Finding Beauty in the Desert

While I call Washington my home, I consider Utah my temporary home while I am here at school. I have noticed during the few years I have lived here how many people from out of state whine about living in Utah. Regretfully, I was once one of those. I thought that Utah was a dry ugly desert with no beauty to offer. I have since realized how ridiculously wrong I was. Anyone who has witnessed the enormous canyons of redrock, the beautiful snow covered hills, or even the desert cacti cannot deny that Utah is really a geographic wonder. Once I learned to expand my views of what I see as beauty I have been able to enjoy a much richer experience here in Utah. So many people think that they have to travel around the world to enjoy themselves and to witness beauty, but I have been to some very beautiful places in the world, and yet I consider Utah one of the greatest places on the planet. I wish that everyone else could have a change of heart like I experienced. I become easily frustrated when I hear people discussion their loathing of Utah. I want to scream at them to open their eyes and look around instead of whining while keeping a steady gaze on concrete below them. There are many, many beautiful places in the world, and each one is beautiful for its own unique reasons. Only when we are able to recognize and appreciate those differences will we be able to understand the meaning of beauty and more fully understand the depth of God's creations. Enjoy what you have around you, that is what life is all about!