I love sunglasses. For me, they are a vital necessity of life. Ask the ordinary middle class white female what frustrates them the most and they might say something like “throwing up” or “the depravity of man,” but if you ask me I would say without hesitation, “loosing my sunglasses.”
For various reasons, sunglasses just make my life so much easier, and even enjoyable. For one thing, my eyes are very sensitive to light, so I am a useless driver without something to shield my eyes, especially in the winter when the sun reflects off of the snow.
But sunglasses are much more than mere sun-blockers. One of my favourite uses is as a headband; those of the female gender [and maybe some males] will readily agree that one of the most annoying things about having long hair is that it gets in your way, and I quickly solved this problem by using my sunglasses to hold back the steady stream of hair. I often forget that they are even there, and get questioned by my younger siblings about where I am going. Going? Nowhere, why? Ah, yes, well the sunglasses are just there as a headband.
I like how, when I am wearing sunglasses, my white arms and *gasp* legs look darker than they really are. Sort of like looking at life through rose coloured glasses, only it’s looking at legs through tan coloured shades.
When I am wearing sunglasses, people can’t see where my eyes are focused, hence eliminating that awkward moment when passing people on the sidewalk and you have no idea where to look because if you look at them for too long they will think you are staring, but if you don’t look at them at all it is rude and you can never find that happy medium. So I wear sunglasses and they never know that I am looking at the sidewalk the entire time and I say hi as we pass and all is well.
Then there is the fashion element. Honestly though, I don’t consider fashion as a high priority when it comes to purchasing sunglasses. Why? Simple—I either loose them or break them within a few months. I do, however have definite opinions about what styles I do not like and have sworn never to wear myself. Two of these include the big bug-eyes style [there must be a more stylish word for them, but I have not heard it] and aviators. No offense to those of you who wear these, but I will never like them myself.
My favourite pair so far was one I found lying around the house and since no one claimed them, I did. They were sporty, well designed, and comfortable. I left them at my sister’s house back in September, and she remembered to return them as a birthday present in January, but I lost them forever at a park in Dallas, TX last April.
My next pair was left in my car by my other sister while she was in Dallas, a rather chintzy looking pair with holes on the sides that used to have some sort of metal adornment. These lasted until about three weeks ago when I left them at a friend’s house in Texas just before heading home to Minnesota.
It was in this sunglasses-less condition that I headed Up North with my brothers last week, wondering how I would get through an entire vacation without this vital necessity. Buying some in town was out of the question—too expensive. I never spend more then a few dollars on a pair, since, as I said, they get lost or broken in a matter of months, and the ones in town wouldn’t be any less than $15. What was a girl to do?
This, my friends, is how this happened:
Elizabeth was looking under one of the Cabin beds for something, and saw them; she knew of my condition, and quickly informed me that she had found a pair of sunglasses, and laid a pair of aviators on my lap.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Aviators? Well, they were free, and I need a pair, and it’s kinda hard to beat that kind of price. Besides, I tell myself, they won’t last long, right? The fact that I will make a fashion statement each time I wear them is meaningless to me. I again have in my possession a vital necessity and can rest easy every time I leave the house, and that would be the case no matter what style they were.
The moral of the story is: Always be aware when you say you will never do something that it is now more likely that it will happen.
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