COVID 18 month Pause: Surreal

How could it already have been 18 months since my last travels? I refuse to see the last year and a half as wasted time although it certainly wasn't the plan, nor my desire to stay put and hunker down participating in endless zoom calls, Netflix binge watching, cooking, and shopping for the perfect face mask that wouldn't steam up my glasses. March 2020 I returned from travels through Asia for a long overdue pause only to find the simplest of life's pleasures coming to a screeching halt. The only travel possible was through the virtual lens of TV, Youtube, social media, or video calls. In the mean time life continued but not as imagined. My body needing fixing and my mother passed away. As it turns out COVID allowed me the time and reflection to properly absorb and address these significant life events. So here we are, not over COVID and at the cusp of another abyss (the Delta Variant). An abyss I'm ready to maneuver around with eyes wide open and two vaccinations.