W is for Window

“The eyes are the window to your soul.” (attributed to Shakespeare, Da Vinci, English proverb, and countless others!)

 

“Rear Window” (the Jimmy Stewart movie)

 

“Window of opportunity.” (comes from the space program who coined “launch window”)

 

     Etymologically, the word window is from Old Norse vindauga, “wind eye”. (Can you hear how that morphed over the years to “window”?) Apparently, they cut holes in the roof for ventilation and light. The wind eye eventually was covered with glass, but it retained its original name.

     Now that does help interpret better the phrases this post began with.

     A window is a sign of trust. People can see in. It’s not as solid as a door or wall. It invites exploration beyond the location of the viewer.

     And is that true of your soul. Do your eyes invite people in to explore who you are, what you value, and what aspirations you have?

     In “Rear Window”, Jeff (played by Jimmy Stewart) is a wheelchair-bound photographer. He is drawn into the drama being played out in an apartment across the way as he observes the occupants. A photographer has a special eye or way of seeing, so I’m sure that choice of occupation wasn’t coincidental. The window tableaux engrossed him so that the events in others’ lives became more concrete than those in his own. His window, looking into their window, was the eye to the souls and secrets of strangers.

    On a whole other tack, the expression, “window of opportunity”, demonstrates how windows open up possibilities, options, and, well, opportunities. The window allows a vision of what could be, especially if acted upon quickly. This phrase implies an urgency of decision-making, a pressure to act.

     In the books we write, authors use metaphors and phrases (sometimes even the tired, trite ones) because they communicate much in a short burst. The eyes are often highlighted in descriptions because humans notice them so much. The urgency to act quickly and open windows to possibilities is behind much of the plotting.

     Are there phrases you see being incorporated in your stories or the stories you read?