Before moving to Michigan, I lived on the West Coast. There was so much I loved about that place, but I knew that eventually, I was likely to move to the Midwest, and Ann Arbor was the town I dreamed about. In fact, I used to walk a long loop around my town and imagine and strategize how I could make it happen.
I’m so pleased it all worked out, and now, I’ve lived in Ann Arbor for more than a decade. When I first arrived, my friends teased me, saying, “Whatever the weather is doing, Renee is fascinated by it.”
And it was true. I had grown up in the Midwest, but I had never experienced seasons as pronounced as this. Above all, I just couldn’t believe the colors of the fall leaves. Every time I turned a corner and caught a glimpse, I’d geek out all over again. It felt impossible that something so vibrant could be real.
I was thinking about this again while riding my bike through town on a warm day. I still love the leaves, but they’re more normal to me now. And yet, I never want to get used to beauty as if it’s no big deal, like something to let fade into the background, unnoticed.
I want to keep that sense of surprise and awe, even if it’s not quite as heightened as it was that first year. I want to stay open to wonder.
And that has me thinking about a number of other things.
Maybe we shouldn’t get used to other extraordinary parts of our lives:
Like that relationship or community we reconciled with,
Like that new opportunity that came our way when we weren’t expecting it,
Like that workplace environment that is wonderfully supportive,
Like that house we get to live in,
Like those children that laugh hard while they play.
Sometimes, these experiences become the backdrop of our lives, but they were once the things we dreamed about. Or maybe they’re things that surprised us entirely.
So today, let’s notice them. Let’s appreciate beauty right in front of us, even when it starts to feel familiar.
Smuggling Grace 