Just What Is a Best View?

A Guest Post From Allison Walls

I love your question about the best view of 2024. It prompted me to look through my photos from the last year and reminisce, but it also led me to think more deeply about the concept of a “best view”. I think there are multiple ways to look at this (no pun intended!), none more correct than the other. Here are a few of my favorite views and why:

A day on the lake with friends. This is not only a picture perfect day but this view reminds me of the people I was with, the laughter we shared and the memories we made. The view elicits emotions in addition to visual satisfaction.

This is the view out my bedroom window in the morning. It brings feelings of comfort and peace. It’s a safe place, with a cat I love, and a view that amazes me every clear morning.

This one is totally different, from the Magic Kingdom just before the fireworks show. The Mickey ears in front of me- and the person wearing them proudly with no shame or self-consciousness- evokes memories from my entire life of trips to Disney. This place may be commercialized and overpriced (among other complaints), but every time I go it feels like an escape from reality. People are happy, soaking up life’s little moments with people they love, but also with thousands of strangers. This view represents nostalgia but also a world where strangers exist peacefully. As adults, especially in today’s world, sometimes we need this feeling even more than the kids!

This is the view I see immediately after mowing the lawn. It is incredibly satisfying to see my yard looking neat and clean, and to look around and realize I live in a beautiful neighborhood with people who also care about where they live.

Nature’s beauty. I took this in my neighborhood as well, although that is not my house pictured. A full, and double, rainbow is a wonder of nature that causes me to pause and soak up the moment before it is gone.

This last one may not at ALL be what most consider to be their best “view”, but to me, it is an incredibly powerful, awe-inducing image that will forever be ingrained in my head. This is a picture of the thousands upon thousands of fans who are gathered on a hill OUTSIDE the stadium of one of her European concerts this past summer. These people did not have the benefit of loud/crisp or clear sound and could not even see the show, but they wanted to be there, to be present and a part of this shared experience. Crowds gathered in masses every show they could outside these arenas. Tickets were close to impossible to come by, yet Swifties came to trade friendship bracelets, dress in their best sparkles, and soak up the atmosphere, knowing they could not even get in to see the show. This was repeatedly done respectfully and peacefully in many cities. Very few stars have this power to connect so deeply with fans and create an entire community full of acceptance, love, and of course a shared passion for her music. Like her or not, this picture represents so much more than just a fandom. To me, it is the “view” of the year when it comes to something outside of my own personal life.

Wow, this is now longer than your actual blog post. Best view is not only based on an individual’s personal opinion, but also the specific lens they choose to look through. One is not more correct then the other, as they are all the “best” for their own reasons and evoke different feelings and emotions.

Please tell Uma she inspired a lot of reflection on this one. I am 44 and this was the first time I had thought of my best view of the year! Might be one of your best yet!

Thanks for reading (if you still are)!

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Many thanks to Allison Walls for stepping in today and giving us all a lesson on gratefulness and appreciation. We wish you all your own personal Best View! We’ll be back tomorrow with more fun. And don’t forget to mark your calendar for Jan. 15 for the next installment of Interviews By Uma!