What's the Greatest Wonder of the World?

This past month, I traveled to Arizona with my favorite husband, Rice. We visited Sedona, Secret Antelope Canyon, and the Grand Canyon—all for the first time. Was the Grand Canyon everything we’d hoped? Yes, absolutely. Do I think it’s the greatest wonder of the world? How would I know? There are so many others I’ve yet to see.

Ever since Rice and I decided to dive into our own 50-State Project (around 2020 or so), we’ve begun the practice of deconstructing our trips together. Sometimes we do this while we’re still on the road. Other times, we wait until once we’re home. Either way, I pull out a  handy-dandy steno pad and write frenetic notes as we rehash our memories of the trip. Not the stunning memories that a camera can capture. (Trust me, we treasure those as well.) What I’m talking about here is everyday moments, the minutia we experience together in a flash, and then we move on.

A recurring theme we see in our musings is this: We don’t always feel drawn to the same attractions. (Imagine that.) Take this recent trip, for instance. If we had it to do again, Rice would like to spend more time at the Grand Canyon itself. He isn’t so sure he’d make the drive to get from Sedona to Page to see the Secret Antelope Canyon. The car ride was long, I agree. But if we hadn’t driven to Page to tour the Secret Canyon, I wouldn’t have known the magic of hiking through a slot canyon as the sun’s angles change its wall’s colors with every step. I’d have missed out on seeing Horseshoe Bend, which was a true wonder in my book.

Over the years, we sure have enjoyed some beautiful journeys. The Highway 1 Scenic Route in California … Niagara Falls … Mount Rushmore … Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier … North Carolina’s Chimney Rock …

I could go on. We’ve truly been blessed to see so much of our country—and beyond. Sometimes when I’m weary of travel, I remind myself that we’re healthy and mobile. We still have many more marvels—and much minutia—to see and experience before our tickers give out. (I know, knock on wood.)

Maybe the greatest wonder is this: If we’re lucky enough to grow old, we humans become like a canyon, a witness to time’s steady flow. We all weather differently, depending on how our lives evolve. We become a testament of forces we may not know, not by dwelling on the  indignities of aging but rather by clinging to our inner child’s sense of curiosity and awe.

That’s how I hope it’ll work out for me…if I ever manage to grow up.

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If you’d like to laugh over more adventures of Honey and Rice, look for One Wrong Turn at a Time: How We Navigated Fifty States, Forty-Five Years & One Marriage, coming your way on May 16th in eBook and paperback format. 

In this sometimes laugh-out-loud memoir, a couple fumbles their way through wrong turns and unexpected detours, turning life’s potholes into a quirky, heartwarming roadmap of love, resilience, and connection.

Learn more about it by visiting https://www.janheidrichrice.com/books.