Thoughts for 2007

I felt a lack of clear New Year's resolutions this year. But last night I started thinking more about them. My friend Kate and I were on an old 1970s Soviet-built train from Istanbul to Sofia, Bulgaria. It was a blast from the past, reminiscent of how the Orient Express may have felt. Despite the lackluster sleeping car and frequent bangs on the door to wake up and trek outside with our passports to get stamped, there was something refreshing about going backwards in time a bit. Experiencing travel from a more basic vantage point. And having the luxury of a little bit of extra time to get from one city to the next and take in what was in between, rather than simply fly from one major city to the next. Anyway, this groggy late-night thinking got me focused on igniting similar experiences this year, slowing down when one can to process travel or every day life through a slower, more authentic lens. Of course, Dubai living and its obsession with modernity isn't exactly conducive to this, but hey, the first weeks of the year are all about idealism.