Outfit: old H&M dress, similar here and here; espadrilles here (they’ve been restocked several times), hat here

The pandemic has forced so many changes in our world. It changed our whole perspective on our lives, our future, and even our priorities. For so many, it uprooted what were previously, very comfortable lives, and made us reevaluate and look at things differently. I’d like to believe that we’ve changed after this prolonged “pause”, particularly, changed for the better, with better values in place.

I know I am not alone when I say that this has been traumatic… I tear up when I see any signs of decency or goodness, and I go numb when I see the maleficence of some… I don’t know if I can and want to give that time any longer, and I know that this is good and bad…

It seems that many are thinking that we’re at the end of this pandemic. Frankly, I’m still cautious thinking that… the world is very much in it still (i.e. India), and while cases might be going down in the US, it’s still too early to celebrate. Am I pessimistic? I don’t think so, just realistic, given this past year.

Yes, hubby and I have completed the vaccination cycle, aka, we each received both our shots, and are currently awaiting the two weeks post-second-shot, at which point CDC considers us “fully vaccinated”, though we’ll still be careful. However, being fully vaccinated will allow us to meet with other people, especially our families, and will give us more peace of mind with some things - I’m looking forward to that.

In all honesty, though, I still have mixed feelings about this pandemic, and going back to “normal”, aka, to a life that we knew prior to this… I miss gathering with people and having good conversations with them face-to-face, but at the same time, I really crave isolation… just not the kind we’ve experienced. Rather, I crave to be somewhere in the middle of nowhere (but surrounded by water), with no other people around (other than hubby - it goes without saying)… does any of this make sense? I think I just crave a change of scenery… for months, our lives have been looking the same, day after day, so yes, a change of scenery is needed. Even though we’re creatures of habits, we 100% need a break from them once in a while. I simply LOVE quietness, and there’s just been so much noise this past year... necessary noise, but also too much incessant and pointless one… and it still continues…

No matter if this feels like the end of the pandemic, or still the middle of it, I’ll close this by urging you to prioritize your wellbeing, whichever way that looks for you.

Until next time.

xoxo,

Em