It is about time.
The Laptop screen has been blurring on occasion, reading drug labels at work is suddenly rather hard work and driving at night has become a little bit of a nightmare!
So I will give myself a good wash, brush my teeth three times and give myself a couple of small squirts of "clinique Happy" in readiness for the invasive eye exam....
Is it me? But does anyone else feel that eye tests are totally embarrassing and a challenge to one's personal boundaries?
As a nurse I am constantly touching patients in an intimate yet perfectly acceptable and consensual way. This physical closeness is of course extended to relatives and visitors that often are stressed and traumatised and are in need of comfort and human contact, yet in everyday life, I have realised that there are very few moments that physical intimacy with a stranger actually occurs!
Having an eye test is perhaps one....... having a haircut or even a massage are others......But we as a race ( and a Northern European repressed race at that) live so much in our little bubbles of isolation that even the old fashioned contact customs such as hand shaking seems to have all but disappeared.
I have blogged about this before, but we Brits could all take a lesson from the peoples from more demonstrative climates...............and break this non touch "keep off me" taboo.
Bring back hand shaking as the norm that's what I say..... Yes that's it....break the ice with a firm grab and shake, that will solve the Nation's woes!
.....mind you...having said this......I still will be giggling with embarrassment when that eye examiner approaches me with his ophthalmoscope poised!!!!!!
Hey Ho
Good luck with your eye exam. Even with my glasses, I don't like driving at night any more.
ReplyDeleteWe 'Northerners' do value our space. I think as the planet gets more crowded we do even more so. And now they are always harping on personal contact making you sick, so we don't.
But I think maybe it's because we don't, that we do. I don't know, too early to make sense.
But I know what you mean when the eye doctor is right there in your face...
I seem to remember a pair of glasses lost at the foot of the stairs in ABO during a rather unsightly incident involving too much white wine and a missed step. Ah, those were the days...ourselves when young my darling.
ReplyDeleteHello John G,
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is blind as a bat without my contact lenses I guess that I find eye tests the norm and have done from an early age. But your quite correct that as general rule we are not touchy feely as a race around here.
Had to smile when you mention hand shakes as this is the first thing that I do when meeting folk, the actions vary from surprise to wariness, with few actually 'grasping the nettle' so to speak. Maybe a firm handshake should be compulsory learning?
Oh and I must e-mail you about chickens soon (memory like a sieve)
Regards,
John W
In my posts today I noted how we've been unable to shower for four days in warm, wet climatic conditions (now lift your mind LOL!) and only been able to 'tub bath' but we know we are developing BO despite heaps of deodorants - God! A shower tomorrow night and sweet clean clothes are going to be heavan sent sic:"scent" - HooRaa!!
ReplyDeleteHa! And hear I thought it was just me. I had an exam once, the fellow wasn't exactly the friendliest and as he peered directly into my eyes I felt more and more uncomfortable. He must have sensed my unease,(or my stressed breathing!) because at one point he stopped and asked me if I was okay. I couldn't get out of there fast enough and needless to say I haven't been back.
ReplyDeleteI quite agree with you about eye tests. I think the difference is that they come at you head on and they are literally in your face, you cannot swerve to avoid them. I find it very offputting.
ReplyDeleteIn France we are tactile, we shake hands with everyone or we faire les bisous, but you can do that as much or as little as you want - the kiss might just be a MWAAH as is called air kissing, I think, or it can be real kisses on the cheeks, we only do it twice here - once on each side, but some places do it four times, twice on each cheek. you just have to be sure you know which way the other person is going first!!!
It is also proved that if you kiss someone you spread less germs than if you shake hands with them.
John, maybe you could start a new trend in North Wales
Sue
bel!
ReplyDeleteI remember the ALL BAR ONE incident like it was yesterday!
The creepy waiter!, and a black eye to boot, as I remember
Dear John, Life in Budapest, where I spend much of my time, would suit you greatly. There young and old alike, men and women all embrace, handshake or kiss at every opportunity. I find it particularly heart warming that young people of both sexes are very affectionate towards each other and this seems like a much more civilised way of going on than the grunts [at best]usually uttered in greeting by young people in the UK.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSadly, he was rather more creepy around me than he was around you!
ReplyDeleteWhere do I find them?
Good luck with your exam.
ReplyDeleteReally, hand shaking is gone??? I use and enjoy handshaking all the time, to me it is a sign of respect.
I've never had my eyes tested John (they still seem to work well after all these years) and I've never been tested for prostate cancer either. I know which one I would find most embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteI know what you are talking about, personal space - with professionals, it bothers me more with the dentist, seems he always has something with garlic for lunch and his stomach is against your ear, gurgling and squeaking. At least the ophthalmologist isn't touching you much, just that breath.... I hate any exam.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I am a hugger, a kisser, and a hand pumper! (I try to check my breath first though);-)
I'm sure you are headed for reading glasses or bi-focals, they will be a blessing after a couple weeks, till you get used to them, I wouldn't advise drinking, unless you plan to remain on the couch, LOL!
Good day to you!
XXX
You are at that 'right' age to get those 'reading' glasses....usually happens just before 50, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm weird, but I like being touched....appropriately of course. I can be 'touchy/feely' when the occasion arises.
Yes John, it could 'change the world' if more people weren't so uptight about their 'space'.
Good luck with those eyes!
Jim
hope the eye exam comes out good... and hey, take giggles wherever you can get them! i do think people are mostly uptight - esp. in the professional area. i worked at a hospital (i'm a mental health therapist) with a fantastic group of people and we were the exception to the rule and we hugged and hung on each other, made practical jokes, etc. like a good family. boy, did it make a difference. glad you're thinking about it!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree - its just too embarrasing. Hope you manage to get across here ok for the weekend. Can't give you a decent weather update I'm afraid - its been bad today, but it could go either way. xxxxx
ReplyDeleteI hate eye tests too & I can't stand being mauled by a hairdresser! In fact I don't care for being mauled at all much! xxx
ReplyDeleteI have "reading glasses" in every room of my house.
ReplyDeleteI think that more (friendly) contact would help reduce depression. In a society that is often too busy to even notice one's neighbors, a hug could go a LONG way...
I hope your eye test goes well. I don't really mind an eye test, I have been seeing the same Eye Dr for, um bout 27 years. She is very personable. I like her.
ReplyDeleteNow if you want to talk about the Dentist...ewww, could someone get me a glass of water...to late I have already passed out, from the hyperventilating no doubt... scared spitless of the dentist!! Which I guess has nothing to do with personal space. LOL
Anywho have a good giggle, I mean eye visit :O).
I'm giggling right now John remembering the mildly supressed hysteria when I had my eyes tested last year.."Back off Buddy!" ( and I had to get reading glasses )
ReplyDeleteWe get quite close sometimes in T'ai Chi & I found it very difficult at first. Then I went on a retreat & got a name for saying, "I'm not really a huggy touchy feely sort of person" By the end of the retreat, I was hugging bloody everyone and frigging trees !
John - how do you post your own videos up? Blogger is telling me I have to post only what is licenced to me ....It's MY video ! Help please !
I feel for you... I'm at the point now where I'm starting to NEED my glasses to read and it's driving me absolutely crazy.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I can't stand being so close face to face with a "stranger", but give me a donkey or a dog face any day! :D
You may need a cataract operation like I just had.
ReplyDeleteI am a hugger and a toucher by nature.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to come back and read the comments on this one...interesting insight and I'm really curious what others have to say about it. Idaho is full of people from Northern European descent and it's amazing how the old ways just don't change. It took me years to get the hang of not touching people and I still get stared at all the time for my inappropriate sense of humor. Sigh. No wonder I never leave the house. :-)
ReplyDeletexxx