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Category: perspective

Beating the Wrap

Beating the Wrap

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As I wrap presents for my grandson’s special day, I recall that a few weeks ago, at the birthday of another grandson, my daughter confided that my present was the only one not in a gift bag, the only one, that is wrapped in paper.

Am I the only one who still does this, who cuts, creases and tapes the paper, who unspools and measures the ribbon, then curls it with scissors? 

There are a few of us out there who honor the old ways, who wrap rather than insert, who tie rather than stuff. But not many. 

Random Paddle

Random Paddle

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Since we live less than a mile from the border of Camp Reston (my name for this suburb during the summer) and kayaks are available to rent on Lake Anne, a few miles beyond that, taking a random paddle some weekend has been on my list of summer things to do since May. 

Yesterday we were finally able to make good on it, with temps not yet 90 and rain not yet falling. 

What a revelation to kayak among vistas that I usually stroll through. There were the rose mallow, from the other side of the shoreline, the watery one. And there were the backyards and porches of houses I usually only see from the front. 

It was an exercise in perspective-shifting. And it was exercise, period. Both are necessary. Both are good.

No Shades

No Shades

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So far, today is looking cloudier than most in these parts, so I may be able to make it through without wearing my sunglasses. If so, it will be a rarity — and a welcome one. 

The world is greener and more luxurious when I don’t view it through tinted plastic. But my eyes appreciate the barrier when faced with a searing sun. 

Best of all is glimpsing pools of light from inside the green cocoon of the rose arbor.  It’s filtered light that spares the naked eye. And it’s beautiful, to boot.  

Late-Night Request

Late-Night Request

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It was almost 10 last night when the editor’s email arrived. I found it on my last check of the day. Could I read over my essay, which he had recently accepted and edited, and send him fixes as soon as possible?

Receiving a work-related email so late in the evening reminded me of the old days, when I’d get similar requests that didn’t feel as warm and fuzzy as last night’s did. Last night I felt plugged in and stimulated rather than tired and overworked. 

And no wonder. This time, the words in question are ones I’ve written for myself, not for others. I write them to share, as I do the words in this blog, but they are not words for hire. 

The difference gives me pause, and makes me grateful. 

Different Shores

Different Shores

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Yesterday, a trip to Virginia Beach for a wedding. On the way, a bridge and tunnel, with views across the Chesapeake Bay all the way to the Atlantic. 

It looked gray and cold, this ocean, although it was the same one I saw only a few weeks ago from the other side. 

There, I could look down on it from above, could see the shades of turquoise, navy and cerulean.  I could walk a trail up and down cliffs that hugged the coves.  I could see the flowering cactus up close. Here, I could sense the vast expanse, waves lapping all the way to the Old World.

The same sea, different shores. 

Heavy Metal

Heavy Metal

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As the world economy continues to slump, the dollar and euro have nearly reached parity. Although this may be good news for American travelers in Europe, it’s hardly a happy situation. It does make me think about the euro, though, and how I felt about it when I was over there. 

The smallest paper currency is, of course, the €5 note, which means that denominations smaller than that, including €1, are coins. 

I felt the weighty difference when I was traveling. Does it cause one to spend more or less? The former, I think, since one might be tempted to treat the €1 as a quarter.  But it is more honest. The dollar buys so little these days it may as well be a coin.

So it gave me pause, these differences in currency. Think how much heavier our pockets and purses would be if we were to adapt a similar model. But would it make more sense in the long run? I think so. 

The Details

The Details

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Being under the weather, as I have been this week, helps me appreciate the details. I woke up thirsty this morning and have been enjoying sips of cold, clear water as I answer emails and read the paper. 

Having a comfy couch or chair on which to recline as I do these things … that’s another detail to enjoy. As are the rhododendrons that bloomed while I wasn’t looking.

It’s no secret that being restricted narrows the lens, helps us focus on what we still have.  I’m trying to let this flu bug do that for me. 

Sky and Clouds

Sky and Clouds

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One of the more effective meditation metaphors I’ve learned is to see the calm mind as blue sky and the worries and troubles that beset us as clouds in that sky.  They come and go; they obscure our vision. But the blue sky is still there.

It reminds us that even when tranquility seems to have vanished, it actually has not. It’s there all along, and we can restore it by resting the gaze, stilling the breath, and seeing the clouds — the worries and troubles — for what they are: distractions.

This doesn’t mean I put this metaphor to practice, but it’s top-of-mind enough that when I look out my office window at thick clouds and an ever-shrinking patch of blue, I remember … and take heart. 

Unsettling

Unsettling

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A burst of warm weather is greening the trees and fast-forwarding the azaleas. But two days ago, you could still take a walk around Lake Audubon in full-bore sun; almost none of the leaf cover that normally closets and cozies that trail was out on Tuesday. Which made for some strangely open vistas.

It was a different kind of experience. I admired the views, but I felt exposed. 

It made me think that we grow accustomed to certain sceneries in certain weathers, and not having them unsettles us. 

Perhaps it is during these off-kilter times, in these unsettling moments, that we see things clearly. 

An Obit a Day

An Obit a Day

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Sometimes, the best way to start the morning is by reading an obituary. Not just any obituary, though. It needs to be one like that of Arthur Riggs, 82, who with a colleague, Keiichi Ikatura, developed synthetic insulin. Riggs died March 23. 

I learned that Riggs and Ikatura developed a genetic technique that led to the first human-designed and human-made gene that would function in any organism. This paved the way for the creation of synthetic insulin, a “lifesaving development for millions of people with diabetes,” the Washington Post said.

Before this discovery, people with diabetes relied on insulin from cows, which had a high rate of allergic reactions. The synthetic insulin avoids this risk.

Dr. Riggs lived in the same house for 50 years, drove “modest cars,” said the obituary … and quietly gave away much of the money he earned from royalties on patents — $310 million — to the institution he helped to found. The name of the institution: the City of Hope. 

(Ikatura and Riggs in 1978. Photo courtesy City of Hope.)