Monday, February 11, 2013

Art From Our Upstairs Window...

The view from my classroom window.

 
The other day I went to class early to get set up. We had snow during the night, but the roads were clear. By the time I was upstairs in my classroom darkness hovered over the town as if nightfall were coming early. It was just another quick storm passing through.
 
I had my camera with me so I took this photo from my classroom window. I didn't think much of the photo until I downloaded it later. It caught me by surprise how stunningly beautiful my town is in the winter. Quiet. As you can see no one is out, children are in school, folks are working or staying inside writing letters or watching reruns of "Matlock." Surreal.
 
How do we choose a town, a village, a city, an island to live in? Or does it choose us? Do our roots tangle up with others in our hometowns or do we make our hometowns by pushing down those roots to feel at home?
 
As the students came to class I was still standing at the window just watching. Most came to window to see what I was out the window. "What are you looking at?" they asked as they peered through the glass. I said to them, "Everything, I am looking at everything."
 
They nodded or shook their heads as they took their seats.
 
What do we see from the upstairs window?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Lou Ann, I can associate - having a sweet pleasure reading you - with (your awareness of) time that altogether stops and goes on filled with life, as you are watching out of your classroom window, the silence we see, the colors - or the whiteness- we hear! Standing, waiting ...
Our senses welcoming what there is ....
" Everything" as you say ! big and little things inside out, things we don't need to know, yet so curious about in a peaceful way, aware how great life in our hearts is ...
We belong!
I really wonder also about the place/or places calling me , do I choose (?) do they (?) who, what and why (?) and what we are given to see ... at this very moment of my life, considering my unanswered questions, what you wrote really rings to my ears and heart ... you make me smile as I like to imagine our conversation ... Or your company . What would we " express" if we were together (?) micky

Lou Ann Homan said...

Hi Micky,
I am glad you read this post as I know you can understand those feelings. The world is big...where do we go, what do we do...so much, yet so little. The winter world is so calm and peacful in my town. It is a nice respite before spring with mowing (I have an old fashioned mower without a motor!), gardening, painting. Yet for this brief moment we suspend, we rest, we read (and we still work), but we actually hibernate as we think. Much love to you on this Valentine's week Micky. One day our paths will cross and it will be non-stop conversation, except when quiet silence weaves into the day. Lou Ann