the view.

reading a good book is a gift, don't you think? i must admit, i have trouble fitting it in. between hectic work days, being active, writing, socializing, and getting enough sleep, i find myself only able to squeeze in a quick twenty minutes while in transit. which doesn't pan out so well seeing as though it turns out that being prone to car-sickness translates to bus-sickness, too. who would have thought?

anyhow, there's no real point to this post except to say that i'd like to take advantage of my reading nook more. see, i have this little day sofa that folds nicely down on both sides. it so perfectly fits at the base of my two large windows that overlook none other than the bay herself. and that bridge. and alcatraz. and even the top of the palace pokes her head through.

  
how did i end up here? i think to myself.

it's important to stop and take in the view, yes? i frequently recall the ending of one of my favorite books by anna quindlen, a short guide to a happy life. 

i found one of my best teachers on the boardwalk of coney island many years ago. it was december, and i was doing a story about how the homeless suffer in the winter months. he and i sat on the edge of the wooden supports, dangling our feet over the side, and he told me about his schedule, panhandling the boulevard when the summer crowds were gone, sleeping in a church when the temperature went below freezing, hiding from the police amid the tilt-a-whirl and the cyclone and some of the other seasonal rides.

but he told me that most of the time he stayed on the boardwalk, facing the water, just the way we were sitting now, even when it got cold and he had to wear his newspapers after he read them. and i asked him why. why didn't he go to one of the shelters? why didn't he check himself into the hospital for detox?

and he stared out at the ocean and said, 

"look at the view, young lady. look at the view."

 and every day, in some little way, i try to do what he said. i try to look at the view. that's all. words of wisdom from a man with not a dime in his pocket, no place to go, nowhere to be. look at the view. when i do what he said, i am never disappointed.

may you find the time to indulge in a good book and no matter where you are, take in the view. hugs! 

*reading found here.