2020

The term “2020” is typically associated with vision; with how well we see.

But “seeing” isn’t just about viewing the image in front of us. Our brains aren’t wired that way. We attach feelings, memories, opinions, and ideas to everything we see. It’s how we understand and make sense of things.

For example, when I look at an apple, I might think of the taste and smell of an apple. The next time I see an apple, I might have slightly different associations. Perhaps I’ll think of a story I just read about picking apples, or I’ll say to myself, “I want to bake a pie today.”

If I see something I don’t recognize, such as a fruit I’ve never eaten before, my brain will attempt to classify it using whatever clues are available. It will try to provide perspective and awareness through color, or texture, or in other ways.

These thoughts happen in an instant and are often unintentional. The same type of thing happens with all our senses. We connect the dots between the thing and what we perceive it to be, based on our experiences, knowledge, feelings.

I can look at something and see it differently each time. It remains only an item, an object, an apple. But, that’s not the only thing I’m seeing. And, this process of seeing is unique to each of us, despite our commonalities and shared experiences.

Just some random thoughts I’m having with today’s cuppa, while I look at the year marked on the calendar.