Look again

I recently moved to a popular tourist location and half-joked with a friend that tourists probably enjoy the area more than I do.

When you live in the area, the sense of novelty wears off quickly as you get used to your surroundings.

When you’re a tourist, you’re in a different world. Every sight, sound, and smell is interesting and, in many cases in my area, delightful.

At the farmer’s market today I stood for a few minutes looking down the hill at the vendors and the trees surrounding them.

I shut my eyes tightly, and reopened them, inviting myself to try to see the scene again for the first time.

This was a surprisingly effective exercise: I found myself appreciating everything around me just a bit more. I felt exceptionally lucky for being able to live so close to such a beautiful setting.

As humans, it is our nature to habituate to what is around us — even to the most beautiful and wonderful things.

But this doesn’t mean we’re forever incapable of appreciating them again.

We just need to remember to look again.