The view from the west side of my patio table after a rain storm. — Photo by Pat Bean
“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.” — Ivy Baker Priest
It’s All About Perspective
I sit on the east side of my patio table to have my first cup of cream-laced coffee for the day. In this seat, I have a grand view of the Catalina Mountains as the sun comes up.
A winter view of the Catalinas from the east side of my patio table. — Photo by Pat Bean
But in the late afternoons, when I and my friend Jean – whose dog Dusty is Pepper’s best friend – sit on my balcony to discuss the day’s events over a Jack and Coke, I’ve been plopping down on the west side of the table. From this vantage point, I have a view of red roof tiles, and the sky through the lacy pattern of tree leaves..
Both views are pleasant.
A few days ago, I took the west side of the table in the late afternoon because I had left my journal and some papers on that side. What I quickly noticed was that the shadowy patches on the mountain’s cliffs as the sun rose in the morning were now the patches that were highlighted as the sun began its dip below the horizon.
From her side of the table, in addition to the red-tiled roof and sky through the trees, Jean had a great view of Pepper and Dusty playing on my bed, a delightful sight that only I usually got to see while we’re laughing and chatting.
“I’m sitting on this side of the table from now on,” Jean said. Since it’s my table, and I can normally sit on either side of the table I want, that was fine with me.
What a different place the world can be when we look at it from a different perspective, I thought, sort of like walking in another person’s shoes.
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Bean Pat: Brevity http://tinyurl.com/lclbale As a writer, this is one of my favorite blogs. And I take today’s advice seriously to heart.
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Pat Bean, I think we have a connection. No…really. Here are a few items for you to consider:
My father born Cleburne, TX; had 3 brothers and 3 sisters; ancestors from Portugal into US at Galveston; have a connection to N. Deer Island, Galveston.
Think we need to talk.
Thanks,
John P. Joseph
Montgomery, TX
Sounds very likely. Your father or grandfather was most likely one of my father’s brothers. My son Lewis has done quite a bit of research on the Joseph family, whose beginnings started with a Portuguese sailor who jumped ship in Connecticut. His son came to Texas and was mayor of Galveston and a state senator.
Yes, it does pay to change your perspective once in a while. I noticed that while watching sunrises and sunsets. The first inclination is to face east in the morning and west in the evening, but sometimes I’ve gone in the opposite direction and found a view that was equally as good or better. 🙂