Taking a Day

Taking a Day

I am something in between a workaholic and a lazy bastard. I truly do not know which of the extremes is more prevalent. I know I have worked for forty-three years mostly non-stop. I had several instances when I could have and perhaps should have reasonably taken a break from work of something like six months. There was always something that drove me to keep working or, most often, jump into my next interesting situation. But today I am taking a day off. It was an accident, but who cares why it came to pass. I got my dates confused and I booked our return from Istanbul and our TTE (Terrific Turkey Experience) a day later than necessary. By the time I realized the discrepancy, I had to travel to Milan for a business meeting on my way home and it was simply more convenient to stay in Istanbul at the Four Seasons Bosphorus than to hassle with the flight changes. I knew Kim would find shopping to do (she’s out there now spurring on the Turkish economy despite the recently imposed sanctions from the Sultan of Stupidity Trump). I, in turn, am sitting at the pool all alone except for an anxious-to-please pool attendant and a sunny view over a not-too-busy Bosphorus.

Last night we were treated as a group to a two-hour Bosphorus Cruise. What a regal experience to have a motor yacht pull right up to the dock at the Four Seasons and have us trot out from our meeting place in the lobby to the waiting crew who helped us on board. We tooted up the Bosphorus to the Rumelihisarı Fort and then turned to run with the wind back out to the opening of the Golden Horn. This was all done with refreshments and snacks, comfortable cushioned seats and lots of good guide info on what we were viewing (Kaz knows every inch of this shoreline), not to mention goodbye chatter amongst the participants who had almost all bonded over the fortnight of adventure.

A light hotel dinner, Venmo cost sharing, currency arbitrage transactions to shed pockets of unwanted Lira to those of us staying behind, and it was off to bed for everyone. The pick-ups started at 00:30 and ran to 9:30 with people heading to Arizona, Chicago, NewYork, New Hampshire, and Rome. What a globetrotting crew!

Off to the left I see the 1973 Bosphorus bridge that first connected Europe and Asia. To the right is the Old Town of Sultanahmet, with the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque all in silhouette against a hazy and hot sky. The tour boats go by every 5 minutes or so, some empty and some full. Lots of sight-seeing on this amazing body of water.

I am in awe of my good fortune, and I do mean that to imply that I am a lucky man on many levels. First and foremost, I am lucky to have met my lovely wife Kim fifteen years ago and found someone who I genuinely like being alone with. We share the same likes and dislikes across the board, she is highly regarded by all who meet her and spend time with her and she’s just plain fun to be around. But I was also lucky to have been born when and where I was born. I see these people working in the potato fields of central Turkey and think that while they are not impoverished or hungry, they live very narrow lives. Many have probably never even been to Istanbul, nor may ever find their way here. They know little of the world and generally can spare only a moment or two to think beyond their task at hand and where their next meal will come from. It may be a perfectly satisfying life in a Maslowian sense, but there is little more to it. There are plenty of people in the U.S. who are in the same place.

And then I think of Kaz, who also came from central Turkey. His was not a potato farming existence, but his life would have been much smaller had he not taken a test for a private school in Istanbul and gained admission. At the age of eleven he changed his stars as Heath Ledger would say in A Knight’s Tale.

I wish I could say the internet and mass media was opening everyone’s eyes as Kaz’s eyes were opened, but I think it provides as many excuses to not travel as it does to spur travel. You can see everything we saw on this Turkey Tour in photos and even videos. Soon, VR and AR (virtual and augmented reality) will further add to this alternate reality and cause more to wonder why they should take the risks of travel. We seem headed for the world of Total Recall if we are not careful. With everyone heralding the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), there is talk that the need for labor will dramatically be reduced. We will have moved from a manufacturing force to an information force to a service force to no force required. I don’t have the capacity to worry about my great grandchildren, but I certainly do not wish that for my grandchildren.

And I see now that the push for climate change abatement has started to dig into air travel. Greta Thunberg wants all of us to stop flying and to travel in sustainable ways…or perhaps not at all. A very British activist group has quantified how much more travel results from frequent flyer programs and they propose banning them. Would those of us who want to travel really be put off by that? I suspect not.

At one moment I revel in my ability to do work, communicate and get current on world affairs all from my iPhone and iPad while staring at the Bosphorus. The next moment I see where it might lead and it makes me glad to have lived at a time when I got to enjoy BOTH real and virtual reality. I am glad I was born in America to a bootstrapping mother who believed in both seizing opportunities and sharing those opportunities with others less fortunate. I am glad to have lived in a world where I have been able see the greatest part of it first-hand and live. I love the adventure of life and yet I enjoy getting the opportunity to take a day and reflect on it.