Breaking Cycles

 

The doctor’s diagnosis last year was clear: my eyes were straining, a casualty of countless hours on a laptop. His prescription was simple, drug-free, and brilliant: Every hour, look at something far away for five minutes. I heard him. I was concerned. I fully intended to follow his advice. And then… life happened. I forgot. The urgent crowded out the important.

So when I sat across from him this year and he gave me the exact same speech, it wasn't just déjà vu it was a mirror held up to my own inaction. My eyes were worse. The solution had been in my hands for 365 days, and I’d done nothing with it. He smiled gently and said, “Everyone’s health is their responsibility.” That sentence stuck.

It’s a pattern I see everywhere. We face a consequence, feel the sting, vow “Never again!”… and then fail to build the tiny bridge that leads away from the same outcome. We mourn the problem but skip building the solution.

This time, I refused to let Year Three be a repeat. In that very clinic, I opened my calendar. I set a recurring, gentle alarm for every hour of my workday. No grand plan, just a simple, persistent nudge.

The difference has been profound. That first year, the advice evaporated the day i left the clinic. This time, every ding is a conscious act of care. It’s a three-minute contract with my future self. I look out the window, trace the horizon, and know I am actively combating the strain.

This isn’t just about eyesight. It’s about the gap between knowing and doing. Our magnificent minds are busy managing a thousand things; they’re built to move on. The bridge isn't willpower it’s a system. It’s the alarm, the calendar block, the sticky note.

The victory isn't a perfect eyesight score next year. The victory is breaking the cycle. It's the quiet pride of finally listening, of using the tools in my pocket to protect what matters. I am no longer a passive patient of my habits. I am an active participant in my well-being, one intentional glance into the distance at a time