Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I want to go everywhere I haven't been, and back to everywhere I have been.

Thursday, August 25, 2022

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

 

The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 
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.

The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


 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. 


The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


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......
 
The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 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?

The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 
Or this one,
looking straight down to the pool?

The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 
 Such a dilemma!
Should I use this one?
 
The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 
Or this?
 
The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 
Perhaps this, with fog so thick, you can't see the water ?
 
The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


 Or this dramatic night time view?


 
I was pretty certain that this was going to be the winner.......
 
The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

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

The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 
I finally submitted my entry.
 
The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 
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.......
 
The View From My Window | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

 
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 2)  |  Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
 
 
Best Hotel Room Views (Part 2)  |  Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


LINKING WITH:
Wordless Wednesday
 


 

17 comments:

  1. For me, Amy, your New Jersey backyard wins hands down, and it grieves me to no end that the hard-earned funds of a Liberal-minded person of considerable intellect, for whom I have great respect, uses her money to support the repressive, fascist-leaning DeSantis government. Canadian friends of mine have stopped going to Florida for this very reason and are looking at Belize as an alternative. There, I think I just ranted!

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  2. Amy your backyard is gorgeous. What a great and wonderful life you have to travel and connect with other cultures. We only get one time on this earth and we should all make the best of it. I am glad you are living your life to the fullest. Have a great rest of the week. xoxo Kris

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  3. This is very cool, Amy. I bet the page is awesome. I may have to look into it. And your views are both wonderful, each in their own way.

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  4. I wonder why they only allow one photo?... I guess with so many members, one photo each is enough... I can see why you had so much trouble deciding. So many pretty views!

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  5. I love all the views from your window-- you are only allowed one photo? It's very fun, I would think, seeing all those. I'll have to check it out. (And I would have had the same trouble making a choice, based on all the beautiful photos you shared!)

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  6. Well all your views are gorgeous. You certainly are lucky to live in those places. You seem to have the best of both worlds when it comes to scenery! I'm sure wherever you settle you'll have yet another fabulous view. As for that group, I may have to check it out. It sounds very interesting...Happy Friday!

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  7. Such beautiful views Amy. How wonderful to have a condo to get away from the harsh weather. The group sounds interesting. How special that p[eople all over the world share.

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  8. I loved this post and I am definitely going to look into the group.

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  9. Amy, I think for now you have the best of both worlds. You get to enjoy your home in NJ and get away for the winter to your spot in Florida. I enjoyed looking your photos of FL and that Facebook group sound interesting.

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  10. Amy, you have two quite beautiful homes! I love this idea and think I might sign up myself.
    Brenda

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  11. Your views are amazing, Amy. Thanks so much for sharing them with us. They brightened my Sunday morning. xo Laura

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  12. Amy, you had me from the very first here. What, Amy has traveled to all those places? I can tell by the excitement in your voice that you were meant to belong to that special group. It must have been like trying to pick a favorite child to choose which picture to submit, and wow, the response, very heady! I have a feeling that when you search for the perfect view for your future smaller home that it will have to include water. When we moved here to the house our son bought for us to retire to we barely registered his message that a pond was next door. Little did we know that our perfect view of it from our kitchen door, with all the waterfowl that visit it, would mean an extraordinary blessing to our daily life.

    I never did work out a plan for our son to meet you on his business trips to NY but I wish your Florida home was just a little closer to Port St. Lucie where you could meet our daughter and son-in-law. Maybe your next home will close the distance!

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  13. Your views are amazing!
    And your backyard is most beautiful.
    Happy Tuesday, Amy!

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  14. So many varied moods in these photos, but a grand view in any weather, at any time of day!
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2022/08/classics.html

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  15. I LOVE this post! What a great idea. I may have to see if I can join. Your photos are phenomenal! Those cloudy skies are magical.

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  16. Hello Amy! I always love your views on the world, and such gorgeous pictures you share! I had not heard of that FB group, but have now got to check it out! I absolutely love the picture you decided to share of your view, the sunset is absolutely stunning, and you managed to capture both waters, the pool and the intercoastal waterway, gorgeous! Congratulations on all the views and comments you received, that is very exciting and gratifying! Many blessings to you :)

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  17. Oh Amy, what a brilliant topic. I have been following the view from page since someone sent me a link back in 2020. I love the places I have seen there as well, both the humble and the breathtaking. What a beautiful post and insights!!

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