Gratitude—#3

This is my third posting on the gratitude I am feeling during the season of Advent. This gratitude gives me hope that all shall be well in my life because all has been well. I can look back over a long life and see that all has worked out to good. For that I am deeply grateful . . . and hopeful for the future.

Today I want to list the many inventions and services that have helped me adjust to my compromised vision and health. I find myself grateful to inventors and those with creative minds who come up with ideas that make my life easier. So let’s begin.

•  Magnifying glasses that I can put over a recipe page so as to see the difference between a ½, a 1/3, and a ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, salt, soda, or vanilla.
•  A city that offers an exceptionally inexpensive van service that comes right to my home so as to take me to doctor appointments, restaurants, or stores. This service lessens much of the stress of no longer being able to drive. The loss of independence demands a real adjustment of attitude and this service makes me feel less dependent.
• My iPad that lets me adjust type size and spacing for e-book reading.
• A fine library system that offers a plethora of e-books. It also offers “Books-by-Mail” for those of us who cannot easily get to the local library.  Through this service I can order books, CDs, and DVDs from the library. Then what I’ve ordered is delivered through the mail, coming in my post box in a green canvas bag. I send everything back in the same bag simply by putting it in my mail box. There is no charge for this service, and I pay nothing for return postage. This is truly a meaningful way to use our tax dollars.
•  Glaucoma drops that help keep my pressure in the safe zone.
• Eye lubricants that keep my eyes from getting dry. (Dry eyes can damage the optic nerves; my left nerve is already severely damaged, thus blurring my vision.)
• My house has no steps and thus my astigmatism doesn’t “trip” me up. (Glasses no longer help my astigmatism.)
• Canes, walkers, and wheelchairs. I do not use the first two items yet, but being able, when I fly any airline, to use a wheelchair—provided by the airport—alleviates the stress of travel.
•  Chairs. This may seem like a strange invention for this list, but I have severe arthritis in my lower back so standing for any length of time—say 10 minutes—can cause deep aching. Wrapping my Christmas gifts this year while sitting, instead of my usual standing, made such a difference to how I felt by the time the last gift was under the tree.
• A four-foot-permanent/artificial tree that sits on my card table so I can easily decorate it. No bending, no stretching up to the seven-foot tree top of the past.
• A sturdy, wide, two-step Rubbermaid® stepstool that enables me—even with the occasional light-headedness of Meniere’s Disease—to get kitchen items down from the top of the pantry shelf.
• The handrails in my shower and bathroom that help with both the problems that come with compromised vision and Meniere’s vertigo.
• Pillows that support my lumbar area when I sit.
• The stove timer that I set nine times a day for the drops I take for my eyes.
• The movable timer that I set for ½ hour whenever I’m sitting at the computer. The neurosurgeon doesn’t want me to sit for longer than that without getting up and walking around

Well, this list is not exhaustive, but it does represent many of the wonderful helps I have that make my life much less stressful. I can count on these inventions. They please me mightily.

Next Sunday, Christmas Eve Day, I hope to express my gratitude for all the many family members and friends and strangers who help me navigate these years of my life. They are true blessings.

I wonder what inventions or services or creative ideas you are grateful for. I’d love to read your lists!

Peace in this season of hope and expectation.