Proud to be an American ( No question mark today!)

A follow-up to yesterday’s post

As I said yesterday, if you know me, you know I love scrolling on TikTok. And what I’ve been loving watching recently are all the posts from people who have never been to this country before and are now here to watch the World Cup matches. I am tickled pink at seeing this country through the eyes of their experiences, what they’ve been told about America, and then experiencing our country through a new lens and mindset.

Yesterday was a bit of a snarky, backhanded Proud to be an American post because I lamented about the bigger, better, even bigger mentality of overconsumption America possesses. The visitors I’ve been watching have been in awe of the size of restaurant meals and the portions. They are thrilled about the free refill policy of so many eateries for drinks because they don’t have that where they live. They have gone into Walmarts and Costcos and been gobsmacked at not only the variety of items you can purchase, but the variation. One Brit was dumbfounded that Walmart had thirty-seven ( he counted) varieties of different cereals. Then he counted the brand variations, like Special K with strawberries as opposed to just Special K, and came up with over 75 varieties.

Yeah. Dumbstruck at something that I don’t even notice.

But what really got me thinking were the posts where the tourists were visiting our landmarks.

Sedona at sunset, the majestic oranges, reds, and yellows beautifully shining against the lowering sun backdrop.

Their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and all her majesty in New York Harbor.

The Golden Gate Bridge.

Mount Rushmore.

The US Capitol.

Boston Harbor exhibits.

The St Louis Gateway Arch.

The Grand Canyon.

They are all in awe at things I take for granted.

So today, I’m stopping that.

America the Beautiful is not only a song (which I feel should be our national anthem!) but also a truth. Our country is gorgeous from the natural beauty of our national parks, the functioning waterways and bodies of water, to the man-made structures erected to exemplify the glory of this land.

I am proud to be an American.

There is one South African guy who is in Alabama, and he came upon a city park that had an open-air gym in the center of it, where you could work out. He marvled that there was no graffiti; that the equipment was all working and not vandalized; that it was free and open to anyone who wanted to use it, including a humble visitor from South Africa. He said in his country, something like this wouldn’t survive a day. It would be vandalized and corrupted upon completion.

How sad.

But just another reminder about why I love this country.

And yes, I can love my country and despise the morons running it right now.

If you are on TikTok, do yourself a favor and find some of these posts. You won’t be sorry. You may even laugh or shed a grateful tear or two for living in such a magnificent country.