Farewell 2010–Post 2: Be Here Now

The day before New Year’s Eve seems a fitting time to think about the present; the year is practically over but the new year has yet to begin.  There is one problem with writing about travel in the present–and I don’t mean the confusion of verb tenses (though I do have my own issues with that).  You see, right now I’m not traveling anywhere.  I’m sitting at my desk, glass of cheap white box wine to the right of my mouse, legs curled up in what I’ve determined is the most attractive but least ergonomically correct antique desk chair that exists on earth.

But that doesn’t mean that right now–as in today, December 30th, 2010–I’m not doing anything travel related.  I’m planning a number of trips–Disney with the mother, Universal with the husband, Disney yet again for research purposes, and a handful of short and long summer trips that will likely involve cruise ships–and each day that takes an effort.  Maybe not the typical effort involved in trip planning–looking up flights and hotels and the like–but making daily decisions that will make travel possible.

For example, the husband and I just got back from the store where we purchased makings for an at-home New Year’s Eve dinner.  Did we spend more than we typically do at a grocery store?  Of course–we got fancy cheese and two nice bottles of wine, and that’s just for the ‘before’ dinner part.  But did we spend less than we would have going out on New Year’s Eve?  Absolutely.  Why?  Because every dollar saved–saved RIGHT NOW, in the present–is one more dollar that can be added to the pile of ‘money for travel’, or, even better, ‘money for when travel (and writing) is what I do’, rather than ‘how I escape from what I do’.

Which brings me to my next present moment occupation–I’m working on a book proposal for a book in which I believe quite strongly (yes, that’s awkward grammar, but unfortunately it is correct grammar–no wonder my 8th graders hate Grammar Mondays!)  It is my true belief that this is something that will take me into 2011, and hopefully beyond.  But that’s all a story for Farewell 2010–Post 3:  Welcome 2011.