I live my life through slightly out-of-focus eyes.
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Distance is no drama at all but as soon as I need to read anything up close, it just goes blurry and I scratch around the bottom of my handbag looking for my cheap reading glasses.
![7 Tasmania newsreader Jo Palmer takes a look at life in a world full of change and challenges. 7 Tasmania newsreader Jo Palmer takes a look at life in a world full of change and challenges.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/t7dzvta5NUQvz8uk8bzMfu/fd9b92e8-200f-4ee6-a5ae-47e3f2bc0888.jpg/r178_0_3498_1872_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
I have about 20 pairs now. Most with one broken arm but still just fine for around the house. There is a pair in the car, a pair at work, and always a few pairs in my bag.
And yet I am still always searching for the closest pair.
It really is beyond annoying.
Except when it comes to how fabulous I look. Now in my late 40s, talk of facials, deep moisturising treatments, expensive skin creams and botox are all the rage.
My skin care is pretty simple; I try to drink water and apply sun cream.
It must be working because I keep admiring myself in the mirror at home thinking I am looking so great for my age.
However, my bubble has just burst.
Rubbing my face at work, I felt a small bump near my nose.
Quickly looking in my tiny vanity mirror, I can't see anything.
No mark, no pimple, but there is definitely something there.
Racing in to the work bathroom for more light and a much bigger mirror, my skin still looks perfect.
As an after thought, I grab my glasses and lean in close to my reflection.
To my shock, there is a pimple on the side of my nose. And it matches the other little marks on my face. They go with the lines on my forehead and the wrinkles under my eyes.
What on Earth has happened since I left the house this morning feeling rather fantastic?
In horror I pull away from the mirror and quickly remove my glasses.
And in a moment, my perfect image returns.
It appears my slightly out-of-focus vision has managed to block out any signs of the ageing process for the past seven years.
And not only the ageing process, it seems my eyebrows could do with some attention.
I laughed so much that I had to call my bestie from the toilet and share my news.
It's amazing how being a little out of focus can sometimes be such a blessing.
Instead of constantly focusing on all the imperfections, I have spent my 40s celebrating how great I feel about myself and the joys that come with getting older.
I have now made a conscious decision to never look at my face in the mirror with glasses on.
We all have imperfections. Some on our face, some in our character.
But if we spend our days focusing on the defects, we might miss the beauty that's all around us.
- Jo Palmer is a 7 Tasmania newsreader and regular columnist.