My title might sound a bit arrogant. But it is true. Arrogant or not.
I sold Elsa my CRV for a wealthy price. She’d been my friend for ten years, sleek in pale blue. Why did I have to do it?
The culprit I had been expecting has arrived: I drove blindly into a cement barrier on the freeway. A gray shadow has developed over my green/gray eyes—darting in and out of my normal vision.
I drove home with Elsa’s crushed fender dangling on her side: Police also followed me home.
What If I maimed or killed a child…or anyone?
I promised myself never to drive again.
I wondered where I’d inherited this problem. My still young parents died of heart disease, not eye issues. However, my sister had the same disease as I have—Macular Degeneration and is from my mother’s side of the family. Two cousins also have inherited the disease.
As we grew older, I watched the disease progress in my sister’s hazel eyes. After consulting with my doctor: I discovered I have the less progressive kind of Macular Degeneration.
Silent tears roll down my cheeks. Me…a writer with vision problems? I am attempting to remain positive.
Fortunately, I have been introduced to a new transportation. It is the local bus services. One is the bus service at the senior facility where I live; the other is Access buses for the entire community.
The weeks have passed, I’m still learning the routes and the dispatchers have been helpful.
When I feel depressed, grieving for my lost vision and Elsa, I think of the lives I save by not driving.
Patricia Gustavson is a retired Washingtonian whose historical novel, set in Issaquah, Abigail’s Valley, is about a young nurse.
SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).
SHARING STORIES is featured on http://www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit http://www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type “sharing stories” in the search function above.
