G-a-a-a-wd, I hate jet lag! For me east to west travel over multiple time zones renders my capacity to function productively to zilch. And it lasts for days and days and days. I tell you this as an apology for what I am about to pen, even though I don’t know what that is yet.

I‘ve thrown a dart at the internet and landed on the “benefits of travel” for which there are many writings. (At this moment, I question.) From mind-expanding new experiences, to redefining ourselves in relation to a different context, to a break from routine, it is widely thought that travel is good for us. And our desires to do so, to explore the unknown, to seek out the new and to see what we’ve imagined in real life have even religious connotations—think pilgrimage.

Reflecting on my recent holiday I’ve tried to pinpoint the most compelling parts of the journey. One of the things I like best is figuring out how to get from one new place to another and still allow for surprises along the way. Having a destination but only some idea of how to get there, exploring the things in between, changing the plan and then stopping to drink it all in and consider what might be best next is much of what makes up a travel day. It’s that process that is illuminating and satisfying for me. And oh, by the way, it’s much like the painting process.

Happy to know that a journey of discovery is as close as paper and paint. And even happier that it doesn’t involve jet lag. With hopes that the circadian rhythms sort themselves out soon, wishing you all a Happy New Year!