The Subtle Magic of Looking Out the Window
Breakthroughs happen when our minds are at ease
I had just sent a funny meme to a group of friends when my screen went blank. My phone’s battery had run out. I was sitting in a rented Nissan Altima, on a road trip with my family, and desperate for something to do during the long drive ahead.
My dad, who was driving, shook his head and laughed when I told him what had just happened. “Why don’t you just look out the window?” he said.
Do what? I thought. The option hadn’t even occurred to me — which is kind of funny, in hindsight, because as a kid, staring out the window was the only thing I did on long car rides. It was the only thing I could do (aside from maybe playing another round of 20 Questions or drumming with my fingers on the car door). But that was before the birth of Instagram, Snapchat, Words With Friends, and every other digital distraction that prevents our minds from experiencing that strange feeling known as boredom.
Perhaps my dad’s idea wasn’t so bad. I put my phone in my pocket, and for the first time in who knows how long, purposely gazed out at the Cleveland scenery.
Today, as we sit inside our homes and practice self-distancing, we have a lot of time to stare out the window. There’s good in that, especially for creative…
