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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
May 25, 2009
/ 2 Sivan 5769
The view through your window
By
Mitch Albom
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I attended a funeral recently. The man who passed away was a well-renowned religious leader, a wise, respected, accomplished man. During one of the eulogies, I learned a small detail about his life. He had insisted, when his congregation moved to a new, impressive building, to have his office overlook the playground.
This way, he could look out the window to see children playing.
Now, this man could have picked any spot. He could have looked down on the prettiest landscape, to remind him that he was the boss.
He could have faced the wealthiest houses, to remind him that he worked amongst the well-to-do.
Instead, he chose the swing set and the sight of kids being joyful.
That made an impression. And it got me thinking about the windows we choose. How does what we view every day affect us? Bore us? Inspire us?
As a writer, for example, I am affected by what I see when I work. When I wrote the book, "Tuesdays With Morrie," I did so in a windowless basement. It made it easier to concentrate on the memories of a true story. When I wrote "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," a novel, I sat by a window looking at the sky and trees. It seemed to fit the mood.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
I know some writers (Stephen King comes to mind) who prefer to have no view at all when they work a wall is better than a window so that they can concentrate solely on their story.
And I know others who need to draw inspiration from nature's majesty mountains, the ocean, a sprawling forest.
Think about the views you choose. Where do you set up your office, your bedroom, your kitchen? What do you look at when you eat? When you work? What is the first thing you see when you get up in the morning and look outside?
I remember living in New York City in a tiny apartment that had one window that looked into the wall of another building. It was depressing. All I saw was brick. I can still feel the claustrophobia.
I also remember, as a child, being taken on a trip to the Grand Canyon. We arrived at night and checked into a motel room. When we awoke the next morning, my siblings and I pulled back the curtain and we saw the whole massive canyon. It was surreal, almost scary, to be looking through glass at the lip of something so large.
Are you the type of person who wants the window seat on the plane? If so, what impresses you the most? Lifting off above everything? Disappearing into white mist? Peering down at the clouds?
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
There was a book I had as a young man, "A View Through My Window," which was nothing more than photographs of Central Park as seen through one window in winter, summer, spring and autumn. I was amazed how much the world could change through the same sill and frame.
I think about the windows in life, the tiny holes in certain prison cells, and how precious that view any view is to the people inside. Or the windows in a grade-school classroom, through which children longingly stare at the outside, wishing they were there. Or the small porthole on a spacecraft, through which men and women see our planet in a view shared only by G-d.
And I realize how much we define the world by what we see through our windows. That religious leader could have had a much more impressive vista. But he chose children at play, and I am guessing there were days that, when everything was going badly, that view lifted his spirits.
Next time you find yourself down, angry or blasé, maybe you don't need to change your entire life. Maybe just move your chair, and change your point of view.
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