A stream of thought post written with three Story Cube prompts. 

Magnifying glass – Shooting Star – Keyhole 

The telescope reveals suns, planets and worlds so distant that it would take centuries to reach them. In many cases, it is the ancient light from these worlds that is captured by the lens. Whatever history took place there was but a blink of the eye. An entire world, seen through the ghostly light it left behind. Forgotten.  

We speak of the big picture and capture panoramic views with our cameras. In truth, we are always merely looking through a keyhole. What’s more, we look with a sense of anticipation; with the desire to find something, to be the first to see this or that, all the while invading the sacred privacy of the universe. Perhaps even the scientist, whose sole intention is objective observation, cannot sustain this objectivity for the simple reason that looking with the intention of discovery is already a step toward subjectivity.  

The magnifying glass and microscope turn the attention toward the microcosms of life and the details that make up everything that is not seen clearly, or at all, through the naked eye. Had we never invented such devices, we would not know that our bodies are covered with millions of complex, invisible creatures that go about their daily affairs of scavenging our skin for debris, and for infinitely smaller organisms, that would otherwise surely render us ill, if not kill us.  

And the illusion continues, for even the microscope cannot see deeply enough. Surely, there is still something we are missing. When we do discover it, we will be at once mesmerized and terrified.  

A butterfly lands on a flower and we sigh with delight. A shooting star traverses the sky overhead and we make a wish. In those instances, it is with the heart that we see. Perhaps this is the clearest, most accurate image of all.  

This reminds me of a young man at the checkout register, at the grocery store. He stopped me in my tracks one day with a sudden and unexpected question: “What have you seen today that surprised you?“

How brilliant! I thought. We so often respond automatically to the customary, “How are you?”, almost attempting to avoid a deeper engagement, or deeper thought. This young man invited me to look at my world with a fresh lens. Not only that, but he also made me realize how often I fail to take notice. I’ve since witnessed him surprise other customers with such wonderfully imaginative questions. Their reaction is invariably the same: a pause and a pensive frown, followed by a gentle smile that seems to emanate from a settling down of the soul.

What have YOU seen today that surprised you? This week? Pause. Think about it. Change your lens. Smile.