VIEW FROM MY WINDOW: A DIFFERENT WAY TO SEE THE WORLD

 

 

In the last few months,  I've been "traveling"

all around the world.

 I've seen Africa and Aruba........

Moscow and Mississippi.......

Canada and Chicago.......

Brazil and Budapest.......

Qatar and Queens.

 

I've even seen Ukraine.

 

Although I haven't acquired any frequent flyer miles,

my virtual travel has given me something of far greater value......

 

 

 I've had a glimpse into lives of ordinary people,

each of whom have shared a single photograph 

of a view from their home.

These vistas from all around the world are more meaningful

than any that a tour guide could show me.

 

A few months back, a friend sent me an invitation 

to a Facebook group called View From My Window.
I ignored it for weeks, because the last thing I needed 

was another online time-sucker. 

Between Wordle, Words With Friends, Facebook, Instagram,

and all of my blog friends,

I was already too entangled in the internet's web.

 But, the idea of seeing the world in this uniquely up-close 

and personal way proved to be irresistible.

 

I joined.

 View From My Window is a public group on Facebook .  

Anyone can join, pending approval by the administrators. 

 

The group began on March 23, 2020 by Barbara Duriau, a resident of Amsterdam,

just after the Coronavirus pandemic caused the entire world 

to enter lock-down mode. 

Her thought was to connect ordinary people

by sharing pictures of views from their homes 

during this global isolation.......

"from backstreets to boulevards,

parking lots to snow-covered mountains, 

muddy puddles to pristine lakes...

from the mundane to the glorious...

VFMW is just someone's little corner of our world. "

Her idea resonated loudly around the planet.......

One week later, 50,000 people had joined.

Ten days later, membership skyrocketed to two million people. 

I'm not at liberty to share photographs from the group, but,

some views are breathtakingly beautiful......

Mountain ridges in Colorado......

Vineyards in Tuscany.......

Deserts in Arizona.......

City views in  Brussels, Honolulu, Sydney, Hong Kong,

and even Kyiv.

 

Others are extremely humble.......

A clothesline in Mississippi..... 

Electrical wires in New York.....

The side of a building in Italy........

Dilapidated shacks in South Africa.

Rooftops with satellite dishes in Israel.

There are sunrises, sunsets, northern lights

 and rainbows.

The are dust storms, thunderstorms, dense fog, 

and snowstorms.

Posts may be from people who just moved in, 

or where families have lived for generations.

 With each photo comes a personal story......

one that can melt.......or break.......your heart.

 

 The common thread that each poster seems to share,

 is how GRATEFUL they are for whatever view they have.......

whether it is a scene that could grace the cover of a travel magazine,

or one so modest that it tugs at your heart strings.

It's a great reminder to remember that we all have more in common than that which we disagree about. 

 

I was eager to post a picture of our view in Florida.

As only one photo is allowed, it took me weeks to decide.

All of the pictures in this post were contenders.

The photo doesn't literally have to be from a window......

 

 It can be from the yard,  a porch, or a terrace, etc.

I wanted to capture just the right picture.

 

Should I use this one of the moody sky,

looking east towards the ocean, 

with the sunset reflecting off the buildings across the street?

 

Or this one,

looking straight down to the pool?

 

 Such a dilemma!

Should I use this one?

 

 

Or this?

 

 

Perhaps this, with fog so thick, you can't see the water ?

 

 Or this dramatic night time view?

 

I was pretty certain that this was going to be the winner.......

 

 

 But, at the last minute, I changed my mind. 

 

I finally submitted my entry.

 

 

I got over 10,000 "likes", and over 800 comments.......

a respectable number, but, believe me, 

not nearly as  many as some photos garner.

 

 Just for fun, here's a 36-second time-lapse video 

of the view from our Florida window,

from afternoon till night.

Can you spot me, lol?  

 

 

 

 This Facebook group also unleashed 

a most unexpected "Aha" moment for me.......

I now know, that wherever we move to next,

I want to wake up to a view that has me saying, 

"I can't believe I live here!

 

Not that I don't love the view from my back door 

here in New Jersey.......

 

 

I do!

And, for the record, I am enormously grateful 

for the backyard oasis I get to call home.

 

But, the reality is that at some point,

we will downsize.

We will not live in this house forever.  

So.......why not  daydream about 

 a spectacular view from my window?

 

 

Best Hotel Room Views (Part 1)

 

 

Best Hotel Room Views (Part 2)

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Love Your Creativity

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