Yesterday, The New York Post ran a fun and fluffy piece about celebrities and their travel resolutions for 2009. American teen actress Taylor Momsen (Gossip Girl) longs for tropical islands and brilliant British thespian Ralph Fiennes is intrigued by the Trans Siberian Express. Two very different itineraries with their own charm.
However, it was Aussie movie director Baz Luhrmann's (Moulin Rouge, Australia, Strictly Ballroom) response that really captured my attention.
"I'm going to do a walkabout. That's the Aboriginal idea of going on a sort of spiritual journey where you leave all of your material stuff behind and you go walking - you go traveling and you leave all of this behind. I want to leave my title, my name, who I am behind. And the Aboriginals say, 'Until you find the other half of yourself that you've lost, then you have a good talk with yourself and you become one again, and then you can go on with life.' So, I need to go on that kind of journey."
Amen. I can't make it to Australia right now but I would love to embark on my own version of a walkabout. No computer. No cell phone. Not even a little black dress. Just a few days of walking and thinking. A walkabout sounds like a perfect way to gain clarity and perspective at the start of the new year. At the end of the journey, I can only imagine feeling energized and prepared to face the year's hopes and challenges.
PS. Baz Luhrmann's travel resolution reminds me of a book that a friend recommended to me a few years ago - Mutant Message Down Under. Written by Marlo Morgan, the story revolves around an American woman's walkabout in the Australian outback. I feel inspired to read it again. And, I would love to hear from anyone who has been on a walkabout.