In Defense of Magic and the Blog

Christmas in transit - Hong Kong International Airport, ca. 5 am

Merry Christmas to you all! Here's a tiny quote I wanted to share with you when I saw it.

"I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit... What business have I in the woods, if I am thinking of something out of the woods?"

- Henry David Thoreau, Walking

I hope this season finds you and your family well. I know a lot has happened in recent months, so I am glad if you are getting some downtime to relax, travel, or be with family (or all three!). Wherever you are, I hope that you also get to fully be there in spirit. Bless you.

I don't know if you noticed, but for a brief period a couple months ago, I pulled this blog down. I felt it had had a good run, but it was time to move on. Call it 'executive action' if you want (a joke that seemed adequately current when I first started writing this post).

But the thing is, where would I be without my blog? Without my little corner of the interwebs? Without a small piece of my very own virtual space while I'm still looking for a real-world one. This blog started as a way for me to record the little moments, the grand directions, and the minor revelations... the magic, in other words, that I encountered in my everyday life.

I hope it will continue to do so. Because without a place where I can be thankful and share it with the people I love, I would just be moving through life without really being there in spirit. And that is quite a sad thing. So I'm keeping the blog up.

On that note, here's the tiny Christmas message I'd like to repeat to all of you for these next few days and for the many, many more to come: be where you are when you're there. Be one with what's happening in your life. Share the joy of it all with those around (or those you'd like to surround) you. There's a lot to be said for believing in the magic of the world, so take a moment also to be grateful for all that you have. (In the words of my four-year-old cousin, "get what you get, and don't get upset".)

On my part, I have been through a few highs and lows this year, one of which almost resulted in me pulling this blog down forever. And while I will continue to focus some of my energies on the bigger projects I want to achieve (photo-essays and other published work), I'm keeping the blog right where it is. It's my happy place; a place that reminds me of the magic, the blessings, and all the love in my life. So if it has ever brought even the smallest of smiles to any of you, I feel I have accomplished so much more than I set out to. Cheers to that, and a very happy 2015 to you!