Beauty in the Ordinary

7/26/2019

I have a restless soul and wandering feet. I am not a homebody, by any definition of the word. I am a gypsy, a nomad, an adventurer. Fortunately, I have found a fellow wanderer with whom I can share my adventures, who understands my need to keep exploring.

Naturally, though, there have been times in my life when I have needed to stay in one place, to plant myself firmly into the ground for a time.

One such time was while we were doing contract work in the oil field. Though we were able to take months off at a time to travel, when we were working, we were working all. the. time. I'm talking 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

American author Henry Miller said, "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of looking at things."

Confucius said, "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." During that time in the oil field, I had to learn to appreciate the beauty in the ordinary and to see the beauty in everything. I photographed wildflowers and winged creatures, bugs and birds, sunrises and sunsets, cattle and clouds, and rusty old mailboxes. My "destination" was looking at things in a different way.

Destination = A New Way of Seeing Things

Now that we're settling down in Houston, I'm learning to see Houston from a new perspective. This incredible city overflows with entertaining things to do and delicious foods to eat, with cuisines from all over the world. In fact, Houston was just named the most diverse city in the U.S.

Though we still have many new places to see and plan to continue to travel, for now I'm enjoying really delving into Houston - her history, her culture, her diversity, and her personality.

Watch for several Houston-related blog posts in the near future!