My last night in the city of Semi-Famous I ended up going on an adventure with a group of people I barely knew. The delightful young woman I met on Monday (B) was in the group, as was a man I had known in Semi-Famous School of Candles and Kleenex (although after a trip we took to China we were never what you'd call friends...but that's another blog entry too).

So on a lark, eight of us grabbed two cabs and headed out towards a district of the city known for Italian food. Over plates of garlic, garlic and more garlic (It has anti-oxidant properties, don't you know!), a little wine, a little pasta, etc., we got to know each other a little better. To walk off dinner we decided to head towards a section of the city that locals *never* go to. It's a more or less famous place that is touristy in the extreme, but most of the people in our group had never been there, and besides the view is pretty spectacular at night. I decided "in for a penny, in for a pound" and limped along. (I have some health issues that normally preclude lots of walking, but I really didn't feel like telling this crowd--we didn't know each other that well, after all.)

Standing at the end of the pier, looking out at the lights, I could make out all the landmarks I had taken for granted for six years. One of the women asked me, "Did you ever go over Really Famous Red Bridge?". "Well, yeah, quite a bit." I answered. "I lived on the other side of it, right over that hill over there." She continued, "How did you keep your eyes on the road? Wasn't the view from the Bridge so great you couldn't keep from looking at it?"

I really didn't have an answer for her. The truth is, the first few times I went over that bridge were a very long time ago, back when I was a tourist, 14 years ago. I guess I came to take the view from there for granted, and to be honest, it is often quite foggy there and the view is often somewhat obscured. My most recent memories of the Bridge are of the military vehicles parked at the Semi-Famous end, and the Marines with M16's standing around. (I think the military presence is a little more subtle now.)

But that moment has stuck with me, days later. I think about the different moments in my life that I take for granted because they don't seem fresh or new or exciting. I got to see some things this past week for the first time in a long time. What would happen if I tried to be a "tourist" in my own life--not distant enough to shirk responsibilities--but took a step back that was large enough to see with fresh eyes? What are the little details about my family, my ministry, my life, that I have already become jaded about? What are the places in my life I *don't go to* anymore because that's not what "locals" do?

And besides, that Bridge really is spectacular...