Grandpa!

"Back in the day", when I used to give lectures in Intro Psych on visual perception I always loved giving examples of how our unique experiences in life influence what we see.

I was sitting on my patio in Florida a few days ago watching the spring flowers bloom when suddenly an old grandpa with a wrinkled face and a big nose appeared before me in the shape of a flower.  Then I suddenly had a flash back to the late 1950's when I was around age 12 or so.... out "Trick or Treating" in a small town in rural Florida....dressed up in a trench coat and with a (too big) rubber mask on my face....of Jimmy Durante!  Masquerading as Mr. Durante I remember playing something on the piano and imitating his growly voice for my halloween "trick"!  And getting plenty of treats and laughs!

So I still see examples today of how our perceptions are influenced by deep seeded memories going back to our childhood.

And that the beauty of a flower, or of a Jimmy Durante, is definitely in the eye of the beholder.