A few days ago, Tom asked me, “Are you bored or antsy?” Is this enough?”
I giggled when I answered. “With the world still in some form of lockdown or another, there is nowhere I’d rather be.”
Without question, I have a short attention span and can easily become bored or antsy. Throughout my life, I’ve learned to find ways to entertain myself to avoid boredom or discontent. As Tom and I have discussed on many occasions, if we were living in a condo somewhere right now, waiting out the hopeful end of the pandemic, I could easily be climbing the walls in search of mental stimulation. He doesn’t experience such an issue.
How in the world did I ever maintain my sanity during the ten months in that awful lockdown in India? The only way it was possible was to develop a consistent routine and stick to it. This may sound counterproductive. But, in that particular situation, the routine saved me; the daily posts, the 8 km walk in the corridors, working on the new website, along with endless hours in research on many of my favorite topics.
Tom was content to be on his laptop researching ancestry.com and other websites that appeal to him. We both enjoyed it when it was 3:00 pm when we began streaming favorite series with multiple seasons. That time wrapped in mindless drivel helped us both so much. We don’t need to do that now, although we may stream a few shows when we go to bed.
Of course, being with Tom helps me considerably. He constantly makes me laugh and brings up topics he knows I’ll enjoy contemplating and discussing. We never run out of conversation. Even here in Marloth Park, we’ve developed a routine that only adds to our sense of fulfillment and lack of boredom.
As it turns out, we do most of our chatting in the late afternoon when we may decide to have a beverage, referred to as “sundowners” here in South Africa. These may be iced tea, hot tea, or a glass of wine for me or a cocktail for Tom, depending on what feels right at the moment.
Tom lights the various citronella candles and coils to keep the mosquitos at bay while I put last-minute touches on what we’ll be having for dinner. Then, for the first time all day, we relax and unwind, engaged in lively chatter, sharing thoughts, dreams, and hopes for the future.
Often, we relive travel experiences of the past almost nine years of world travel. At times, we look at old posts and recall the magic moments along the way. It’s never dull. It’s never boring. At other times, we discuss plans for the future. Right now, we are considering where we’ll go when our visa stamps are needed by June 30th. At times, we grab my phone and look up the Covid-19 restrictions for various countries, which may change daily.
Then, of course, we have the exquisite opportunity to engage with the wildlife that enters the garden throughout the evening. Although most wildlife comes to visit us for the pellets or whatever species-appropriate morsels we may have to offer, we can’t help but consider they may be seen since it’s “fun” here. We can dream, can’t we?
We can’t help but embrace both of these. The concept of living in the moment and dreaming of the future seems to work for us. It was that belief that got us both through those challenges ten months in India, and now, more than ever, we appreciate our sheer determination to get out of India, just in time when Covid-19 has grown to horrific levels.
Need I say how grateful we are? Never a day passes that we don’t take time to reiterate how happy we are to be here, leaving no thoughts or time for boredom.
Stay safe and continue to protect yourselves and your loved ones.
Photo from one year ago today, April 26, 2020:
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| Two Big Daddies head butting for dominance. For more year-ago photos, please click here. |