It’s Time To Take A Vacation
Places I’d like to go after the pandemic
You know how they say, “We need a vacation after our vacation?” This is that kind of time. The majority of us are holed up in our homes, maintaining a socially responsible solitude. While it seems ridiculous to think that we need a vacation after eight weeks of sitting at home, the truth is, we do.
Multiple studies compiled by the CDC have already shown that the stress we experience during shelter-in-place is slightly above the level we would expect from chronically sitting at home. Others have talked about how many of us might additionally have a form of adjustment disorder. I know I do.
Our lives have changed: perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse; needless to say, we’re not at the relaxation level of sitting on the beach and sipping a piña colada. We’re pacing around our homes trying to figure out what to do with ourselves.
For example, on the mornings when I remember to brush my teeth I keep trying to put my electric toothbrush back into the mirror cabinet instead of in its holder. Yesterday it took me five minutes to figure out how to put on my bra. I kept putting it on backward as if my boobs were on my back. In the afternoon, we went to Home Depot to pick up some brackets to fix the cupboards in our kitchen. Both my partner and I forgot to bring our wallets. While these are examples of how we’re simply forgetting to be human, these are also signs of stress from the uncertainty in our lives. In the late evening, both my partner and I came to a breaking point; we turned to and finished two bottles of red wine. But you know what, after not having had any alcohol for the majority of the past two months (we were determined not to add to the statistic of growing alcohol sales during quarantine), we both admitted that we felt better afterward. In this hustle and bustle of trying to fill every waking moment with meaningful learning, working and making money, we have forgotten how to relax. While conditions prevent us from traveling very far, here are some places I’d like to go, some of which are actually doable and some of which may have to wait until we can fly again.
In no particular order, these are the places I’ve been reading and dreaming about. I’ve traveled quite a bit but these are still on the To-Do list. If you’ve been to one of these places, leave me a message and tell me a bit about it!
- Faroe Islands (I saw on CBS news that now there is a Virtual Tour!)
2. Spain, in particular, Barcelona (I love art history and architecture)
3. Bear Mountain State Park (I want to hike Anthony’s Nose and Doodletown)
4. Route 66
5. Tahiti (or any place with a beach)
6. Disneyland Tokyo
7. The French Riviera
8. Crete (Minotaur!)
There are also my perennial favorite vacation spots, like Maui, Disneyworld and the Hamptons. I wouldn’t mind a week or two in those locales, either. Even if we can’t get away right now, perhaps a little mental vacation would do us a bit of good.
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