Don't Take It For Granted

What do Neyland Stadium, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Dollywood have in common? Well, to a native of East Tennessee like myself, these places and others have come to be signs of the place I have always called home. I have seen each of these places too many times to count, and they have become engrained in the fabric of all the things I love about East Tennessee.

To be honest, I often fall into that routine back home of taking these places for granted. They have become so normal and routine to me that I don't appreciate them like I may have once. Granted, it is tough to beat seeing something as beautiful as the Smokies for the first time. And if we are being honest, we've all had things that we've seen so much of that it just becomes an afterthought.

I've seen the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor about 12 or 13 times now. Every week since I've arrived in Sydney, I've tried to take a midweek run down to the harbor. It has been one of the most helpful ways to learn how to navigate the very, very confusing city design (Bless the NYC grid system). But it has also provided me the opportunity every week to see all the sights, smells, and sounds that are going on around the Harbor, the Opera House, and Circular Quay. It has been one of my favorite things to look forward to every week so far during my stay in Sydney.

But during my most recent run down to the Harbor, something seemed different. Everything seemed a bit, normal. The things that make Sydney Harbor one of the coolest places in the world? They were starting to become normal and routine to me. The Opera House? Ehh, been there, done that.

Oops. I was back doing the same thing that I had found myself doing so many other times back home. This time though, I felt myself doing it and decided to stop my run for a bit and walk. I needed a break anyways (Not afraid to admit, I've been out of shape. I miss you basketball). But taking my earbuds out for a minute and walking allowed me to do something other than just catch my breath. It allowed me to hear and see all of the tourists look in amazement at what they were seeing around them. And all of a sudden, I was taken back to those first moments in Sydney when I saw what was all around me for the first time.

You'll wake up this week. Fix your coffee, your breakfast, and go about that daily morning routine. The sun will rise, and as you walk out to your car, you'll see the rolling hills and smoky mountains that you see every morning. But do something a little different this morning. Stop, and admire what's around you. And don't ever, ever take it for granted.