Isn’t it interesting that Helen Keller was such a visionary, though she went through life without being able to see? We can learn a lot from a woman like that. Years and years after her time on this earth, Ms. Keller’s words are still encouraging people to see life as a daring adventure.
An Ailment of the Eyes
Recently, I came down with an old-fashioned case of the dreaded pink eye. Known medically as conjunctivitis, the symptoms of this ailment include several annoying things, like redness, itchiness, and waking up goopy.
It’s been a long time since anything has been wrong with my eyes.
I couldn’t see very well in second grade, but I got glasses in the third, contacts in the eighth and then had Lasik surgery at the age of 41, which ended my need of the former helps for clear vision.
So, I didn’t like having this new case of eye sickness one little bit.
I had to make a trip to the pharmacy for drops, pamper myself with hot compresses, and worse – adjust my makeup routine to work around it.
And then I was reminded of this quote by Helen Keller.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
Now, you know I’m all about adventure, right?
I love thinking adventurously, planning adventures, and encouraging Texans OverFfifty to live lives filled with everyday adventurous intention.
But I wondered – how could a woman make such a bold statement about adventure when she wasn’t even able to see?
How was it that she came to view her own life as a daring adventure? I mean, she was b-l-i-n-d.
Not only that, but she had to learn to speak by touching the throat of someone else who could talk.
As I prayed for God to heal my own puffy, itchy eyes, I also asked Him to increase in me whatever it was that would give a blind person such vision as Helen Keller had possessed.
Eyes Opened, Mind Seeing
Though Helen’s eyes were opened, it was actuallly her mind that did the “seeing”.
I want my mind to see that way, too.
I desire to make the most of what I’ve been given, not complaining about something I don’t possess.
It’s my goal to look for adventure in every moment, especially in the ones that are difficult to get through.
Upon examining the life of Helen Keller, I realized that for a blind person to embrace life as a daring adventure, her mind must envision what her eye cannot see.
That’s a profound thought, isn’t it?
Especially for those of us Over Fifty.
Seeing it for Ourselves
This means that when our bodies don’t continue to do for us what they’ve always done, our minds can keep leading us forward.
When our knees no longer will endure hours of running down the basketball court, we can use all the game strategy stored up inside our brains to coach a winning kids’ team.
When we encounter a physical limitation, we can spend the down time writing our memoirs or that novel that’s been waiting on the back burner of our thoughts and plans.
When our physical eyes have trouble seeing much on the trail ahead, adventure is never far away from the eye of the mind.
We must merely become more intentional about envisioning it.
How is Your Vision?
What little (or big!) adventures are next for you?
Is it time to learn a new hobby?
Have you always wanted to read your way through the classics?
Maybe you’ve thought about really stretching your limits to finally master a yoga headstand??
Or memorize Bible verses with your grandchildren?
Like an Over Fifty Facebook friend of mine, would you like to post pics of you with an adult child at the top of a 13,000 foot mountain you climbed together? How cool would that be?
Whatever it is, whatever it will be, I’m very proud of you for keeping on, my friend.
After all, life really is a daring adventure, or nothing.
Encouraging a life filled with everyday intentional adventure, sometimes created only in the eye of the mind,
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