A Fresh Start: Wanderlust?

 

Lust means desire (and not necessarily sexual). Wanderlust thus means a desire to wander. As May begins this weekend, the muscle month of spring, can wanderlust be far behind?

A year ago, no one would even ask the question. We were all in hiding in our bunkers. COVID was everywhere. Each contact with the outside world could mean infection. And infection could mean...well, there's the rub.

Remember what "they" told us when the C-Virus Mess began? Millions would die. It would be akin to the Plague. Here in New York, a rumor quickly spread that bodies were being buried in public parks due to the lack of ready places to bury. It was a false rumor.

COVID could be spread by contact - with just about anything, including the pavement. We wiped our mail, took our shoes off before entering the house. (Some even left shoes outside their front door.) One person we know, whose husband had autoimmune issues, took off all her clothes upon entering the house, threw them in the washer, took a shower, put on fresh clothes. None of it had any effect, as we now know, but fortunately her husband never got sick. (Did she think it was because of her "preventive" measures?)

So wanderlust - a ripe old word that many today likely never heard in the first place - wasn't in the cards. 

It is now. At least it was these last two days. I drove more than I have in months. It's Byzantine Rite (and Orthodox) Easter today, so Friday and Saturday I drove with my wife attending to matters related to our observance of this great feast. Yesterday we not only drove to have our Easter food baskets blessed - a venerable tradition - but we then drove to visit one of our sons and his family to drop off a basket with them. Yes, we sat a lot in traffic, but in the end it was all worth it.

Well, maybe all that wasn't because of wanderlust. But it's a grand old word and we did enjoy getting about (despite the traffic). Frankly, I've no desire to now see the rest of the big wide world out there. I never cared for flying, have not overwhelming desire to tour any particular locations at the moment. If we can see family and friends more regularly, that will do for now.

Will it mark the beginning of our lives post-Mess? I think it will. In any case, I decided that I'll do my best to live somewhat like I once did - before distancing and masking, etc. Of course, I'll respect those who can't imagine a world without masks. No need to make them nervous or get them riled up. I just want to live my life in peace, without anxiety. And putting all the nonsense (that likely didn't help to mitigate sickness and death) aside will be a first step. 

Not that I expect life to go on as it did before the Mess began. Nor do I particularly want it to. 

You may have noticed the push to "get people back to the office." Or maybe the increasing cries for all of us to take the shot - or else we'll never be "normal" again. We could expand the list, but we'll spare you. You likely have heard a lot more than just these two items. The question is; Does it make sense to you?

Is it really critical for our economy to force people who do just fine working from home to waste time commuting to an office? Do you believe that we can't resume life post-Mess without 80% of us taking an experimental drug, the longer-term effects of which are unknown? 

Just askin'.

So maybe wanderlust doesn't capture what really went on these last two days. That's OK. I'd be happy with a fresh start.