I was a Honey Nut Cheerio addict. I used to loved them. When I was younger, they were a large food group to me. Every morning 8:07 on the dot, I would have breakfast waiting for me. Sometimes the occasional croissant or toaster waffle, but regularly, a big orange box, with a blue glass bowl, and a nice large sparkling jug of milk. Mmmm…. The old days. Naturally, my fascination with the cereal led me to do several experiments with it. Such as the time where I timed the seconds until the cereal became soggy. Or the time I measured how many I could fit into my mouth at one time. However, there was one experiment that is permanently chiseled into my brain. A memory which I will never forget and should never hope to.

I had just gotten out of bed on a Wednesday morning. It was 10 o’clock in the morning, and I had woken up later than usual because it was summer. My brother was at basketball camp, my mother at work, and my father outside in his office. I was extremely hungry so, due to my latest obsession I went and grabbed a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios. I poured them in and topped the bowl off with milk. I ate a majority of the bowl until I stopped in my tracks. I had one single O left in the bowl. Just one. It floated there just sitting, not really moving or doing anything amusing enough to entertain an 8 year old.

I just stared at it though. Watching the way it bobbed up and down and up and down in the white liquid. It was a bit shinny in the light and was slowly eroding in the milk. I tapped it and watch it for a while until it had broken up into several small pieces. I then proceeded to throw my breakfast away, and ponder what exactly had drawn me to stare at this particular morsel of food for so long.

Nighttime had come, and as I lay in my bed, I had finally and suddenly figure out why I was so intrigued by the piece of cereal. I thought it was beautiful. Truthfully, honestly, and purely beautiful. That day, I had changed my out look on beauty. My eyes were more keen to the trait. And I saw it in almost anything. But enough about my childhood. Lets move onto the present day shall we?

The Great Pyramid of Giza, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, Colossus at Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. All 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. All throughout history, people of all different shapes, sizes, colors, races, and nationalities, have recognized these 7 locations as some of the most fascinating and breath taking sights in all of the world.

Most of these sites have been destroyed. By natural disasters, wars, or rebellions. As well as being destroyed, many of these locations were built or established in BC. Unfortunately, it has taken us humans, centuries and centuries of discussion, debate, fighting, war, hatred, and cruelty, to realize the value of these distinct places. We currently have deemed new wonders, and new places for humans to crave for, and to desire to visit. There are hundreds of thousands of people in the world, who have “See the 7 Wonders” on their list of things to do in life.

Society, people, the government, and historians have all said an agreed with each other on the fact that these places are top notch. The cream of the crop. The best in the bunch. So, because us as humans hear the approval of such, “authorities”, we naturally swarm to these places because that is the shell of beauty. Once these ancient wonders were destroyed, there were shoes to fill. And according to whoever established the current wonders, those shoes had been filled and they were full. People accepted this fact and sort of adjusted to the idea that these places were beautiful.

They of course had never seen them, but since everyone else said they were beautiful, they must be. Right?

Im sure that sitting a top of a pyramid on the middle of Egypt just before dawn is incredible. Im sure the view is to die for. But, did you know what other view is to die for? The sunset. But not just any old sunset. A sunset above the clouds.

Tempting right? Seeing a sunset while your flying. How can you get one? How can you get there? Well, Ill tell you a secret. Its something Iv’e never told anyone. The place where you go is claustrophobic. And stuffy. And noisy, cold, bad tasting, bad smelling, and annoying. It’s an airplane. Yes, yes I know what your thinking. An airplane? You have got to be kidding me!

But here’s the truth. To all you 30 year olds with your Venti Starbucks, hunched over your laptop, planning a trip to Cancun, on a flight to New York for a day trip, look outside. Pull up your window shade and take a peak out. Because at 7 o’clock PM or AM, I can tell you there is a heck of a view waiting for you.

And although plane rides arenen’t as appealing as the view I’m offering, it’s still worth it. Planes aren’t that attractive. In fact, they’re pretty ugly. But, in everything ugly, theres something pretty. And vice versa. Inperfections and flaws are the natural oder of life. It’s the way things go.

While your on your flight to some exotic destination, look outside! You travel way too far for way too much of nothing. Beauty is EVERYWHERE. It can come from ANYTHING. If people would just quit looking for beauty, instead of seeing it, they might realize something amazing. That you can find the word beautiful in anything. It might just be that sky, when your on your way to Albuquerque. Or, it might just be the ugliest, grossest, most disgusting, and last piece of soggy cereal in the bowl.