We don’t know…Unsettling times..

With our combined innate ability and concomitant enthusiasm during over seven years of world travel, there were few, if any, occasions for which we could say, “We don’t know” about our plans.

We were surprised by the excellent roads in Madeira.

As is the case for embarking on any holiday/vacation, part of the joy of traveling the world is the anticipation of what is yet to come. For the first time since October 2012, when we began our journey, we can only say, “We don’t know” what the future holds.

At the beginning of our travels, we’d often book locations, holiday homes, and cruises, as much as two years in advance. We discovered that these distant bookings provided us with a sense of comfort by not having a home, knowing where we’d be short.

More one-way double lane tunnels in our area.

Now, during times of Covid-19, we don’t know anything beyond the next 24-hours. Within a matter of a week, international airports could open both in India and another possible location. Within hours, we could be packed and out the door on our way to the airport.

No doubt, this is unsettling. But, our situation is not so unusual when workers worldwide don’t know when and if they’ll return to work or when they’ll be able to pay their bills and put food on the table. However, speculation by their country’s leaders may provide a modicum of information leading to speculation as to when this will transpire.

What story would this abandoned house tell?

Does the world need to get moving again? The loss of life and well-being may far exceed the number of potential deaths from this virus. People here in India are out of work, starving while watching their modest way of life dissipating before their eyes.

But, as much as opinionated people like to espouse that the lockdown should end, the delay in doing so lies within this same premise, “We don’t know” what will happen if it ends. If “they” knew, more consistent and positive action would be taken.

Many of the tunnels on the island are one way to reduce the risks of accidents.

Blaming our leaders is pointless. “They” don’t know. Scientists don’t know, although many claim to have the answers, which vary from “open everything up” to “keep the lockdown in force for the next year or more.”

In many ways, lockdown is easy for us. We don’t have to purchase food and supplies and expose ourselves to the potential carriers who aren’t wearing a mask or exhibiting symptoms.

Driving around Madeira was challenging, although the roads are newer and well maintained.

Our only exposure is to the staff here, which has been changing recently to take over for staff members who’ve been living here for months, like us. Their temperature is taken daily, but most carriers don’t have a temperature and silently expose those in their surroundings each time they talk, let alone cough or sneeze.

Have you ever been in a conversation in a sunlight-filled space to observe the droplets spewed from a person’s mouth while talking with passion? It’s no different than the dust we see under those same conditions.

The nutrient-rich hills of Madeira were being prepared for summer produce.

So, now as the days turn into nights, weeks into months, we still don’t know, nor can we realistically speculate on what the future holds for us, for you, for the world.

This hill is considerably steeper than it appears. When sitting at the top, one can’t see the upcoming road due to the steep drop-off.

As for us world travelers, still unwilling to give up the definition of who we are, we have no idea if and when we’ll be able to continue. This virus has a life of its own, and no one, at this point, on this planet, can definitively say anything more than, “I don’t know.”

The old stone tunnel in the area was used until the newer longer tunnel was built in recent years.

This uncertainty monopolizes many of our thoughts and feeds into our fears. We all pray for the time when we can say, “I do know,” and we can continue with our lives, albeit in a newly defined state of existence with whatever those guidelines may be.

For now, may we all find some peace taking bite-sized pieces out of each day as we all strive to make it through this trying time.

Photo from one year ago today, May 23, 2019:

A gate to a private drive or boat launch in Connemara, Ireland. Please click here for more.