Race and Grace
After a car accident where another vehicle struck the one I drove, I noticed that something was not right about my vision.
I went to an eye institute to get a diagnosis. After a thorough examination, the ophthalmologist found that my eyes were healthy. Considering my symptoms, he likened them to a concussion and suggested that I see a neurologist.
With dilated eyes, I was released to figure out what seemed unhealthy about my officially healthy eyes.
Then, I began to have sporadic moments where the vision in one eye would become a bright light, where I could not see clearly out of it.
I made an appointment with the neurologist, and after the initial examination did not get to the root of the vision issue, my next step was to get an MRI.
As I awaited my appointment for the MRI, I noticed how the symptoms intensified throughout a few days when I was dealing with an extremely stressful situation.
I remember talking to my husband about the matter. In tears, my head began to hurt. The light would return to my eye. The eye began to throb to the point that I needed to close my eyes.
My concerned husband encouraged me to breathe and try to take my mind off the issue.
I took this increased intensity in symptoms as a signal to make some changes for my health.
Therefore, I let go of a dynamic that caused more pain than joy in my life.
Weeks later, I received my results.
The neurologist called the day before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday to discuss my MRI results.
The MRI did not reveal anything that warranted further examination or explained my symptoms. As a matter of fact, my neurologist said that the results were “unremarkable,” that is, nothing of concern.
We shared a laugh when I said, “Well, this is one time I am definitely excited to hear the word ‘unremarkable’ associated with me or my brain.”
Next, he inquired about my symptoms since the MRI.
That’s when I realized that I had not experienced the bright light in my eye for weeks.
None of the throbbing in my eye or a severe headache.
No moments where I couldn’t see out of one of my eyes.
As I reflect on last week, which was filled with so many other little awesome things that I am not sharing at the moment, I find that what some of us consider remarkable or a blessing is quite contextual and subjective.
To hear “unremarkable” feels incredible.
I feel grateful for the countless unremarkable things in my life at this moment.
As with medicine, there are some tests where negative results sound like positive news to the ears.
There are numerous aspects of our lives that deserve gratitude and, well, remarks.
Sometimes, we think something must be considered extraordinary by social norms for it to be counted as a blessing.
Remarkable blessings reside in the unremarkable parts of our everyday lives. Are you willing to look for them?
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