According to Google, "take for granted" means fail to
properly appreciate (someone or something), especially as a result of over-familiarity.
Yesterday morning, I was talking to someone on the phone while out on our back deck, and they commented on the beautiful birdsong.
This bird in particular was exceptionally loud and melodically impossible to miss. I realized how lucky I am to hear the birds singing often and so nearby.
This morning on my walk, I noticed all the birds and squirrels
successfully foraging for food. I heard dogs, goats, donkeys and turkeys in my small neighborhood surrounded by farms. Everything is so beautiful and green right now. My neighbor’s magnolia tree has bloomed and I am drinking in the intoxicating fragrance once again. Oh, I love that tree.
But to some degree, I take all of my natural environment for granted. I am accustomed to it and I expect it to be here day after day. This is the Tennessee life I have known and loved for over forty years. It's all too easy for it to become incredibly familiar to me. In hearing the comment today about birdsong, I was reminded that to someone like my friend who lives in New York City, I’m living in a nature paradise.
Ironically, I saw a random video of Central Park over the weekend on social media. It was incredible to actually see it, instead of just hear the words "Central Park" and use my imagination or go on what I may have seen in a
movie. I’ve never been there or had any visual of it, and it hasn't crossed my mind to look up the real thing on You Tube. I went to New York last year, but we were there only a few days. Central Park was high on the list of things to see, and yet with much regret, we ran out of time.
Seeing the video of all the people spread out in the park, playing with dogs, lying on blankets, having picnics with the incredible backdrop of New York City was amazing to me. Incredulous, really. I’m sure my friend and the residents of New York City can’t help taking it for granted, at least a little.
If someone from another state or even another country far away was going to visit you for a few days, what might amaze them the most about your life—where you live and what you regularly see and experience? Would it be the majestic mountains, or blocks of tall skyscrapers and sidewalks packed with pedestrians? Would they be captivated by horses
and cows along all the back roads, the vast expanse of the ocean? Perhaps waterfalls in the woods, or the hustle and bustle of catching the subway?
If you could pack a virtual experience box and ship it to someone, what
would you include?
I would put in the beauty and smell of fresh magnolia flowers. Birdsong. The delight of a squirrel running through a bright green field of grass with a nut in her mouth, then scaling the tree
effortlessly, like she is outside gravity. I would package the feelings of wind blowing through hair, and warm sun on the face, plus the fragrance of freshly cut grass.
What else? I would also have to include the
dance of puffy clouds in the brilliant blue sky, coupled with the sight of eighty-foot trees in my backyard and the sounds of the creatures in the branches. I would send the miracle of delicate yellow daffodils, and the sweet fragrance of red roses, both in bloom right now. In gratitude, I would also share the freedom to walk through my neighborhood without any concern for safety and the peace that only nature can provide.
May we never fail to appreciate all the goodness that surrounds us, especially those things that are most familiar and dear to us.
How often do you notice what’s wonderful about your life, specifically where you live? Look around. What is uniquely awesome in your corner of the world? Look out your window or go outside and see/hear/smell it again for the first time. What would you miss if you moved, or if it was somehow all gone tomorrow?
I'm reminded of a computer, phone or other electronic device. Without knowing it, we can start to decline in optimum performance, which includes maintaining a right-sized perspective of the gifts in our lives. Pressing re-start can fix a lot!
For today, let's live in and indulge all of our senses, specifically what we see, hear, and smell. (If you’re in the south, do yourself a huge favor. Stop and smell the magnolias!) Let's re-ignite our appreciation for where we've chosen to spend
this season of our lives. What would you miss about your present surroundings? Be sure not to miss them today.
