Friday, October 12, 2018

ON THE LOOKOUT


Shore thing
For most of my adult life I've tried to enhance
my outlook. Which often meant living above
it tall in a high rise building. Ensconced above
the clouds theres no risk of obstructed views.
In Chicago our first apartment together had a
clear view south. Meaning that we could see
down to the loop. Later we  lived directly on
the lake with only Hollywood beach between
us and the water. And trust me, the sunrises
alone made life worth living. In Minneapolis
Lake Calhoun glistened beyond our windows.
Thus even though we were far from any sea -
we had more than our share of liquid assets.

Clear danger
In Dallas we perched in "The Glass House."
Behind reflective glass, we enjoyed amazing
views from every room. Awakening in our
corner master was worth getting up for. We
could see it all. Between the pool far below
to the downtown lights at night. However
living in transparent quarters could be scary
at times. Especially if a tornado was barreling
it's way towards the city. Looking out on an
pea soup green sky can be quite disconcerting.
However cowering in the guest room shower
stall wasn't the most scenic way to spend an
evening. View or no view I was SCARED!

Rear window
Depending on where one lives the view can
at times be more than scary. Our apartment
on East 48th looked over the courtyard onto
the back of the Halloran House (Marriot East
Side) Hotel. For some reason travelers have
no shame. Therefore rarely did our itinerant
neighbors bother to pull down the blinds prior
to engaging in all sorts of activities. Frankly,
NONE were a sight to behold. And like most
city folks we tended to keep our blinds closed
in order to avoid visual overload. Thus when
necessary it was rather easy to overlook one's
neighbors. We simply looked the other way...

Unlimited visibilty
Post seeing such sights we moved far from it
all to rural Montana. Now there is little to no
water within view nor people for that matter.
However theres still plenty to see given we're
surrounded by five "island" mountain ranges.
Everywhere one looks the view is majestic in
it's scale, scope, and beauty. Which by it's very
nature puts everything in perspective. Hence
wherever one lives, it's not about what's within
view but rather how one sees things. Somehow
out here in the middle of nowhere my outlook
is always optimistic. So while we may have
plenty of nothing... nothing's plenty for me!