The ’10 Most Beautiful Places on Earth’ are closer than you think
When I read headlines like the ‘The 10 Most Beautiful Places on Earth’, I feel this urge to broaden the definition of this statement. While I am sure that Venice, Bora Bora, Hawaii, and other places are gorgeous, I can’t help but think…
The most beautiful places on Earth can be in your backyard, in your house, in your memory. For me, the most beautiful spot on Earth is a kitchen windowsill. The morning winter sun arrives here precisely at 9:00 am and positions itself in a sharp, angular form. Outside the windowsill stands a delicate Hibiscus tree that invites Robins many times a day. I sit on this windowsill and watch the village slowly come alive. I share this most beautiful spot on Earth with my 9-year-old Labrador. Or maybe he shares it with me.
Next on my list of the most beautiful places on Earth is a set of staircase in the school I studied at. The school sits on a hilltop and while there are many vantage points on campus, this set of stairs is the most beautiful. My friend and I sat here every evening for four years. We ate, talked, and watched the twinkling lights of Doon Valley. In the winter time, we felt even more special as the winter line began to emerge. We told anyone who cared that the breathtaking phenomenon of the winter line, when the horizon turns a combination of yellow, orange, red, and mauve, is only visible in two places on Earth; that’s here and in Switzerland. How’s that for the most beautiful place on Earth?!
I am sure that my friends who have become mothers will argue that the most beautiful place for their babies is in their arms. I believe they will be right. If I asked my father, I think he’d say the most beautiful place on Earth is behind the wheel of a car as he explores a new road with the family in tow. My grandmother’s favorite place on Earth is the kitchen where she makes Bengali delicacies for the children. If I asked a friend whose main aim in life is to travel, work, and travel some more, his favorite place on Earth will be on a boat sailing down the Ganges at sunset.
It’s not so much the place, but the time, the season, the company, and the feelings that the place inspires that make it beautiful. So the next time you want to visit the most beautiful place on Earth you may realize that it’s right where you are.
