I did have a wonderful xmas and new years vacation, with my family in Europe. We got snow and cold, which is to be expected, and for a few weeks subsequent every morning I would look out the window expecting another pleasant surprise of snow. As sophisticated and advanced as Europe might claim to be, at least some cities are dramatically sub-par when it comes to insulation and weatherization - a modest investment in double-pane windows and sealing doors would go a long way!
But that has nothing to do with the beauty. Rockwell would be masturbating in his grave over Xmases like these. I went to Xmas markets full of mind-blowing handcrafted beauties, delicious treats, and various intoxicating drinks, enhanced by lighting and atmosphere and architecture that took debauched aristocracies, embedded traditions, and floods of tourists to sustain. To say nothing of a history and buildings that were old before America was born.
America owes a profound debt of origin to Europe, separate from it's 20th century liberations and betrayals, that is nowhere in play, in current political discussions. Furthermore, America would be well-served by aspiring to the standard of living enjoyed by Europeans, in terms of health-care, education, social benefits, and a stable work-force. Instead, we're going to spend 2011 arguing about idiocies like the morality of homosexuality, abortion, immigration, evolution, climate change, and the obviously malicious fallacy of trickle-down economics.
But let's skip that too. My last most beautiful moment is a bit too intimate to share here. But my next most beautiful moment is incumbent, inevitable, and as-yet undetermined. I was glad to come back to the US because that's where the things I care about are. I had projects here that I couldn't wait to get back to. And I'm grateful that I am now. Most trips I take, I wonder why I come back, but to know that now my place is here, is a profound luxury.
So admittedly, I don't know what my next most beautiful thing will be. What's yours?