New Views

Who said that "the eyes are the windows to the soul? If the eyes really are the windows to the soul, then windows must be "the soul of inspiration”….(or something like that).
Why the mental meandering? Because today I have a new view on the World, after several weeks of cleaning and painting we are just a few days away from being able to move into our new flat. There is still much to do…but I was able to find a spot on our freshly scrubbed balcony today, with windows that look north, where I was able to sit and ponder my paltry perceptions.

My Window to the North

I am at the very heart of the matter a “visual person”...I find it impossible to talk to someone without maintaining visual contact. I cannot compose a single sentence without an image in my head to write “around”. So "windows" are critical to this struggling scribe.

Just out my window (this balcony has an enclosure with windows) is a large plum tree. I look out onto the upper part of this tree whose base is 30 feet below. If you are sitting on this balcony, you cannot see the base of the tree. Your view is of the thickest part of the foliage without distraction.
The plums are hanging heavy on the upper branches and out of the reach of all but the nimblest. They have been taunting me there for weeks now…the lower branches have been stripped bare by those who pass…but the jewels of this tree still hang heavy and golden…and safe. Until today.

A hijabed head popped into my view. It was attached to a twenty something-ish mother who was rapidly climbing to the upper reaches of this tree. She saw me and smiled in embarrassment…being just a few feet from the edge of my balcony she could have stepped inside our window with ease.

Hidden in the Trees

She gathered a few of the most succulent looking plums from the crown of this tree and dropped them into the waiting hands of her children below. With a smile tinged with apprehension she scampered down to the ground and led her brood away. It was a delightful interruption and my first real impression through these windows. A smarmy observation you say?....Perhaps. But, when was the last time you saw your mother scurry up to the top of a tree to procure treats for you?