view·Point noun \vu-pȯint\: a way of looking at or thinking about something
Aisle, not window. As someone who travels extensively for work, I’ve developed a set of personal travel edicts, and one of those is my preference for aisle seat when flying. Don’t misunderstand: I love peacefully gazing through the window at a new terrain or cityscape, but when flying to oft-traveled cities for work, I sit aisle – especially on longer flights. Ergo, as I settled into row twenty-eight’s cramped window seat on a recent NY to LA flight, I was not amused. I distracted myself listening to music, sleeping, watching a movie and working until my seatmates unexpectedly grabbed my attention. James – sitting in my aisle seat – was directing his Peruvian girlfriend’s attention through the window, and she was beaming- it was Mari’s first cross-country flight. I smiled at her delight in the changing terrain below, which moved from hillsides to snow-capped peaks to dense cloud cover and then dusty plains. As I took in the view I found myself shifting my point of focus, giving me a whole new viewpoint every time. Casting my gaze downward gave me the 30,000-foot view below, raising my eye-line and looking straight out offered a panorama of the horizon, and focusing diagonally delivered a glimpse of our rigid wingtip against a blue sky. One window, multiple viewpoints.
Welcome to viewPoints, your own virtual window to a landscapes of topics – minus the cramped seat and miniscule bathroom. Through this viewPoints window you’ll glimpse a spectrum of ideas, approaches and perspectives on numerous topics, taken from the rich terrains of theatre, music, art, dance, education and science. And like First Class after-dinner beverage service, each viewPoint is a multi-layered, robust and engaging blend of thoughts, practices and recommendations.
Recline your seat and raise the shade to viewPoints. Take in the terrain with new eyes. Appreciate the view.