Thursday, October 27, 2011

Turn and Face the Strange

photo by Jan Siebold




I recently returned from a trip to New York City and New England.  I am always amazed at travel's power to transform my life and my writing.  I begin each journey still tethered to the routines and rituals of everyday life at home.  As I travel farther away those ties are quickly broken, and I revel in the new and the unfamiliar.  As much as I am excited about natural wonders, I am even more drawn to places where the human spirit is evident .... the World Trade Center Memorial site, art installations along the Hudson River Parkway, a cellist at the Chelsea Market, the High Line path on NYC's West Side.  I am reminded that possibilities are endless and that there is beauty and strength in the triumph over obstacles and adversity.  I return home from each trip with a pocketsize notebook full of revelations and ideas.  My travels do not always take me to far away and exotic places.  There are places to discover just around the corner.  The trick is to take the first steps.  In the words of David Bowie ... "turn and face the strange."  The rewards will be immeasurable.