On Yahoo just now, I stumbled across this headline, “Eight New Natural Wonders Named.” And I thought, didn’t we just get the New 7 last year?

Turns out this article is referring to a World Heritage list of natural sites in the world we should appreciate and help to preserve. The total count is apparently 878 right now. Memorizing that list would take a lot longer than one month in fifth grade, which is when I have a vague memory of memorizing the Original 7. After doing a little research today, though, I have no idea what list I actually would have memorized back then. There are so many of them! The Ancient Wonders, the Natural Wonders, the Modern Wonders, the NEW Modern Wonders. Lest you wonder if our world is packed completely full of amazing, inspirational beauties – both man and God-made – just hop on over to Wikipedia’s Wonders of the World page, and you’ll be convinced otherwise. There are so many beautiful things to see and experience, no one can even decide on a standard theme.

The New 7 I referred to earlier were chosen by a committee organized through USA Today and Good Morning America. Did you know one of these 7 is the internet? The internet. Isn’t that like putting the New York City public transit system on a list of must-see attractions? I mean, I get it. But . . . really?

I have always considered the Grand Canyon one of the world’s big wonders, and fortunately found it on several of the lists. It became the 8th wonder as voted on by viewers in the Good Morning America list above. It is also one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World and one of the 10 Natural TRAVEL Wonders. Yea, I don’t know how those are different since we all have to travel to get to pretty much any of the wonders on any of the lists.

What if we didn’t have to though? Do you live close to a wonder from any of the lists? That would be something to be proud of I think. Something to keep you inspired. And I guess, well, that makes me sort of come around to the whole idea of letting the Internet make the list.

Anyway, do a little research of your own and check out some of the wonders named in these lists. Surely each of us can find some way to visit at least one. Can you say “graduation trips“?