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The Size of the Window Rarely Matters

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The Size of the Window Rarely Matters

But the reach of your vision makes all the difference.

Kathryn A. LeRoy
May 6, 2023
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The Size of the Window Rarely Matters

kathrynleroy.substack.com
A window in front of a small shop in Germany with a window box full of blooming flowers. You can see a tall glass vase in the window and furnishings in the room.
Shop Window in Bamberg, Germany © Kathryn LeRoy

Hello friends,

I love windows. We live in a home with many windows that allow natural light from the sun, and often the moon. A magical full moon never ceases to bring me awe and wonder of the universe. We are such a tiny speck.

Astronauts have seen the earth from a vantage point that most of us can only imagine. From their window, they saw a world without boundaries between ecosystems or countries.

a photograph taken through their window of the earth (the big blue marbel) from the Apollo 17 spaceship against a black background
The Big Blue Marble—NASA Photograph

The Window in Front of Us

The size of the window on the International Space Station doesn’t define the view. Rather the ability to see the whole in a new way alters how they saw this amazing earth and the thin atmosphere surrounding it.

Like the earth, windows hold mysteries, stories that I may never know. My window may have an expansive view of the Italian sky, fields, and towns, or perhaps, only a single tree on a green lawn.

two photographs: on the left is a photo taken from a window overlooking the Italian countryside against a blue sky; on the right, a photo taken from inside a house looking out at the grass and a large spreading oak tree
Looking Out Over the Italian Countryside and A Rainy View © Kathryn LeRoy

“The growth of the imagination demands windows—windows through which we can look out at the world and windows through which we can look into ourselves. The old stories were windows in just this way.”
—Katherine Paterson

Even a small window gives light and invites the viewer to see and wonder about what lies on the other side of the glass.

a small round window with a white trim and dead vines running across the orange stucco and the street number 18 on a small plaque to the left of the window
Window in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico © Kathryn LeRoy

I live in a very small house, but my windows look out on a very large world.
—Confucius

Open windows allow us to see inside as well as see out. When we look inside, the objects and people may leave us mystified, creating a world on the other side.

An open window of a shop on the second floor where from the stree you can see paintings hanging on the wall and a headless mannequin in a blue dress
Open Window in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico © Kathryn LeRoy

Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.
—Edith Wharton

Do you ever wonder what hides on the other side of a closed window? If I can’t see in, can anyone see out? Is there joy on the other side or something darker?

a stone house with two windows on the second floor and one on the first floor with lace windows and an iron fence in front with pots of red geraniums
House at Dos Buhos Winery in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico © Kathryn LeRoy

You never know the hurt others endure in this world behind the closed windows of their life, or the joy a simple act of kindness can bring.”
—Jennifer Skiff

The window in front of me

The best windows are the ones in my home. Every day I can witness the sun coming up, and my heart skips a beat at the dancing colors of a sunset. Birds fly by and stop to sing.

A bright red male Cardinal sitting on a tree branch with his mate a few branches below to the left, almost hidden in the leaves of the tree
The Cardinal and His Mate Outside My Window © Kathryn LeRoy

I look out of this window and I think this is a cosmos, this is a huge creation, this is one small corner of it. The trees and birds and everything else I’m part of it. I didn’t ask to be put here, I’ve been lucky in finding myself here.
—Morris West

What do you see?

Next time you look out a window, notice, pay attention, and be open to what you see, what you don’t see, and what you can imagine.

National Poetry Month has ended. I started May with my reflections on 30 days of poetry

Waste of time or something more? Take a couple of moments to find out about The Importance of Staring Out of the Window

Always remember: hope is an open window (Diana Ross).

“Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.”
― Edith Wharton

Find a little wonder this week and see what you can find outside your window.

With gratitude,

Kathryn


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The Size of the Window Rarely Matters

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4 Comments
Lisa N Bolin
Writes Northern Notes
May 6Liked by Kathryn A. LeRoy

Oh Kathryn! It’s like you’ve dived into my phone photo album!! I love windows too. I have quite a collection of window photos. A lovely read ~ thank you 🙏💖

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1 reply by Kathryn A. LeRoy
selma
May 9Liked by Kathryn A. LeRoy

Ethan Frome was my introduction to Edith Wharton. A very short novel I audaciously tried hard to emulate in my then WIP. Inimitable writer, this Edith Wharton! Genius. And to think she did all that without Grammarly— wow! I failed big time.

“Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.”
― Edith Wharton

Yes, please.

Incidentally, as you saw from my Twitter post (seen by a few but acknowledged by only two— you being one) that invited you show me what you saw outside your window, you can see how in sync you and I are. Wow, right? Gosh, I love this synchronicity that comes through more and more. Thanks, Kathryn. Adored this newsletter TOO. TOO much! You rock.

Because you show me in every newsletter how to live attuned to what matters most. Thanks for always being a lovely soul. I value your words. Xoxo

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