windows on the urban world

We now have three large windows in our abode that boldly face the neighborhood of the Upper West Side. As I have mentioned in other posts, there is a line of skyscrapers about 500 feet from these windows that remind us how immersed we are in an urban environment without, at the same time, giving us the feeling of being too penned in. But here's the thing about those windows. They are open to the world, uncovered and undraped, bringing in the sunshine from the East in the morning, while also revealing, until the last light is out, all our nighttime movements. This is okay, as all of these activities are entirely innocent and no one could make out anything, in any case, from the buildings that are so distant from our tiny habitude. But even if outsiders could peer into our private little universe, it wouldn't matter, as we are too much in love with the sweetness and light of our windows. Let there be light and activity and air and that wonderful sense of being a little bit above it all. Our downstairs neighbor has asked us to install some rugs on our beautifully refurbished wooden floors, which we are in the process of doing, but we are committed to keeping the windows as clear and unobstructed as possible. The morning light is invigorating, but the symbolism is important, too. That we should be as open to the world, especially this glorious urban world, as possible. May it always be so that our windows face the incredible busyness of the city, and may it be so as well that we continue to have a vista on this world, as it grows and shrinks and mutates in ways that no one can predict. That, too, is part of being of and with the city.