tl;dr: Get the tools you need to do the job. Even if they make you feel old.

Readers are cool, and I don’t mean people who read. People who read might be cool; reading is cool; books are cool, etc., but I’m talking about reading glasses.

I’m 44, okay? It’s about time. The realization came the other day, as I was doing an important bit of surgery. I needed to be able to see better.

This is Uni. She’s very special to my youngest daughter, and by “very special” I mean indispensable. Bella doesn’t believe she can live without this unicorn. Uni, of course, goes everywhere with Bella: to school, to bed, in the bath, you name it. So, naturally, she’s gotten a bit worn out. Note the threadbare hoof. One of these hooves gave way last week, releasing some of Uni’s stuffing (she’s a Beanie Baby so we’re talking, I guess, beans?—little plastic pellets, anyhow). Something had to be done.

After an hour at Joann Fabric buying two dollars’ worth of gold lamé, I got to work. One hoof in and I knew I had to see better or risk either total blindness or at least some seriously punctured fingertips. So I trotted down to the pharmacy and found myself a pair of readers. As a test, I tried reading the back of a package of allergy medication and found that there are actual words written there!

The rest of the surgery went smoothly. Bella is thrilled. Uni, according to Bella, is also thrilled. (My son thought I should’ve found some gently used gold lamé, rather than the bright shiny stuff, so it would coordinate better with Uni’s shabby chic look.) And I am thrilled to find that these glasses make it not only easier to sew unicorn hooves but also to see my monitor. Tools of the trade are important. Invest in those you need; it’s worth it.