As British Airways was taking off and I watched the lights of the city recede into insignificance it made me think about what perspective most of us are in when it comes to life.
Whenever I book a seat I like to face forward. I asked my husband what he preferred and he thought it was an odd question as he doesn’t mind – a seat is a seat.
For me it is important. I like to watch things getting bigger as I approach them. If you are going backwards you only see things once they have passed and invariably they are getting smaller. So in essence, when you face forward – you greet life and when you go backwards – you say good-bye as you have no option but to see things receding (unless you don’t mind getting a stiff neck).
Both seats are on the same plane, train, boat or whatever other means of transport you choose but each gives you a different perspective. Life is all about what perspective we choose to be in. After all it is all one earth, one air, one life.
What seat do yo
u prefer – F or B?
Food for thought, Hilbre. I’m trying to remember if I look for a forward-facing seat when I board a train – I THINK I do, and will check next time!
I do know that I always like to sit facing outward in a restaurant, so that I can see the other diners and waiters and everything that’s going on. My husband, however, doesn’t care a jot and would happily sit opposite a wall as he’s only interested in the food on his plate! Thinking about it, that pretty much sums up our differing attitude to life – me, I like to deal with things head on, whereas Tony doesn’t want to know and will happily ignore irksome tasks until he HAS to deal with them.
Now, which side of the bed do you sleep, and why?!
Forward everytime for me. I like to face things head on as opposed to feeling out of control as things whizz past me at speed without my knowledge of where they came from or where they are going. You don’t always have control over what comes towards you even if you face it head on but at least you can minimise the damage by choosing how you deal with what you see coming.
I agree with Marie, I have to face into a restaurant. I don’t like my back to the room – but then neither does my husband so its always a bit of a fight as to who wins.
Thanks for your comments and I had to laugh at the restaurant one as my husband is not negotiable on which way he faces (funny when he doesn’t seem to care if he goes forwards or backwards on a train). He HAS to face the restaurant. He likes to watch the goings on and to be honest so would I, but in life they say you have to pick your battles. I would prefer a lovely dinner with my husband which if it means looking at the wall then so be it…
I also did a bit of looking on the web and seems that it is most common for women to sleep on the left side of the bed – something to do with majority of men being right handed and wanting to be the protector although I am not convinced there is much evidence to support this theory. I seem to always sleep near the door so not sure what that says about our dynamics as either I want to be the protector or to be able to escape fast!
It is still interesting just to notice these things and if there are patterns of behaviour.
What a great topic, as a few years back I noticed that whenever I went away there seemed to be no distinct preference to the side of the bed I preferred. It just sprung to mind one day (like these things tend to do) and I realised that I always choose the side of the bed nearest the most vulnerable part of the room. Within a house it would be by the bedroom door, yet on holiday, it may be by the sliding patio doors that always have those dubious locks on!
It’s interesting as this was never a conscious choice but an instinctive decision to the environment around me. Likewise, the semi-conscious decision we make on which way to face on a train (if ever there were enough seats to make such a decision!) does show our propensity to want to face forwards and see things come towards us. This again may be an old instinctive predatory reaction to our environment.
Perhaps looking forward is our built in psychological tool to allow us to move on from events, which is why it is a powerful asset in helping those recover from trauma.
For me, herein lies the rub, for if we are too preoccupied with only looking forward then we can miss the now. Sometimes turning around on ourselves isn’t about negatively looking back but taking stock, breathing in, and focusing on the moment.
I found this blog so interesting because I was literally in the situation this morning where I was able to choose the seat on the train, yet unusually, I decided on facing backwards. However, I had a lot on my mind I wanted to think about and this seemed the best instinctual choice to do that. I was really focused on the now!
As for the restaurant; I’m definitely a people watcher by choice and I love a seat looking at everything going on. If there isn’t a table that satisfies both parties then I’m also more than content watching my partner and seeing their reactions to the room and me; in fact, sometimes nothing better than that total focus on the other person. People watching from a smaller scale you might say (perspective again)!
Food for thought at least!