when the travel itch kicks in and yet can’t be subdued, it’s said the scratch of a pen can ease wanderlust. and so i return to this dusty old blog, as i tend to do between seasons and sojourns, to scribble out something that makes messy seem glamourous and restlessness appear admirable.
Fall arrived today. Walked out my door this morning and BAM! there it was - filling my nostrils, caressing my cheeks, teasing me with a comfortable cool. Autumn shouldn’t be trusted. She brings all sorts of beginnings -- freshly-sharpened pencils and new semesters, sweater sales and crisp breezes -- but after a fleeting fall romance leaves you cold, frumpy and wondering what happen to all those daylight hours. Like any heartbreak, though, she should be embraced and appreciated to her fullest while it lasts. So bring it on, autumn, your holiday parties and all.
Like a squirrel, I’m using autumn to gather, horde and plot. But instead of collecting nuts or fluffing my drey, I’m taking inventory of loose ends and stringing them together as resourcefully as I can. Not sure where the countdown is leading, but the countdown is on. Like a boat person string-together plastic bottles, I’m hoping the wreckage of my transition back to the US will craft a fantastic mode of transportation to elsewhere. And against which moderately-temperatured climate does my escapist fantasy play out this year? The usual suspects, of course: Cairo, Tokyo, Southern California... New obsessions, too: Tel Aviv, a hodgepodge of less developed island countries, Costa Rica. Some criteria are essential: coastline, access to fresh fruits or vegetables, cash-based economy. Suggestions welcomed. Bonus points for proximity to the equator and ability to wear skirts.
