A Metaphor of Sorts: New Glasses That Don't Exist
New Discoveries and Lessons
This post is available to listen to above in my voice! The audio recordings get a little extra personality haha or feel free to read below.
My husband Phil and I went to Warby Parker to pick out new glasses. We like to try them on in person and get each others reactions.
I went in fairly certain I wanted to keep my same style of glasses but maybe another color. I found the glasses, Maren Wide, and to my surprise they were in this new colorway. A little olive green, a little tan, a little clear. My face lit up when I put them on and Phil noted how they made my face brighter. It was obvious I liked them. Being the libra that I am, I continued to look around at my options but kept these first pick glasses in my hands to compare. Nothing made me more excited then this original pair. I was so proud of myself to have quickly and assertively made a choice on a new pair of glasses. Usually I would have taken selfies and shared them for feedback. It took 2 selfies and then slightly to myself I said, I know what I want no need to ask for feedback.
I went to the counter where the associate, Samuel, was waiting for me. He was an older Black man, and it wasn’t lost on me that he had me dad’s name. I told him I was ready, I wanted these. He said great, I think this is a new color option let me go find it in the back. While I waited, I helped Phil pick out his glasses and played with Nasir.
Then I hear my name from Samuel and a new voice, a female associate. She said Stephanie I have some bad news for you. I’m thinking they are sold out or something. The woman looks disappointed but is also chuckling. Turns out the glasses I picked up are a floor model that has been out for far too long. So long that the display LED lights and likely the sun warped its color over time. The colorway that I fell in love with didn’t even exist as an option to buy. They offered to still let me have them and shared they could pop in my new lenses into these sun-kissed frames. However they were not discounting selling me a floor model and I was not going to pay full price for a pair of glasses thousands of people have handled over the years in their store.
They handed me a new pair of glasses that would have been the original color of the frames I loved. I tried them on and they were cute, not the same but still brighter than my existing pair of glasses so I moved forward with them. A whole day later I can’t help but feel like there was a lesson in there for me. A metaphor of sorts. As sure as I was about these frames that did not exist, my thought was when I buy the new original pair, maybe these frames are a foreshadow or a preview of what I have to look forward to when my new glasses fade over the years.
I don’t get new glasses often. I keep them for at least 4 years if not more. And I love nothing more than a nap in the sun. So maybe over the years I’ll watch my glasses turn into a variation of these other frames that arrested my attention. I’m so proud of my new found level of patience, assertiveness, and confidence when addressing the unknown. Instead of feeling devastated, I felt initial disappointment but I let it wash over me like a wave and let it go. I looked at the options in front of me and moved accordingly. As I get closer to my end date, June 30th, it's getting real and a bit scary. I’m letting myself feel those emotions but learning not to let them arrest me or hold me hostage. Everything has continued to work out for my greater good even if it's not how I imagined it. That is what I hold onto, that is what keeps me afloat. I have the utmost faith that God did not give me anything without the resources to care for it, nourish it, and see it flourish. Learning and practicing to be present has been an extremely challenging, humbling, and rewarding journey I’m so glad I dared to go on.
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Peace + Love
Stephanie