On Blind Spots - A Review

While I don’t wish to simply add to the noise of the long-standing metaphor that human beings are becoming more mechanical, I’ve recently discovered that much like a Toyota Corolla, I’ve got some blind spots.

I think we all have them, but I don’t want to talk on your behalf. They can be for anything like: stress, hygiene, or personal space. Some people just have trouble seeing when they’re not managing those things effectively. Other times we have it for people. We let specific individuals run rampant in our lives, causing all sorts of havoc and mayhem on our hearts, bodies, and minds. And other times? We physically have them. I found out about one of mine yesterday when an eighteen-wheeler somehow escaped my periphery, forcing them to slam on their brakes while I crossed the street.

I take full responsibility for the near miss. I was listening to music and, while I looked both ways, I missed their approach on the busy five-way intersection. I can make all sorts of excuses, but at the end of the day I could’ve been a pancake (or, at the very least bruised) because of something I didn’t pay attention to.

I know I have plenty of other blind spots. There are a couple people who have, on a multitude of occasions, said some nasty things to my face, and I took it as my fault. And that’s not even the tip of my blind spot for some people. I let a lot of people get away with a lot when it only affects me and my personhood, and even now I’m unsure if I should go back and draw some lines in the sand.

When it comes to concepts like hygiene and space, I think I do a decent enough job. But that’s the thing about blind spots, you never know how bad it is until you do. For example, I know I’m not great with money. It’s not that I have trouble saving, it’s just that I’m happy to spend it on someone else. I also derive great joy in spending it while I’m stressed. Here’s to you, $20 travel mug sitting in a drawer at my house. Knowing I have this blind spot has helped me though. I have stopped a lot (and I mean a lot) of stress purchases because I realized I was buying a game or a book or a useless hunk of plastic just to feel better in the moment. From there I was able to identify what was stressing me out and at least try to fix it, which generally feels ten times better than just buying something. Now I just need to stop stress-eating and I’ll be golden.

I suppose the best thing you can do about blind spots is just keep them in mind. Use your mirrors to make sure you’re covered, and live defensively when one you recognize is rearing its cute little head.

I’m not interested in a world made predictable. So, I enjoy having some blind spots just to keep me on my toes. But maybe that’s a blind spot in and of itself. Who knows? I certainly won’t, not until it gets too close and knocks off my passenger-side rear-view mirror.

Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of your week.