This song from Joni Mitchell tells us not everything can be learned from books

Absolutely, Joni Mitchell nailed it. I mean, if all you needed was a book to figure out life, we’d all be living like perfectly organized IKEA shelves, neatly aligned with no confusion and no missing screws. But nope, life’s more like trying to put together a piece of IKEA furniture blindfolded, with the instructions written in Swedish and your screwdriver missing. Some people get it on the first try, some people get stuck on step 2 for an hour, and others are just here for the snacks. Life’s got a bit of ‘Both Sides Now’ in it. We can read all we want, but until we start building it ourselves, we’ve got no idea how to handle that wobbly leg.
 
That song means a lot to me. I met my late husband, had two dates with him, and he flew back to the west coast where he was studying Russian at the Defense Language Institute and I went back to college in Virginia.

When he landed in California, he called me and sang that song to me, inspired by all the clouds he had seen on the flight.

I wasn't all that impressed with him at the time, but I found myself nine months later marrying him, having only had those two dates. It was definitely a long-distance courtship. I guess the song helped. He sang a lot of songs during our 38 years married.
 
Joni Mitchell wrote it and played it but Judy Collins sang it so much better.
I knew when I heard Joni singing it that it wasn’t what I heard on the radio all of the time.
 
jujube said:
That song means a lot to me. I met my late husband, had two dates with him, and he flew back to the west coast where he was studying Russian at the Defense Language Institute and I went back to college in Virginia.

When he landed in California, he called me and sang that song to me, inspired by all the clouds he had seen on the flight.

I wasn't all that impressed with him at the time, but I found myself nine months later marrying him, having only had those two dates. It was definitely a long-distance courtship. I guess the song helped. He sang a lot of songs during our 38 years married.
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Such a lovely life event. Thank you for sharing
 
Love the imagery in the song.
Clearly something had changed in her life to make her see things in a different light, or from another perspective.
The clouds were just an illusion. It's how you see things in the moment that can change whether you see "clouds" as ice cream castles in the air, or just something that rains or snows on everyone.

Life is rosey until it's not, but the trick is to not let it change you.
I think when she wrote it, she was expressing some disappointment she was going through that put her in a rather dark place.
Sunshine and rain can come from the same clouds. How they appear at the moment may be just an illusion.
 
Naturally said:
...Life's got a bit of ‘Both Sides Now’ in it. We can read all we want, but until we start building it ourselves, we’ve got no idea how to handle that wobbly leg.
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Agree with all of your response, the metaphor of assembling something is so accurate. But these last two sentences, 'nail it'. And i say that even tho i've been a voracious reader most of my life. Because our lives have various aspects--physical, mental, emotional, spiritual--that manifest in highly individual ways in each of us so we have to observe our own composition, strengths and weaknesses and figure it out. There is no 'one size fits all' manual for living.
 
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Both Sides Now​

by Joni Mitchell

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all
 

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