Perspective
Tonight's post revolves around perspective. I encountered this firsthand today during my lunch break in Seattle when I decided to brave the cold and my intense fear of heights to soak in the city from an entirely different view than I have ever experienced. 73 stories up on the city's edge one will find the Columbia Tower's Sky View Observatory the tallest skyscraper in Seattle and the tallest viewpoint "on the west." It's true, nothing really quite puts the reality of height and distance into perspective like being 73 stories up in a 360-degree view of Seattle and beyond.
I am not the naturally adventurous type, in fact, I'm actually quite set in my ways and I prefer familiar over the unfamiliar any day of the week. I don't like feeling insignificant and I don't like feeling scared of the world I'm living in, I prefer to feel comfortable at all times. Nothing is wrong with that, fellow comfort-zone advocates -- but I have to say, today's adventure really put things into perspective for me.
It's really when you're up 73 stories high that you begin to realize how small our little worlds are but how vast the earth truly is. Within seconds I spotted my office building and followed my daily path of my commute to and from work; my favorite hangouts and restaurants; hotels I've stayed at and the stores I shop at. Within one 360-degree loop around the building I saw Bellevue in the distance, inside the Seattle stadiums, the entire mountain range outlined in the distance and bodies of water and other cities far past Seattle. That's when it hit me how many of these places I have yet to see and yet from this height I felt so close, almost like I could reach out and be in a new place.
After today I have a new outlook on the mantra "the world is your oyster." It really comes down to embracing what you know and going beyond it to explore new places. And sometimes, as I observed today, you don't have to go far to realize there is so much out there to see. It's all a matter of perspective.
Here are some of my favorite photos from my trip to the Sky View Observatory; I highly recommend the trip if you visit Seattle or are a resident. For $12 (adult price) you can experience the most breath-taking view of the city and beyond.