The Views

A long walk, a steep climb, and then, at the top ...  a reward — the city spread out below: Lake Union to the left, downtown straight ahead and the Space Needle to the right. 

Lovely views have benefits beyond their beauty. They orient us to a place, show us how the pieces fit together. They bind the parts into the whole.  

Later, on the downhill return trip, when the way forward seemed crooked and confusing, I thought about the order revealed at the summit. That — and the map! — got us home.