All a matter of perspective

While on my morning constitutional walk I ran into my new neighbor, Jeff. As we chatted, the conversation turned to what we each do for a living. He's a programmer. I am the builder of high-end audio equipment. "Aha!" he says. "An audiophile. I've heard of folks like you. Cables as big as your leg, heavy boxes with glowing tubes, and you like to play records." Fascinating how the world sees us. Not that it's inaccurate, but let's think for a moment of what takeaways stick in the minds of outsiders. Instead of what we might take away, glorious magical reproductions of musicians live in our home, their takeaways are the outlandish means by which we achieve those extraordinary results. It's all a matter of perspective, but I do find it interesting that unlike other avocations such a gourmet cooking or photography where the takeaways are more likely to be food or photos, outsiders seemed perpetually dazzled more with the stacks of equipment than the musical magic they produce. It is, after all, a matter of perspective.