It's a pretty amazing world.

It's a pretty amazing world. Have just spent the last week on this arid little island in the South Caribbean. 10,000 people live there, and apparently it's really busy right now. But you could walk the street at night and count the people you'd see on one hand. Burros wander the streets and you look up and see nothing but bazillions of stars.

Through the magic of air travel, I'm now back in New York, another little island, not so arid and there are people everywhere. Horns honking. No burros, but burrito shops if you know where to look for them. You look up and see the Empire State Building and airplanes in line to land at 3 airports. I never get over going away and then coming back here and realizing it's where I live. As much as it gets to me sometimes -- the noise, the hustle, the hassle of it all -- I come back from my little adventures with such an awe of the city. I'm grateful to be able to live here, and so grateful to be able to get away as much as I do. It's a good balance.

I spent a lot of time "microdiving" this past week -- just hanging out on top of a reef and watching what happens instead of swimming about, trying to find the next cool thing to look at. It's amazing how many things you see when you stop looking for them. The most beautiful colors. The most amazing coral formations and sponges, with little fish swimming in and out of the crevices. Baby spotted moray eels popping their heads out of cracks, looking for something to eat. So much life just swimming and crawling about -- not fighting the currents or the surge, just going along for the ride and being alive.

I really have to remember to do that here in the city as well -- "microdive." There's so much going on, but if you just hover and breathe, there is beauty in the minutia and the interaction of it all is truly amazing.

Oh sure, there's a buttload of ugly here too, but we'll just focus on the pretty colors for now.