Day #188 in lockdown in Mumbai, India…Handling stress…

This appealing view enticed us to make Madafoo’s in Diani Beach, Kenya, a regular spot to visit.

Today’s photos are from the post on this date in 2013, while we lived in Diani Beach, Kenya. For more on this date, please click here.

The idea that I will be done with the work associated with the development of our new site within a few weeks gives me goosebumps with excitement. Doing a new post each day, along with an hour of edits on past posts, will leave me with some much-needed free time.

This is where we’ll lounge in the chaises at Madafoo’s in a guarded area overlooking the Indian Ocean each Wednesday going forward. If it rains, we’ll either wait until it stops or goes the next day.

With the loss of my dear sister Susan in August, the health of our dear daughter-in-law, three family members with COVID-19 (now on the mend), all of which were foremost in our minds, our site went live. Add the requirements of me writing those five 2000 word posts for search engine optimization (SEO) and the editing of the 3000 past posts over my head. It’s been a challenge.

In a lesser vein, the fact of the daily handling of our two month’s overdue arrival of the two items from FedEx, requiring tons of paperwork, is still yet to arrive, along with the daily research on when borders will open in India, let alone anywhere else in the world, it’s been a busy and trying time.

The swing that visitors are welcome to use. Guards hovered in this area, patrolling both the resort and the beach.

How do we handle stress? Both of us may have a few angst-ridden moments here and there. But, overall, we strive to maintain an even keel as much as possible. Knowing how dangerous stress is for health, we continue to steer ourselves into a place of quiet and mindfulness.

Fortunately, we both are good at soothing one another when situations beyond our control seem to spiral. We’re firm with each other to say, “Get a grip,” “Settle down,” or, “Let’s figure it out.” This has been our saving grace. Neither of us needs to be coddled. Instead, we both prefer a specific action plan. Whether we get the plan from one another or create it on our own, we have the strength and support of each other to find our way to the other side.

Stepping onto the beach, we were ready to tackle the soft sand for the long trek back to our holiday home.

We do not doubt how much easier this is for us as a happy couple when tackling challenging scenarios. If one is alone in life, the magnitude of such challenges is only exacerbated by not having a loved one at their side to help work through the issues. Many of our readers who have written to us over the years are single, divorced, or have lost their beloved partner and now live alone. Children have grown and left home or, in many cases, moved away.

In many other cases, the parents have moved to a warmer climate or elsewhere (like us), leaving siblings, children, and grandchildren in their wake. In these times of COVID-19, they find themselves alone in their house, condo, or apartment, trying to work their way through the challenges of the pandemic.

The local fisherman, working in the sea to earn a living, catches fish they sell to the restaurants.

Many of our readers are divorced, single, or widowed with children to care for and have lost their source of income due to the worldwide lockdowns. The financial burdens on these single-parent households have left them reeling with fear and uncertainty. Many have lost their insurance benefits by losing their jobs.

Another common scenario is the couple, alone or with children, who have lost their income and are dealing with the financial and emotional stresses of COVID-19. And yet, another stressful and sad situation is the millions of seniors in retirement homes, assisted living, and nursing care facilities that haven’t been allowed to see their families all these months.

Once again, we were walking on the long pathway from the sea.

Then, of course, are the almost 1,000,000 people worldwide who’ve lost their lives to COVID-19 and the horrific loss for their loved ones. Over 33,000,000 have been tested positive worldwide. I have no doubt, every one of those people experienced a degree of stress in wondering if they’d become one of the death statistics.

All the naysayers can say what they want about “conspiracy theories” about COVID-19 being a scam or a hoax. But the reality remains that almost 1,000,000 people have died from this pandemic. Ask those family members if they think the virus was a hoax.

This pod baffled us.

So when we look at our stress of being “stuck in a safe and clean environment” with food, although boring and repetitive, with our income intact and a roof over our heads, we have little to complain about. The loss of my sister and the concerns for our daughter-in-law has been at the forefront of stress-inducing during this time, along with the worry over family members’ health and well-being, especially those who’ve had COVID-19.

None of us are exempt from stress and worry during these challenging times. For us, we remind ourselves of what we do have as opposed to what we don’t. In the realm of things, when we get out of here and where we’ll go to continue on our world journey is infinitesimal compared to the situation of others.

Back at our entrance, we were grateful for our time away. I couldn’t wait to download the photos to see how they came out! But we were also glad to return to strip down to our bathing suits, drink more water, and relax after the long strenuous walk in the heat.

We hope and pray for the health, safety, and well-being of you and your loved ones as we all work our way through this outrageous time in our history. Once this has ended, may we all remember this time and appreciate our lives in times to come.

Photo from one year ago today, September 27, 2019:

Visitor! This chicken on the farm in Devon, England, was waiting at our door for the possibility of some morsel. For more photos, please click here.