As a native Austinite, I surely have a biased and overly-sentimental attachment to the great republic of Texas and, in particular, to the capitol city. I grant all that. Even so, I’ve become increasingly impatient with people who complain about where they live. This applies more broadly than just to Austin. I’m convinced that any place on earth has a certain charm or beauty waiting to be discovered. The issue is one of attention. If we see a place as boring or ugly, the problem is likely one of perspective. Seeing the beauty of the place where one lives is, I think, a spiritual practice—a demanding discipline—of attending.