After a longer than expected hiatus for more reasons than I care to recount, I hope to get back to a more regular schedule of posts. Sorry for the prolonged absence.
As the first post of 2013, I guess this is inevitably redolent of the looking-back/looking-forward posts that I generally loathe. But, since I did move the site to WordPress last year, some reflection proves necessary. I like the look of the site better than when I first launched it, so I will keep it for now. I will likely forego adding any of my fiction at this time in order to keep the focus on the blog, but I do still want to add a few photo galleries. The best part has been that – despite how neglectful I’ve been – traffic has been up since the switch as WordPress offers features that make the site easier to find (unlike iWeb).
Now for the forward looking: what prompted this post in particular was a recent New York Times article on 2013 travel. I have to admit that my first reaction to the article was melancholy since I don’t have any specific travel plans yet for the year, but I got over that quickly and took a closer look at the list to see the places listed and why.
It’s a bit of a mishmash of countries and cities, and no rationale is given for the number of listings (which seems high at 46). But it did make me long to return to some favorite locales of the past (Amsterdam, Istanbul, Vernazza) and reminded me of other long-awaited destinations as yet unseen (Puerto Rico, Croatia).
Traveling remains in large part aspirational; I hope there are always places left I want to see, spots within familiar places undiscovered. I never want to limit my dreams because of the restrictions of my present reality. And there is something dreamlike about travel, whether it involves climbing onto a plane and soaring into the sky or embarking upon a seemingly endless road with something previously unknown at the other end.
If you are lucky enough to discover a new destination this year – even one not approved by the New York Times – savor the experience and appreciate the journey for the endless opportunities for wonder it affords. Happy 2013!