Being Wrong

I would never die for my beliefs. I might be wrong. Bertrand Russell

I went to the optometrist last week where I learnt my eyes are not hazel as I had always believed them to be. It transpires I have something called central heterochromia (quite unusual apparently - my optometrist was excited about seeing it). A person with this, often has a shade of gold around the border of their pupil in the center of their iris (which I have), with the rest of their iris being another colour. The other colour is the person’s true eye colour. Mine is blue. This came as a bit of a shock. I thought my eyes were gold and green. The green is a trick of the light - a mix of the blue and the gold.

"What is the difference between hazel and central heterochromia?" I asked. My optometrist patiently explained that an eye with central heterochromia has two distinct colours but hazel eyes are a mixture of different colors throughout the entire surface of the iris. Anyway, apart from a brief period of being a blue eyed baby, I've had central heterochromia my entire life and I did not know. I believed my eyes were hazel, which is something else entirely.

It got me thinking about how funny it is that we carry ideas with us that we believe to be true, but which are, in fact, quite wrong. [Well maybe not that funny if you are a Donald Trump supporter.] I found it quite disconcerting to realise I have lied on official documents for years when I answered "eye colour" with the word "Hazel". What else am I wrong about?

Well it turns out that being wrong is an inescapable part of being alive and Kathryn Schulz has written a book about it called Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error. Shulz argues that error is the fundamental human condition and should be celebrated. I am pleased to confirm that I agree with Shulz when she says that errors rattle us because being shown to be wrong is to show us that reality is different to what we truly believed it to be. I was lucky to hear the author (a journalist) being interviewed by the fabulous Kim Hill back in July (before she retired - I am still in denial). A link to the interview is here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2364074/kathryn-schulz-wrongology

I also have to confess another error. I thought I only needed one more operation to finish my reconstructed breast. It transpires I may need three more surgeries, The good news is that to perfect my boob, fat grafting is required, and that involves my plastic surgeon harvesting the fat from three different sites on my body and injecting it into my chest. Yeah baby!! Southern Cross is going to pay for my fat to be sucked out, possibly three times. My first fat grafting surgery is scheduled for 30 January 2024.

With my new found ability to admit I might be wrong, I made peace with the fact I had not been reading much recently because I did not like the book I was half way through (and had been halfway through for ages). Having admitted my book error, I ditched it. Life jis too short to persevere with reading stuff you don't love. I did not love Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. It transpires that clever dystopian novels aren't my cup of tea.

So people, my message to you today is to embrace your errors and learn from your mistakes. If you do, you could learn something new about yourself, save yourself the pain of enduring a book you don't like and have Southern Cross pay for your fat to be sucked out.

Before I sign off I am going to list the books I have read since by book appreciation post in April. One of them, Hello Beautiful is a masterpiece. I loved it so much I might have to read it again.

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

This is exactly the sort of book I love - beautifully written with flawed, complex, characters. An emotional story about family. I felt deeply invested in the characters and the outcome. I was sad when I finished the book and am still thinking about it weeks afterwards. It is as close to perfect as a book can be.

Still Life by Sarah Winman

One of the joys of reading is finding a story like this one. It is about finding people and making them your family. It is full of life, of characters whose lives are bound to each other in such a beautiful way and who have such love for each other. It has some surrealism (which I really liked) and lots of humour.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Hollywood found this story and turned it into a movie called A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks. I have not seen the movie but the book is a delight.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

My friend Dawn (who has impeccable taste in books and friends) recommended the author, Fredrick Backman, to me. This is the first of his books I read. He is an extraordinary writer. He is a sharp observer of human nature, creates wonderful characters, is very funny and clever. I would describe this book as whimsical. I absolutely loved it.

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

Another strongly character driven novel but this time about rich one-percenters living in the posh neighbourhood of Brooklyn Heights, New York. It is about the peculiar unknowability of someone else’s family, the miles between the haves and have-nots, and the insanity of first love—with themes of family, love, and class.

The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi

This is the third book in a trilogy and it was as rich and sumptuous as the other two books. The author takes you on a journey of the senses - vividly drawing the smells, sights and sounds of India and Paris.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

This was a kind of domestic mystery. A woman and her step daughter in search of the woman's husband. It was clever and nicely paced. It reminds you that you never truly know someone else.

Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang

This was a very clever book and well written. I really disliked the protangonist - a whiney, jealous, morally bankrupt, entitled, awful human -but the story was so compelling. The author grappled with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. A story for our times.

Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts by Josie Shapiro

A treat of a book set in New Zealand. It is the story of Mickey Bloom, a distance runner. I loved that she trained on Scenic Drive (where I walk most days). It has themes of family, growth, grit, and what it takes to achieve your dreams.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

I am a sucker for the occassional romance novel. This book was not the author's best work but it was enjoyable once you got over the frustration of the miscommunication and didn't take it too seriously. The main character gave away her medical career for love and to be a potter - I hope for her sake it works out. I thought it was stupid.