It wasn’t all gloom. I met a fascinating lady at the hotel who had undergone cornea surgery and enjoyed a wonderful lunch conversation. My Facebook posts brought reconnection. A two-hour conversation with my college roommate brought me back to OWU. My girlfriends hosted a virtual happy hour, complete with sunglasses to hide the patch. Yvette and Rick, also OWU friends, shared their positive experiences with a similar situation.
A little bit of humor. I have good hair because I spend a lot of money to ensure it remains that way. During this ordeal, the dreaded gray began to appear, and waiting three weeks to go home was not going to work. I mustered the courage and walked into an unknown hair salon. My stylist was a “So You Think You Can Dance” contestant who rescued me from the statement-provoking Cruella look. I had a pedicure without populating Excel on my laptop. I was able to meet my colleagues outside of a Zoom square.
If you do something well, you are asked to repeat it, and there is a time to pass the baton so that others can bring new life to a cause. This period gave me the pause I needed to do so. I stepped down from the committees because it was time.The kindness and support from friends, family, and colleagues was overwhelming. I reflect on the times I thought of reaching out to someone going through a hard time and hesitated because I didn’t want to bother them. I now know that calls, texts, and emails are lifelines when your future seems fragile. I promise to pay it forward at every opportunity.
Twenty-six days later, I would emerge with a gift, one more priceless than I could have imagined. #retinadetachment
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