I watch the sun disappear over the horizon as night sneaks up behind me and taps me on the shoulder. The sky grows dark, but everything around me manages to capture the light the day so selfishly took. 

The amount of light never changes, yet it shines brighter. 

There are days I dread the night; it pains me to see it. However, the beauty behind each shimmer gives me a reason to look forward to it. 

It gifts me with a blinding light—a light much different from the one I see during the day. A light that engulfs the dark, night sky. The way it shines is that of a star sitting directly in front of me. It shines in every direction and guards the darkness holding the rest of the night. 

I am able to see a perspective seen by only a third of people around the world—a perspective seen only through the eyes of someone with astigmatism. 

There is a common misconception behind the meaning of astigmatism. It is classified as a visual impairment, yet I see it as an enhancement to my surroundings. 

Where most people see refractions of light blocking their view of life in front of them, I see a shield keeping me out of the dark. A light that shows me the path I need to take while everyone else stumbles through the dark. 

Where most people see a distraction of colors, I see an opportunity to pause and appreciate all that is in front of me. 

The lines I see on each source of artificial light show me the balance of what is real and what is not. It shows me the beauty of the natural light that does not shine in the same way.

I see an embodiment of light in which I am able to reach. An embodiment that doesn’t find itself hiding away in space and keeping itself outside of the realm of possibility. No. It is an embodiment that proves the possibility of finding a way to reach what seems impossible.

My astigmatism gives me a reason to make it through each day, a reason to step away from reality and into the night, a reason to move forward. 

Astigmatism is defined as a type of impairment, but that impairment holds my hope of the future and lights the path of which I spend every day venturing on.