The View From Here

So many ways to see - My Sunday Best #55

On the morning of the eclipse, I was gifted with the opportunity to take in the view from a fire tower.

This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective and point of view. A few weeks ago, I was reminiscing about hanging upside down from the monkey bars as a kid and how that felt. Since I didn’t have any monkey bars close by, and the last time I tried hanging from a metal bar at the high school football field, I needed help getting down, I decided I would try hanging off the side of the bed. It actually felt great and allowed me to pretend I was a kid—until I had to get back up. It was like a mini-escape, one with a different view.

I decided I wanted to put this idea into a song, but as I tried to form it up, I found that finding different ways to see was a much bigger topic than I realized. Since then, I’ve been getting a steady flow of life lessons about seeing and point of view.

Viewing the solar eclipse on Monday played into this theme perfectly. As the light around me changed, I put my eclipse glasses on, humming the ZZ Top song Cheap Sunglasses. It’s amazing how many songs pop in from out of nowhere, even at a time like this—the DJ that lives in my mind never takes a day off. When the eclipse reached totality, I took the glasses off to see a stunning starburst of light around the dark circle of the moon. As the sun's bright light began to reappear, I did not put the glasses back on. Instead, I looked away and watched the ground. It was like a spotlight that gradually grew, creating waves of shadows on the concrete. There were even a few confused bats flying around. Both views, looking up and looking down, were stunning.

It’s like watching the sunrise with my back turned to the sun—noticing the light as it touches the treetops and then gradually works its way down—a reverse sunrise of such. Or watching the ice melt on a frost-covered windshield as the sun warms it. There are many ways to “see” the sunrise without looking directly at the sun—each one is unique and beautiful.

I also love to watch the clouds float by in the reflection of a puddle, a still lake, or even in my coffee—yes, I have seen clouds in my coffee—it wasn’t a dream.

And then there is seeing out the back window. Usually, when I’m in a vehicle as a passenger, I look out the windshield—ready to push on my imaginary brake pedal if needed. But as a kid, I used to look out the back window with my chin on the back seat. On our way to a gig this week, I stretched out on the bed in the back of the van and looked out the back window. What struck me most was that everything seemed to pass by so much slower. I had time to see the colors of the horses in the pastures, the passengers in cars behind us, and other details that passed by too quickly to notice when I was riding in the front. We were still moving at 60 mph, but my point of view was different— looking behind instead of ahead changed everything.

A new perspective’s just a drive in the car - Twisted and Tangled lyric

Perspective. There’s always a different way to see—looking up, down, ahead, behind, upside down, a reflection, through sunglasses, binoculars, from a distance, or up close, or ... This not only makes life incredibly interesting, but it also gives us countless perspectives to see every experience through.

I’ve decided there are a million ways to see, way too many to put into a song. But, I have some ideas.

Meanwhile, until I finish the next song, you can listen to Twisted and Tangled here, or on the player below. Just a reminder that you will likely have to click it twice, once to take you to the online site and the second time to play it 😊

Twisted and Tangled on Bandcamp