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I threw away a pair of contacts today. It always pains me to do so yet I find a way to laugh at myself every time. I feel like I owe each pair of contacts I’ve used some sort of ritual to honor them for giving me the gift of sight. Should I say a prayer? Should I light a candle? Should I thank them for their service? Should I bow before I throw them away? Should I kneel? Despite my steadfast minimalism, I’m very much also the kid who still has a cast from a broken wrist somewhere in their childhood room.

Inevitably, I pause in gratitude as I wash them down the drain. That’s all I can do. Sometimes, if I’m really feeling sentimental, I’ll look at them one last time marveling at how such flimsy things can do so much. Usually, my gratitude leads me to wonder about the various things I was able to see and, as a way to show appreciation for this terrific technology, I wanted to share my favorite sights with this latest pair:

• Watching snow fall a few weeks ago while on a hike in Alta, UT at about 10,000 feet while I sat reading (and shivering) on a large rock overlooking a beautiful lake down below me.
• Seeing deer, moose, mountain goats, and chipmunks going about their day.
• Facetiming with my grandma and being able to see her smile as we caught up.
• Reading numerous letters from friends (!!!) sharing stories, insights, and questions with me. What a gift to see someone’s words carefully written out.
• Witnessing how the colors have begun changing on my favorite hiking trails as Fall settles in.
• Catching views of the moon in between tree branches and mountain ranges while out on a hike.
• Spotting an obvious trail marker after getting lost and climbing up a hillside to get a better view of the land below.

Here are some of those sights so you can join me in appreciating my little contacts:

What a lovely surprise call to gratitude.