Ok I’m a slacker on Stray Frames and, frankly, a slacker on personal photos for these two months. I even went all the way over to Europe and barely cracked the camera. What can I say? I’ve got a husband to take the cellphone snapshots and also a husband I’d have to drag around to wait patiently on me to get the street stuff I want (I generally leave the postcard-photos to the masters and those that have the luxury of time).
Here’s what happens every winter: I look at my calendar with so much empty space and I say “dang, I’m going to be sooooo bored.” I then proceed to say “yes” to my every tiny whim. For instance, this winter, I was simultaneously taking classes or self-directing learning in calligraphy, Judaism, ceramics, Java programming, guitar and yoga.
Travel is a strange thing. The way I do it, it’s work. You get up early, go hard, eat exotic foods because they are exotic, stay up late and sleep in less-than-desirable conditions. And you drag your husband around on your agenda because you are the planner. It’s rewarding in quite indescribable ways. I’m a different person than I was a few years back before we started traveling constantly. Seeing the world gives you new perspectives, new ideas. It’s enlightening. And exhausting. And sometimes delightful. But also sometimes miserable. It’s a big world. I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to see some of it.