Sun & Slush

The snow melted away, so did the new perspective it brought to familiar places. The white blanket made it easy to see things as new or different or exciting, the way travel to a new place does. The snow was all of those things: new, different, exciting. Just like travel. I guess the challenge is to see all of those qualities in the things you pass everyday.

I grew up away from my cousins who lived in the suburbs of Chicago. We visited them as often as possible. The trip made sense for us because we could see ALL the family, whereas a trip for them to the PACNW to visit our little nuclear family wasn't as much bang for the buck. When I was young they were really the only people I knew, who lived some place far away, in a place that was totally different from where I lived. The only people I knew that didn't see what I saw everyday. I clearly remember being very young, sitting in the back seat of the jeep while my Mom drove across our valley, pretending I was one of my cousins seeing such a beautiful place for the first time.

My "cousin glasses" made an old place new just like the snow did. I guess I have always played this little game with my perspective; trying to see things for the first time. I didn't really realize this until the snow started to melt, all the icey white was gone and I would need to put my "cousin glasses" on in order to post something. I really didn't even realize that this blog formalizes this trick that I play. What a fitting time to realize this tendency knowing that my baby bear really is seeing EVERYTHING for the first time. Maybe my "cousin glasses" should be traded in for some "baby glasses".