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Been there, done that

By PAT WICK

© Another Day in the Country

I'm not sure when Life Magazine put out a publication with the 100 top must-see places in the world, since I first saw it just the other day. Curious as to whether or not I'd seen any of these "must-see" spots, I paged through and discovered that I'd seen 12 of them. Twelve out of 100, that leaves 86 to go and at my age that means I'd have to cover a whole bunch of them every year if I intended to see them all. In fact, I'd probably not get much else done other than sightseeing.

"How many of these wonderful 12 sites that I've seen," I wondered to myself, "would I ever want to go back and see?" Or is it like other things in life? We do them, we see them, we experience them and then, "Been there. Done that." No need for repeats.

There are quite a few "been there — done that" kind of things in my life. School, for instance. I've graduated several times, even went back later in life to jump some of those hoops. At one time, I thought I wanted to get my doctorate in psychology, but once I graduated with my master's degree, I said, "Been there. Done that."

Having children was a wonderful experience. I'm so glad that I did, but if given the chance to have more children, I'm afraid I'd have to say, "Been there. Done that." Same thing with marriage — a wonderful concept — but at my stage in life, "Been there. Done that."

Flipping through the pages of the Life publication, I came across Yellowstone Park — beautiful place. "Been there. Done that." The Grand Canyon with all of its grandeur, "Been there — several times. Done that."

"Would you drive out of your way to see the Grand Canyon again?" I asked Tooltime Tim. "Nah," he said, "Been there. Done that."

The Taj Mahal was on the list of "100 things you must see." It's breathtakingly beautiful even without water in the reflecting pool — as was the case when I was there. Would I go back? "I'd go back to India, but there are other things I would want to see. Been there. Done that."

The Statue of Liberty is on the list. Been there. Done that. The country of Belize with the blue hole in the ocean off its shores that is a paradise for divers. "Been there. Done that."

The island of Bali is on the list — the vacation paradise that my sister is visiting at this very moment. It's one of the most wonderful places that I've seen and I would go back in a moment, if I had the opportunity.

Going back, however, revisiting the wonders of the world that we've already experienced, is often not what we anticipate. It's never the same. It has to be re-experienced on each return visit as an occasion of its own.

The only place that I've ever been — although not listed in the Life publication as one of those coveted 100 spots you must see — that has not changed with each revisit, is Ramona! That's what I used to like about this town. I could come. I could go. When I returned, Ramona was just the same. That's what my dad was afraid of when we suggested he and Mom come back and live with us in Ramona. He was worried that the town would be just like he remembered in the '30s — an impoverished and sometimes petty little place. "Been there. Done that." said Dad as he dug in his heels.

It's another day in the country, and I've got some things to explore in this part of the world that equal the Hong Kong skyline and the beaches of Du Bai. There's these spectacular Kansas sunsets and the wheat fields turned to gold, the grand vista of 360 degrees of skyline, and the wonder of finding a killdeere's nest in the gravel by the side of the road. Still haven't had the urge, in Ramona, to say, "Been there. Done that."

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