Burnout!

My friend Charlene loves this time of year. It's the countdown to beach season, and every good pair of sunglasses knows that it's almost time to... well, shine. Charlene is no different. She can't wait to hit the beach and debut her sparkling, designer, polarized self.

For the rest of us, beach season is a long way away. It's nothing but long hours, extra work, and staring at a computer screen for days on end. Everybody complains that their bodies are burning out. But nobody realises that their eyes are burning out too.

We glasses don't get to give advice. We just get to sit there and suffer through it. We get tired too, but the wear and tear on us is nothing compared to the wear and tear on an eyeball. What an eye needs is a good night's sleep, regular breaks from work, a nice walk in the fresh air... you know, all the things you don't do when it's crunch time at work.

Instead, eyes strain in front of computers and read piles of documents. I know because I've been there. I see it every day. And remember that rule about looking away from the screen every twenty minutes? Well, the guy I work for hasn't done that all day. He never does!

It's the same thing with most people I know. By November they're walking around with fiery red eyes. Or they're so glazed over, they look like they're part of the zombie apocalypse. One pair of glasses I know has an owner who developed a very weird eye twitch. (Seriously, you should see this guy...) And all because people don't give their eyes a break.

I know. I just said I never give advice, and here I am giving advice. I'm just saying that you're gonna need those eyes for a long time. And when you really don't have time to give them a rest, that's exactly when you should be doing it.

And hey, it's just a couple more weeks until we can all take a real break. For me, it's the same routine every year. The guy who owns me spends November stockpiling books he's going to "read" during the December holiday. I used to panic, and complain that an old pair of glasses like me never gets a chance to relax.

But by now I know better than that. He won't even read a magazine. And that means I get to have a nice, relaxing holiday.

So... how many days until December?