This morning I was thinking about my eyes.
After having cataract surgery on both eyes, something rather wonderful has happened. I can see much more clearly than before—and, for now at least, I can see without glasses.
That alone is quite a feeling.
I am 80 years old, and I certainly wasn't expecting better eyesight to make me feel younger. But somehow, it does.
I look around and notice little things that I had gradually become accustomed to missing. Everything seems clearer and brighter. Reading is easier. Looking at people is easier. Even ordinary things around the house seem to have a little more life in them.
But then Julie said something that made me smile.
She told me that I appeared to have more energy in my face.
I suppose she meant my eyes and my overall expression. Maybe my eyes look brighter. Maybe I look more alert. Or perhaps I simply look happier because I can see better.
After being married since 1975, Julie has seen my face through just about everything—good times, difficult times, work, retirement, sickness, family joys and sorrows. So when she tells me that I look more energetic, I pay attention.
It made me think that sometimes how we feel inside shows up on our face before we even realize it ourselves.
Clearer eyes may have given me clearer vision, but perhaps they have also given me a little more confidence and enthusiasm.
I don't suddenly feel 40 again. And I don't want to pretend that I'm young.
But I do feel young at heart.
At 80, that is a pretty good feeling.
There are still things I want to do. I want to keep writing my Grandpa Journey Memoir. I want to keep exploring AI and sharing what I learn on AI123.ca. I want to keep walking, playing a little ping pong, going out with Julie, having coffee, and enjoying the ordinary moments that make up a good life.
Maybe that is what getting older is really about.
We cannot stop the years.
But sometimes, life gives us a little reminder that we are still here, still curious, still moving forward—and still capable of being surprised.
For me, that reminder came through my eyes.
And when Julie looked at me and said, “You seem to have more energy,” I had to smile.
Maybe she was right.
I can see more clearly. And somehow, I feel a little more alive.
Not bad for an 80-year-old grandpa. 😊