Tears would run down my cheeks at our Fourth of July parade when the fire engines came along (sun glasses were the answer to that dilemma.)
Anyway, you get the picture. I’m a cry baby.
If one of my children or grandchildren gets a promotion at work or a ribbon for being the best four-year-old tap dancer, my eyes fill with tears. I can’t look at a beautiful bride (I don’t have to know her) without choking up and any picture of a little kid with no hair and sad eyes on a plea for a donation has me reaching for a tissue and running for my checkbook.
I seldom play the radio in my car (except the all news station to listen for traffic delays) because they may play some tune that reminds me of the “old days” when we were young and loved to dance to the big bands of the late 1940s.
God forbid they should play Moonlight Serenade or I’m In The Mood For Love.. I would probably end up in a ditch crying my eyes out.
Scott Joplin’s Ragtime or Ravel’s Bolero are my choice of car music. Both are tear proof.
I’m sure you get the picture. My eyes are filled with tears at least five times a day for one reason or another. Some good, some bad.
About six months ago, I started having a slight burning sensation in my eyes and I sometimes felt like there was something in like sand under my eyelids. It was very uncomfortable so I called my ophthalmologist and made an appointment to see her.
The day of the appointment came and as I sat in her office all prepared to see her, the ever popular “Doctor Waiting Room Music” came on, Frank Sinatra began to sing Night and Day and I started to choke up but controlled it and went back to pretending I was reading my magazine.
The song ended and I was very proud of myself. I had gotten through that beautiful song with only a slight tearing up. I thought that was the end of my ordeal but no, there was more! Frank came on again and this time he sang Put Your Dreams Away For Another Day. That was too much and I did tear up just as I was called in to the examining room.
I hastily dried my eyes and the doctor came in and gave me a thorough examination. She asked a lot of questions about night time driving and headlight haloes and seemed to be particularly interested in the burning sensation I mentioned.
Then she took out her prescription pad and began writing. She said that I should use these eye drops because I had a very bad case of - Are you ready?
DRY EYE.
Well, Doc, you could have fooled me! Oh, the irony of it all.
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Comments
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That seems not fair at all. I tear up at every opportunity too, Nancy. It is often inconvenient - but what an we do?
Posted by: kenju | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 05:35 AM
I have the same condition..I cry easily but have severe dry eye. Now though I have plenty of tears I was told they just aren't good quality tears! Oh the irony of it all indeed!
Posted by: Dani Phillips | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 06:18 AM
Oh, my! Fellow Dry Eye sufferer here, but not a big crier, I'm afraid.
At least you know what to do for your Dry Eye relief, however: subscribe to Bride's Magazine and the Sinatra station on Pandora. ;-)
(It's cheaper than Restasis!)
Posted by: Nance | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 06:58 AM
I certainly can relate to the "crying at the drop of a hat" part Nancy. I'm the same way. I guess we're just sentimental souls...but we have a lot of company. Dry eye huh? That does seem a little ironic considering. Stay well sweet friend....and let those tears flow. Hugs, Joy
Posted by: Joy | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 07:58 AM
I’ve never been one to show much emotion and so been thought of as cold and distant.
There were times in the past when I would try to force well hidden tears rather than seem uncaring.
However, now in my seventies, the tears occasionally occur and I guess it's just another change in life. :-)
Thanks for mentioning Ravel’s Bolero…. It’s been quite some time since I last played it.
You’re stories are always read more than once by me …thank you!
Posted by: clairejean | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 08:56 AM
I keep seeing how much alike we are. It was once said of me by a friend that all it takes to make Annie cry is a warm handshake. Dry eye....crazy! LOL
Posted by: granny annie | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 10:42 AM
Judy: I met a lady in the Mall yesterday and when she told me that she was in the Mall to take her mind off of her dog dying yesterday, I got all teary eyed. I never saw this woman in my life before, much less her dog, so it was very embarrassing.....
Dani: I never knew that there were good qualities and bad qualities to tears. Maybe if you don't REALLY care very much (Like I didn't even know the damn dog)you have tears of a lesser quality.
Nance: Wow! Good advice. I will watch a few extra episodes of "Say Yes To The Dress" and invite Frank into my home and car via Pandora. I will then throw the Restasis she gave me into the trash while singing "I'll Do It My Way."
Joy: Thanks for the encouragement about letting the tears flow. It really is inconvenient sometimes but it is the way I have always been and I can't change now.
Clairejean: There were many times when I wished I were more stoic but as my old Irish Granny used to say "Wish in one hand and pee in the other and see which one gets filled up first."
About Bolero.The very best use of that wonderful music was by Torvel and Dean at the 1984 Olympics. They won the Gold Medal at Sarajevo in Ice Dancing and it was a triumph!
You can see it on YouTube...
Annie: We always DO seem to be on the same page, don't we?
We both lost our husbands in the last two years so we really did have something to cry about, but warm handshakes and dogs? There has to be a limit!
Posted by: Nancy Leitz | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 01:44 PM
Nancy, Like many of your previous commenters, I too, am a cry baby. I cry almost every night during the evening news---either because of a tragic story, or even a heart warming "human interest" story. I used to think of my tears as inconvenient, too. Then I realized it is important to establish ownership of the problem. If my tears make you uncomfortable , it is NOT my problem. And, yes, I now have to use Restasis. Lovely story--wonderfully told.
Posted by: Fritzy | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 03:07 PM
Fritzy:
Thanks for your nice comment. As one cry baby to another I must say that I totally agree with you when you say that it is not our problem if people are uncomfortable with us tearing up.
So, are you like me with a Kleenex in every pocket so you are sure to have one handy in case another dog dies or a "heartwarming story comes on the Evening News?
Posted by: Nancy Leitz | Friday, 17 April 2015 at 07:09 PM
Never a dry eye when you are around, Nancy! Nothing wrong with crying. Tears are salty and salt is healing.
Posted by: Grannymar | Saturday, 18 April 2015 at 10:32 AM
GM:
Truer words were never spoken. Two drinks in the Crown, a few touching stories and the whole gang was in tears..
How can a comment about weeping bring up such happy memories?
Posted by: Nancy Leitz | Saturday, 18 April 2015 at 11:02 AM
I think we all need B vitamins.
Posted by: arlene corwin | Monday, 20 April 2015 at 03:17 PM
Arlene:
Are B vitamins the answer for bleary eyes? Or Blubbering? Or
the Blues?
Seriously, Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it.
Nancy
Posted by: Nancy Leitz | Thursday, 23 April 2015 at 08:54 AM