Before my cataract surgery, was it not for my previous experience of seeing, I would have been completely lost as to what the world looked like. I spent my days imagining a third dimension in a 2D world with a few mishaps here and there, like poring water outside the glass. So the first thing that hit me the day after my cataract surgery when I woke up and removed the eye patch I had worn since the operation, was that the world is actually not flat. I felt like I was putting on the glasses to watch a 3D movie for the first time, suddenly the world had depth. I was completely unprepared for the experience seeing things “floating” in the air, having little by little gotten used to a life where depth had stopped existing.
My new world view coincided with the first plum blossoms of the spring, and to celebrate I took my son the Ohori park, an area in Fukuoka with water, walkways, art museum and a Japanese garden. Next to the park are the ruins of Fukuoka castle, and around the old castle are beautiful trees, plum, cherry, maple to name a few. After lunch on a bench in Ohori park, I took the pram towards the plum orchard by the castle ruins to enjoy the blooming trees. My son fell asleep on the way so I was watching the colors and flowers all by myself, marveling at the depth of vision that two eyes can bestow. Enjoying taking photos with my phone.
My son slept through it all. He woke up on the train home, rested and happy, wondering where we were, wanting to go and play in Ohori park again. Maybe we will go back soon, when the cherry blossoms start to bloom. And then we can enjoy the wonders of Japanese spring together.
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