The past week kept me in front of my laptop, and in my apartment, more than I would have liked.
Work piled up every day even though I spent most of each day working. Usually, such a stretch would be okay. But during this Covid-19-influenced period, where the amount of work being performed doesn't correlate to the income received, it's not as enjoyable.
So on Friday, after battling the onslaught for a week, I suddenly stopped working at 1:00pm, while I was right in the middle of something. I had an intense urge to close my laptop, put on my shoes and head outside for a walk.
Before I knew it, I had walked 6 miles to the pet store and back (Matcha needs her fancy food!).
That walk reset my mind. It didn't take long for me to forget about work and for my mood to lighten as I nearly skipped along the sidewalk, humming to myself and swinging my reusable shopping bag all around. I really needed to do something different. And the good mood it led to has stuck with me ever since.
The takeaway is that sometimes we don't need to endlessly chip away at the impossibly thick concrete wall in front of us. Sometimes we overcome our obstacles by putting the chisel down, and simply walking around the wall.
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The positive conversations have continued with my contacts and friends around the world who assist with the operation of my tours. There's a noticeable change in tone lately during these calls, a genuinely exciting shift, as countries take even more steps towards opening up.
From my tour guide in Bundi, India to my transportation guy in Benin to the owner of the incredible guesthouse we stay at in Morocco's Dades Valley, it's been a most welcome change of pace to speak about travel returning instead of how much worse it will get!
