The Windows of Manhattan

Last summer I went to New York City. I stayed with a friend in the upper west side of Manhattan. I remember walking through the streets of Greenwich Village at night. Every highrise I walked past had rows of large, brightly lit windows. Through the windows I could see glimpses of massive and beautifully decorated lofts, every one completely different from the next. Each window was like a snapshot into someone's life - a freeze frame from an episode of Friends. I would see a small piece of their home and imagine what their name was, where they were at that moment, what they ate, where they shopped, who their friends were ... I was fascinated by the life journeys represented by these windows. There were unending possibilities of fame, heartbreak, triumph and tragedy.

I think those Manhattan windows intrigued me for the same reason I like reality TV shows. I'm a natural born people-watcher. I love anything that allows me to see into someone else's life. I'm fascinated by other people's life stories.

This is also why blogging appeals to me. I can literally sit for hours at a time and read people's blogs. When I'm reading a blog, it's like I'm being allowed inside another person's head for a momentary glimpse of their world. And every blog links to a bunch of other blogs that link to other blogs that ... well, you get the idea. It's sort of like a black hole. It sucks me in.

When it comes down to it, though, I guess that's really what life is all about - sharing in each other's life journeys. We are people created for community.