The other night, I looked out the window of my office and noticed the beautiful sliver of a moon in the night’s sky. I thought it was a shame that I was looking at it through the cables and electrical wires as it illuminated my neighbor’s garage roofs. Wouldn’t it be nice to someday look out my window and see something more beautiful than wires and my neighbor’s roofs?
This isn’t the first time I’ve had that thought. Throughout my life, I have looked out of my home’s windows wondering the same thing over and over again. Wouldn’t it be nice to live somewhere more beautiful? A have a friend that lives in Oregon and she posts the most stunning photos of her garden, but the one I remember most, was the one taken from the window of her home. Beyond the glorious garden was an evening sky and the top of a mountain. She can see that from her kitchen window? Damn.
Family and friends are always posting pictures of what they see from the windows of their homes, some are impressive, others, not so much. I guess it’s a matter of perspective, you know, some are excited about the snow, and others, are not. Some see a rainbow and others see the devastation of a passed storm. I have to admit, as the years roll on, what I see from my home’s windows has become less of a downer.
When I was young, I was eager to leave the nest. I would look out of my sunshine yellow painted room and dream of a day that I would see a forest, not the alley. However, I did note that even though my room was small, it contained all that I adored. Hung upon the sunshine yellow walls were posters of my dream men, Starsky and Hutch (I’m a Hutch girl), Shaun Cassidy and forever and always, Robert Redford. I had my cheapy stereo to play my collection of K-tel albums along with Tony Orlando and Dawn (I would literally kiss the TV when his show was on), Shaun Cassidy and Barry Manilow. Barry truly wrote the songs the whole world sings, whether they like to admit it or not, and I would belt out his tunes like nobody’s’ business. Standing in front of my dresser mirror, hairbrush in hand as my microphone, I would sing along to my albums and choreograph the most amazing dance steps. My mother would yell up the stairs, “What’s going on up there?” …”Nothing mom.”
As the years rolled on, those posters were substituted for pictures of my kids and the movie poster for The Matrix, a girl has her priorities. The cheapy stereo was long gone, but the hopes and dreams of looking out of my window and seeing something more beautiful still existed. Maybe not from my bedroom window, but from my back porch window I could watch my kids playing in the backyard. How sweet and innocent their joy was in having a playset, sandbox or wading pool to play in. Watching them poorly rollerblade back and forth on the sidewalk or shooting hoops on a Little Tikes basketball set warmed the cockles of my heart. My God, how I love those kids!
My desire to leave this house and its mediocre views has been strong, but never as strong as my desire to stay home. Over the years, I have created a home that is my sanctuary. My front porch is eternally summer, resembling a Florida room. My bedroom is filled with pink flamingos and palm trees. The kitchen may not be MCM vintage, but the cabinets and counter tops are and they fill my heart with joy. My office, my happy place, filled with living plants, pink flamingos, palm trees and tiki idols, what more could a girl ask for? As I look out the windows of the office, I can see Groovy Gail’s Garden and I admire its progress. At night, the solar lights put on a show for me and yes, I can sometimes see the moon.
All of my life, I have been looking out of these windows, hoping and wondering about a different world. Would I be happier if I lived someplace where I could look out of my window and see the beach? Would I be happier if I lived someplace where I could look out of my window and see the trees through the forest? Would I be happier if I could live someplace where I looked out of my window and saw a mountain? Probably not. I have been blessed to be able to recreate a beach atmosphere within the confines of my home. My dad would wholeheartedly agree that I have created a forest within my home with all the plants and a tree, mind you, within my home as well as outside in the backyard. As for the mountain, the Sound of Music plays in my head at request (I have an extensive music collection that dwells within my soul).
What would make me happier?
Nothing.
I guess that’s the definition of perspective.
#thelieswechoosetolivewith
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