A View From My Writing Table - March 2025
Glimpses of the magic of each month
This year I am sharing where I find the extraordinary in everyday life in my effort to ensure that magic lives on and thrives for me throughout the year. This View from My Writing Table is an effort to do just that. Magic is all around. It’s in the everyday; it’s in our hearts. Its in the moments that can be missed if not paying close attention. Capturing glimpses from my desk is my way of paying close attention.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to The Met to view the Caspar David Friedrich exhibition. Friedrich had a deeply personal relationship with nature. Landscapes and seascapes were the setting for spiritual and emotional encounters in his works. He understood that the mysterious, mystical, and magical are all around us. He was a master of detail, paying close attention to what evokes a response in the viewer. The way light moves across the sky. A branch bending. A horse kicking. A wisp of mist. Waves on water.
Woman at the Window. I wonder what the view is from her window? This painting depicts Caspar David Friedrich’s workspace; the woman, presumed to be his wife, Caroline, is looking out the window at boats. I find myself wanting to know more. What does she see? What does the natural world look like where she is? How does the River Elbe look? What is she contemplating? Why has she chosen this moment to gaze out the window? What would she see if she turned away from the window and looked into the room?
What if Caroline looked at the view from my writing table………
March is the time when I begin to really tune back into my senses after the cold, dark winter months. I endeavor to cultivate attention to all that is around, especially the tiny things and the changes. I want to make sure I experience as much as possible; I don’t want to go rushing past. I take the time to: Hear the crunch of the branches and leaves that have been on the ground since fall. Smell the mud that will soon return to grass. See all of the emerging colors, texture shifts, and the return of so many different birds. Feel the rain on my head.
It’s the light that really gets me. As it shines and bounces off of, well, everything. It seems to me that the light is stretching from a long rest, finding itself once again, and it wants to play. The light through the southern window is my favorite, and I often find Augie (dog) and June (cat) sunbathing in the light.
One last view for you, from the other direction. What would Caroline see if she turned away from the window and looked into the room? Here’s what I see when my camera turns the other way…..
Take good care and as you journey through your day consider slowing down and paying close attention to what evokes a response in you (I’d love to hear what you discover).
The birds arriving back from their winter journeys and bringing their songs back has been simply magical these last few days. 💜 We’ve even seen our first butterfly, and native bees waking up!