Yesterday on a long car ride to FSU to see my oldest for the weekend, I listened to ‘Experiments in Truth’, eight lectures given by Ram Dass. If you are unfamiliar with him, as I was until recently, he was Dr. Richard Alpert, a Harvard Professor turned Yogi.
This afternoon I am sitting in a tucked away, very quiet part of the hotel overlooking a beautiful park. When I stumbled upon this spot, the introverted part of myself literally became giddy for the time I can relish being in solitude, while still observing the people enjoying the world just outside the wall of windows in front of me.
I can see…
Children smiling and laughing as they play in the fountains of water spraying up from the ground.
Couples sitting on the well-manicured and very green grass under large shady trees.
Long paths winding throughout the park with people walking and jogging.
My heart is full just soaking it all in. Then I thought of Ram Dass.
Did you know?
Over one billion people globally live with a vision impairment that is preventable or treatable. According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 55% are women and girls and almost 90% of all affected live in developing countries. This means that those people are undoubtedly subjected to live a life of poverty which in turn prevents them from having the financial means to correct their vision.
What is SEVA?
Ram Dass is a co-founder of SEVA. An amazing organization that provides life-changing surgery to restore vision. The name Seva is a beautiful Sanskrit word meaning “selfless service to others”.
SEVA provides life-changing vision surgery for the insanely low amount of only $50. So, I think to myself, can I forgo Starbucks for 10 days and give a woman or young girl the gift of eyesight?
YES, I CAN!
I could not imagine having to live each waking moment unable to see and if I don’t wear my glasses, that’s exactly what would happen. I never thought about how fortunate I am to easily obtain glasses so that I can see, instead I would just become frustrated that I even needed to wear them.
But now I can truly appreciate that I do have the opportunity to correct my vision and that for $50, I can help someone else see the beauty around them.
To learn everything there is to know about SEVA and how you can help too, visit them here: SEVA.org
Denise
