I Always Heard About it...

Did you have a tree house when you were little? I never did but of course always heard about them. I don't think I would have really wanted one anyway because I would have been too afraid to climb that high up a tree! Now that I think about it, none of my friends had one either. Tree houses were things that children in movies and television shows had in their backyard, not the boy that lived down the street who I knew from the bus stop.

This particular tree house as been around for years and I pass it nearly everyday. I am always amazed how big it is, yet appears to sit very sturdily amongst the branches - with a little help from the pillars, of course! This children's playground is almost the size of some apartments I have seen. Living would be cramped, but at least you would have some nice views.

The funny thing is that in all of the years I have passed by this tree house I have never once seen anyone actually playing in or around it. I wonder if the children who used to hang out the windows or swing from the poles have long since grown up and moved away...or maybe it was built with the hope of someone laughing for hours while sitting on the balcony, only to find the person had lost interest by the time the project was finished. Maybe the project was never finished...I have never been able to get close enough so I can't truly tell whether or not "construction" has officially ended.

Occasionally I think, "Maybe it would have been fun to have a tree house growing up" since it is known to be a staple of youth. Maybe I would have enjoyed climbing the tree and hanging out in a private fort that was designed by my friends and I...all of the kids on TV seemed to have fun when they played in tree houses! How could they be so iconic of youth yet no one I knew ever had one...they had sandboxes but never tree houses; swings that took us soaring towards the sky and slides that brought us racing back to the ground but never a tree house.

Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that there were many children just like me...they were a little skeptical of a structure built into the trunk of a tree that would sway when a strong gust of wind blew by. With that in mind, I don't feel as though I missed out on anything during my childhood. I will just enjoy the view of this tree house, instead, as I pass by daily in my own pursuit of enjoyment!

That's the Golden Perspective...what's yours?

Timing is Everything...

I would like to say upfront this was probably not the smartest way to take a picture but I could not resist. Yes, you are figuring correctly, I took this picture while driving down the highway...definitely not something to try on your own. The opportunity arose and I knew the picture would be too cool to pass up.

I happen to be entering the highway and this van, looking like a leftover from the 60's, went crawling past me. All I saw were the big letters on the back saying "Be Happy". The minute I saw this van I said, "I need a picture of that!" Had the driver not been going at least 10mph below the speed limit there is no way I would have been able to catch up to him. Once I saw this retro vehicle a smile immediately appeared on my face.

Prior to beginning my commute the day had been less than thrilling...all kinds of stress coming from all different directions. I tried finding some relief by listening to the radio, but had very little success; then the "Happy Van" passed me. Suddenly I forget about my prior stress and was totally focused on catching a closer look at what was plastered all over the sides of the van - and of course I had to sneak a peak at the driver, which turned out to be a man in his late sixties with a female passenger...both of whom could have lived through the love-fest of the 1960's. Once I was close enough I found, aside from "Be Happy" on the back, bright, florescent flowers accenting the sides. Part of my enjoyment came from the fact that one does not expect this type of vehicle to pass by on the highway. I love surprises and outrageous sites during the day and this certainly classifies as one.

Of course, there is always the obvious joy: when a stranger encourages you to be happy how can you really resist. For me, those simple words were a reminder that no matter what is going on happiness in not far off in the future. I started wondering if this couple spends their time traveling around spreading good cheer from their perch in an old VW Van.

What else could make someone decorate their car in such a colorful, enthusiastic manner?

Did they know how many smiles they added to the world and how many people they helped everyday?

Once the VW Van faded from sight in my rear-view mirror the stress slowly started to return, but fortunately not completely. I wish I was able to tell that couple how, for a few brief minutes on my way to a shoot, their silent encouragement lifted my spirits. Something so simple and unexpected, yet it helped change the course of my day...

That's the Golden Perspective...what's yours?