One ordinary afternoon, I had an epiphany that changed my life.
Because of a stubborn case of pink-eye, I had visited the doctor. As I was leaving his office, he remarked: “Remember, because you’re so nearsighted, you’re more at risk of a detached retina, which could cause you to lose vision.”
I had never known about this danger. My eyes! As I walked home, I realised that it had been a long time since I had really looked at the New York City streetscape that I loved.
I turned a corner and, in a single moment, my senses seemed to awaken. It was as if every dial in my brain had turned to its maximum setting, so that I perceived every sight, sound and smell with perfect clarity. That transcendent, psychedelic walk to my apartment took only 20 minutes, but it reminded me of a profound truth: I had one body and its capacities as they stood – and I wouldn’t have them for ever.
