Dreaming of Travel

“Once the travel bug bites,

there is no known antidote,

and I know that I shall be happily infected

until the end of my life.”

~ Michael Palin ~

I've mentioned a few times that I don't mind this quarantine…and I really don't! I like being at home. SOOOOOO much.

That's true when the alternative is going to work.

I'm thrilled to stay at home and not go to work – and I mean physically going to work, not doing work, because I like doing work and being productive! I've actually been working a ton during this quarantine, and it's been amazing being able to do it at home. Making the change to teaching online has not been without its frustrations, but being at home, in my own space, controlling the temperature, playing music whenever I want, and having Ginny with me is indescribably wonderful.

You know those people who win the lottery and then just go back to their regular job? I don't understand those people. AT. ALL. That would not be me, not only because I'd rather be at home than at work, but also because C and I would be on a flight out of town, off to see the world.

And this is what is proving to be the most challenging part of the quarantine for me: not being able to travel.

I'm well aware that this is the epitome of a "first world problem."

Nonetheless, this is what's difficult for me right now. It's not being unable to go to stores or restaurants. To me, those are nothing more than minor inconveniences.

But not being able to go somewhere else – to hop in the car and take a road trip or book a flight for a weekend getaway – that's what I'm missing right now.

We were supposed to be in Quebec City this week for spring break, but we had to cancel that trip.

We had a trip to WDW planned at the end April and another planned in May, both of which have been cancelled.

I have two more trips planned to WDW in June – one with my mom that includes a cruise and another with C – and I have no doubt those will be cancelled.

Beyond June, who knows...we have trips planned, but only time will tell in terms of whether those transpire.

No one needs to tell me how important it is to stay home. I'm scared for my mom's health every moment of the day.

But I also think that it's more than ok for me – and for anyone else – to be disappointed that plans have changed. That things we'd been looking forward to doing and places we'd been looking forward to going are no longer options. Being disappointed doesn't mean we don't realize we are in the middle of a terrifying health crisis. It just means we are human.

Sooner or later, things will get back to normal. We'll be able to leave our homes, shop, go out to eat, and socialize. When that time comes, C and I will be booking trips we are currently daydreaming about. It's been fun to research places on our bucket list and plan future travel.

In the meantime, we have thousands of photos of past trips to tide us over, include these ones from a few summers ago. We've been extremely fortunate to see some beautiful places on this spectacular planet, but Crater Lake National Park is pretty much my favorite spot ever.

Happy Tails to you!