I must say that I am tad bit saddened by the departure of 2007. It has been a good year on all fronts, full of movement and travel and experience. My only regret is not being able to get back to Korea, but there is always 2008.
I just took a drive through Princeton at dusk, that wonderful orange-purple haze hugging the horizon. As always, my first thought when encountering such beauty is why am I always alone when it happens. It is just something you want to share with others. Perhaps if I was with others I wouldn’t notice it. There’s the rub of being human, I suppose.
Korea was like that, as well. Those long journeys across the Pacific, a thousand airports, a thousand connections and nothing but Brian Eno to carry me through. It was always those moments that made me yearn for some company. Once, my friend and I did the trip together, separating for our separate hometowns in Chicago. That was bliss.
By the way, Incheon International Airport is my all-time favorite. It was a wonderful place to collect your thoughts in the sparse end of the terminal. O’Hare or JFK was always a rude awakening and Norita (Tokyo) was a little too cramped and hectic. The big stuffed bear in Anchorage was novel, as were the reindeer hot dogs served there. Newark stands as my least favorite. I have never had a flight arrive or leave on time there, a trend that I am sure will continue in 2008.
Now, Jen and I travel together and 2007 has seen us do a lot of that. She is an ideal travel companion, calm and collective, as tranquil as a Hindu cow. Hopefully, 2008 will carry us far afoot together. Always together. I don’t have too much desire to travel alone anymore.
So, with that, I wish you all the best in 2008. May it bring me to your door or you to mine. You are always welcome.
All the best.