Stop Taking Things For Granted

A man planned to move house for the third time in as
many years. He lived in a lovely beach house with
a magnificent view of the ocean. A labyrinth of
hiking trails strewn with wild irises and poppies
were at his front door. When asked why he might
leave such a beautiful setting. 

“Oh, I’m tired of it,” he responded indifferently.
“It was great when I first moved in, but now
it’s just the same old thing. I can’t see it anymore.”
“I can’t see it anymore.” How accurate the statement.
He failed to notice the ocean.
He walked by the flowers without so much as a glance.
He thought of his home as merely a place to
lay down his head.

Living in paradise, he might just as well have
resided at the city dump.
Nine people out of ten would have jumped at the
opportunity to rent this man’s house, yet he did
not appreciate its virtues. 




Human beings have a curious capacity to take
things for granted.
The most exquisite diamond loses its luster
with familiarity.
The most compatible intimate becomes boring.
Miracles like the daily sunrise fail to astonish
because they’re commonplace!
Repetition and time dull our sense of wonder.

We endow novelty with powers and attributes
that it does not really possess.
When a thing becomes familiar to us, the mystery
we have projected onto it is lost.
We see it without the overlay of our imaginings.



The irony in this idiosyncrasy of
human character is that we are disappointed
by the very things that used to excite us.
The once new job,  or leisure activity
is now tedious.
We feel let down rather than uplifted.
Disappointment is a consequence
of our expectation that an object or event
will continue to provide us with stimulation
regardless of how constant our contact.
Unless we adjust our expectations
accordingly, we will continue to feel deflated.

Anticipate boredom! But is this really a
serious solution?
Another alternative is to maintain a fresh
perspective on the commonplace by living life
with contrast.
If the man had spent time away from his ocean home,
he would have returned to it with “new” eyes.
He would have seen it again as he did the first time.