A good view. Even if it’s just a slit of blue sky or the branch of a tree, the presence of nature can do positive things for the soul.

There are many who don’t have the luxury of leafy streets or broad expanses of sky. Maybe they are stuck in a hospital bed with only metal rungs and their own feet in front of them. Or the flap of their flimsy tent that was never meant to be a permanent home. Or the constraining corners of a tiny room where they desperately wait for a rescue. I can’t speak for them, only to say when you can see more than that, be thankful.

Of course, even when the most heavenly of views is right in front of you, you can feel sad. Is it possible, I wonder, to carry beauty inside of yourself when you are in a hard, empty place? Can you put your imagination to work and bring sparkling seas into your dark world?

Two days ago I saw an elderly woman sitting on a bench looking out to the sea. She was there when I arrived and still there when I left. She seemed peaceful and happy. But who knows? Would I have said the same if she had been sitting opposite me in a doctor’s waiting room?

What about you? Can you conjure up a memory of something good when you are sitting in darkness? I find it nearly impossible to do, but maybe that is an important skill to develop. Having something beautiful to look at is a blessing, but can we practice carrying that wherever we go, whatever the circumstance?

Tomorrow I will be sitting attached to a drip for my next treatment in a room that looks out onto a car park. Can I practice bringing the memories of a good view closer to me ? Can you?