Another week has come and gone for me here in our Nation’s Capital, and with it the month of April is coming swiftly to a close. I have spent the entire month under quarantine here at home, and I know many of you have been shut in longer than I have. It has definitely become a “new normal” for me, and this week I’ve started to fall into a good rhythm and routine. I’ve also come to terms with the idea of being here for a while and am trying to make the best of it.
First off, I know how incredibly lucky I am to be in the situation I’m in. My folks have been willing to take me in for an indefinite amount of time. They have retirement income and no mortgage to worry about and we all have enough space to not be under each other’s feet all the time. I myself have no debt and really no bills to speak of and because I cut my winter travel plans way short, I still have a reasonable amount of savings in the bank. All of this is good news because as long as this will last for the country, it will last significantly longer for the travel industry. I would be surprised if there’s any real work for me at all this year. I am trying to scout out a few writing gigs and maybe some virtual guiding, but as far as multi-week face to face stuff, it could be a while.
That being said, I’m hoping to get back out on my own this fall on this journey, Lord willing, and am starting to make some tentative plans as to where to go. I am not going to do too much planning in that regard because it’s all too tentative right now, but it’s nice to dream a little bit. I’m always happy when I have my atlas out in front of me and am looking at all the places I want to go and see, even if that’s all I can do right now.
This week I’ve put myself on a schedule to try and keep myself from being too distracted. This will at least give me some concrete plans and goals for the short term, and keep me moving in the right direction. I have done at least some writing every day, and have even (finally) started writing my book about the first 18 months and 10 states of this journey. It’s actually made me smile to think back to the challenges of those first few weeks and the cold, short November West Virginia days. They were tough days, but good ones. I’ve set aside an hour a day to work on it, and have three whole chapters written at this point. My goal is to just smash through it, and then take my time refining and editing it.
I’ve also been enjoying getting out and taking photos around my neighborhood when the sun is out. It’s been nice to look around and try and get the right angles on things. Spring is progressing here in Washington, as early spring flowers are disappearing and late spring flowers are starting to bloom. We’ve been getting enough rain to keep everything green and fresh, but not too much as to be overly depressing.
It’s also been good to spend time looking through some older photos as I try and organize them into something reasonable on my computer. I’ve been editing some while I go and hope to get around to many more in the months to come. I’m looking into some different ways to sell them and into some photo contests that I might finally have time to enter. I’m even trying to put together a store on this site. So it has been nice to have some time when I’m not crashing around trying to keep everything moving forward, to just sit and think and organize. If this is the way things have to be for a while, then I will try and make the best of it.
I will say I’ve been worried for the country this week as I look out and see states rushing to reopen. I’m a firm believer in personal freedom, but I don’t think we’re ready for this move at all. I know people have some real cases of cabin fever going on, but that’s not really a disease, whereas the coronavirus is. For some unknown (to me) reason, months into this we still don’t have enough tests or enough testing going on to have a really firm grasp on what’s going on out there. I wish people would focus their energy on pushing their representatives for more testing before they push to reopen everything. I’ve seen disagreements on many things since the very beginning of this pandemic, but testing seems to have been a universal. And yet here we are with less than 1% of the population having been tested and people are ready to jump into the deep end of the pool. I hope if you’re reading this that you’ll really consider how much you need to go bowling or to the movie theater and whether things like that are worth the risk. For me, I don’t have to go anywhere but to the store, so I’m going to do my part to keep myself and my family as safe as possible. It’s time to listen to the experts in this country and know that they are not soulless beings – they understand the financial hardships that people are under and the threats to the national economy, but they also know that without proper testing, the flattening of the curve can go right out the window in a very short period of time. Enough from me on this, but please weigh your options and really think about it before you head out to the skating rink or arcade.
And that’s about what I’ve got for this week. I’m staying sheltered here in D.C. until further notice. I’m going to keep taking photos around my neighborhood if you’re interested in what the non-federal side of my hometown looks like. I’m going to keep writing. I’m going to keep planning and dreaming and praying and hoping for the best. And when it’s safe to do so, I’ll be cruising down the highway once again.
Until next week then, stay safe out there. Look out for your physical and mental health. Take long breaks from the news. Find what joy and laughter you can in whatever way works for you. Get outside and breathe some spring air. And keep your hopes and dreams flowing.
-Mike