With the holidays dwindling down and the old year coming to an end, the Urchins look forward to the new year, and we want to share with you what excites us most about 2012.
Possibilities. By the time 2012 arrives, I will have been travelling around New Zealand for almost three months. I’m not sure when I’ll leave or where I’ll go next, but that’s the best part, because it means anything is possible. In 2012, I might go to Asia, I might go to London, I might go to Norway, or I might hop from farm to farm around New Zealand, breathing in clean air and watching hazy summer sunsets. I might pick apples or I might experience a real-life Kiwi version of The Office. I might subsist on rice and beans three meals a day while I work or I might feast on fresh tropical fruit, or both. After two years of 9-5ing in Vermont, I’m finally exactly where I want to be: anywhere I want.
Let me explain Durango, Colorado. A national forest or wilderness area is literally within walking distance or a very, very short drive. There are hiking, climbing, backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing opportunities galore! This year, I am looking forward to learning how to backcountry snowboard, climbing more, and buying my own bicycle. And did I mention? Bicycle commuting is not only accepted but almost expected in Durango. So, yes, 2012 will be the year of adventure.
Coincidentally, the last half of 2011 marked moves for all three of us. Sarah from Vermont to New Zealand, Margaret from New Mexico to Colorado, and me from Los Angeles to New York City. The move was a goal of mine for a couple of years, but no amount of planning can prepare you for the fast, sometimes manic, unpredictability of New York City. In that regard, I felt like I threw myself into a hot pan. January will begin my year of simmering, if you will. I look forward to accepting whatever it is New York City will offer me, whether it’s handed to me with a smile or thrown at me with a scowl. 2012 will be another year of growing, adjustment, and surprises.
What are you looking forward to in 2012?
Love everyone’s moving around! Maybe we’ll run into one of you Urchins on the road — next spring my husband and I will get ourselves on the road similar to Sarah’s doing — no definite destination (though we’ll start in Toronto), seeing how the wind takes us! Yay travel!