A Positive Outlook

On a day in which coffee-shop chatter is filled with the constant stream of 'it's vile out there' or 'look at it' or 'shall we stay until it passes' type comments as damp and despondent shoppers observe the latest of the seasonal and, frankly unsurprising downpours, it was a wonderful sight to see, even for just a few moments, the clouds break long enough for me to capture my image for the day.

I have been in my office building for nearly 3 years, I have had offices at the front with sea views but, at the moment, home is at the back at the top of the 78th stair, just next to the kitchen. From there, I look out over the town centre and, into the distance up out of the town towards Bohemia Road. I am not one for smiting my home town: It is, after all, my home town, but it's not the prettiest of places and there have been questionable decisions made over the designing of some of the buildings erected over the last 20 years..but, as I said, it's home. And I choose to stay here.

This view from my window on a clear day is actually quite decent. I have lost time to looking out and watching activity in the town and I've watched weather change, I've seen fires, fights and funerals. On a more grey day, as with anything, it takes on a slightly different perspective. But today was a mix. The one real constant was the stream of the most amazing cloud formations. I actually chose to filter this image not because it was a bad picture as such but more because I knew I could enhance the sky and pick out some of the detail and the colour that the iPhone just doesn't display.

After a pretty poor start to the day, the rest actually went very well.

Aided by a second helping of Wolfy's (see yesterday's post for detail) the morning sprung to life and I was productive from the outset. A gym session, a clear head, a full tummy and a desire to find the positivity was all that was actually needed to get the results I wanted. A top up of the food at lunchtime with my great friend Austin accompanied by more thoroughly enjoyable conversation and that set me up for more tasks completed and off the to do list as well as the contentment that I was actually getting somewhere.

And then the break in the clouds. No rain for a few minutes, and the opportunity for a picture. Today's productivity and attitude at work stretched to taking this picture. Literally, the outlook from my window felt like it became more positive: The sky was filled with a warm, comforting blue, the buildings lost their grey tint, the greens on the roof of some building sprang to life and I couldn't help but smile.

I look out of this window almost daily and I am as complacent about the view as I am about the luxury of living by the sea. And I really need to stop it!

Today I looked out of my window and I was mesmerised by the view and was looking at the detail, finding the right moment to capture it as the clouds drifted and reformed. Looking back at my previous entries, so much of what I've written in the first 22 days has been about seeing things a slightly different way OR seeing things for the first time that you were otherwise oblivious to: Perhaps that's the subliminal theme for the month, for the year or even for as long as I maintain this journal.

I guess, if I was to have a theme, looking at things from another perspective , seeing things from the other side and finding something new to make you think differently isn't the worst theme I could have for this year.

I just hope I can continue to find the beauty I've witnessed so far: That doesn't have to be a whole image, it can be a fragment, a piece, an element of a photo I take but just something that allows me, and even you as an outsider to sit back an let out a 'wow'.

I like this view. I'll appreciate it even more from now on. Especially if it means I also clear my to do list!