Lives in parallel: Asynergic irises

Just in from the cornea, you’ll find the iris: the splash of color on a sea of white that gives each person an optical fingerprint. Having already declared that the lens is the gateway to the mind, I’ll counter myself with the oft-stated “the eyes are the window to the soul”. The iris is what people notice, what draws romantic gazes...and controls the level of light entering your eye. That’s right, photographers; the iris is your aperture setting! It’s really too bad that the apertures of our cameras aren’t more attractive, with custom paint jobs and speckled patterns, but then we would probably spend more time looking in our equipment instead of through it.

About now, assuming you read the first paragraph and didn’t just skip the intro, you’re wondering why I’m still talking about this and what it has to do with “lives in parallel” and asyner-something or other parts. An aperture that is too open blinds the viewer: You may be able to see outlines, but the details are awash in light. On the other extreme, too small an aperture results in a dark image: you thought you knew what you were taking a photo of, but now you’re just left guessing what should’ve been there.

Multiple times in the recent past, I’ve been told that my eyes were not equally dilated. I was not under any sort of chemical influence and I’ve now worried any family members that are reading this. Are my eyes following my divergent lives? My right, secure in an 8-5 day job, with pleasant coworkers, and not too much to complain about. My left, letting in a little bit of extra light, clarifying the future for me with just a touch of detail added to the picture. Recent events are quickly pulling me into my left-eye world: less secure, but with passion.

My vision is just fine.