Looking toward 2011

Las Vegas (twice), San Jose, Minneapolis, Seattle, Tunis Tunisia, Paris France, Washington DC (twice) , San Diego (lots), Santa Barbara (twice), Boston, St. Louis

I know I am forgetting some places but that’s what they get for being forgettable. Regardless, for someone who was going to cut back on her travel I’ve traveled a lot this year. So far, I have one trip scheduled for 2011, for Honolulu, a second likely right after for North Dakota ( talk about contrasts!) and it seems likely I may be in San Diego quite a bit.

For once I actually paid attention to the reverb10 prompt

December 25 – Photo – a present to yourself

Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be.

Since 60% of my life is at a computer or teaching judo, I thought of that. My kids are the first, second and last priority in my life so I thought of a photo of them.

I noticed that more than one day had photos of this exact spot – me standing on the rocks at the beach off Gladstone’s in Malibu, far past the signs that say

“Do not climb on rocks.”

There are other photos of me climbing on the rocks in the Santa Monica mountains. There were no photos this morning of me doing what I have done 1000 times, swimming back and forth in a hotel pool, thinking. I tend to do some of my best thinking while exercising.

I’m flying home from visiting old friends and family. I saw my best friend on Thursday. We have been friends since I was 15 years old. When she first met my husband, about a dozen years ago, she asked ,

“So, is she still doing that thing where she re-examines her life?”

My husband laughed and answered ,

“Every day.”

That is, indeed, me, always looking forward to see what I want to do next. If Socrates was right that the unexamined life is not worth living then I should live to be at least a million.

Sometimes, I take the time to look out at the ocean, or, like today, looking down on the lights of whatever city that is, sitting in first class, drinking Chardonnay, typing this on my iPad with in-flight wi-fi thinking how much of this would have been fantasy or science fiction when I was in one of my many visits to juvenile hall 38 years ago, on my way home to a Christmas dinner in Santa Monica cooked by my wonderful daughters and I realize …. my goal in life is to be just where I am.

Merry Christmas.