If you ever do make it out here I will try to set up a private ballet lesson with my favorite teacher! She has an incredible eye and a magic touch, and it is such a nurturing experience working with her.

I had a thought about your penchant for bumping into things. How is your vision? I had really bad vision — like 20–400 — that restricted my effective zone of visibility to somewhat less than an arm’s length.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to notice until I was 13, and I used to do a lot of bumping into things. I would walk down the street and walk right into poles!

My world expanded greatly once I was finally fitted with glasses. One of my most vivid memories is of the face of the optometrist’s assistant who leaned across the table and put my glasses on. Before that time they were lost in the fog.

I did have Lasik surgery a decade or so ago, and I am now free from glasses, but the long stretch of time during a key developmental period when I was blind has left me with some attention deficits. Talking to me across a crowded table does not work at all; I am at my best face-to-face.