Up until last month, we lived in an age of constant movement and fluidity, open international borders, and an ebb and flow of coming and going. We moved liberally all over the place, and to some degree, probably took it for granted, too. Then one day in March, or maybe earlier depending on where you live, it all came to a grinding halt.

Borders closed with little notice. Parks, restaurants, and hotels shut down. Businesses and schools were locked up. Everyone was mandated to stay home as we confronted a silent, unwelcome, global traveler.

Hello, Corona(virus).

Being out and about in the wide-open world felt suddenly unsafe. Unpredictable. Uncertain. Overnight our collective center shifted back home, both physically and figuratively. New logistical challenges emerged as we recentered (remote work, grocery shopping, homeschooling, cooking nonstop). The global economy took off on a roller coaster and many industries, including hospitality, were thrown into volatile and uncharted waters.

Of course, the root cause of this pandemic is illness and suffering, followed by a tidal wave of fear and panic. I think we all have felt some anguish during this time. The loss of human life is very real (and my sincere condolences to those who have personally experienced a loss). There has also been a formidable loss of livelihoods and businesses. And then, there’s the loss of “normality” as we knew it–and there’s no going back to life as it was after this.

While not to trivialize any of the above, at the same time, I somehow feel “Corona” is bestowing on humanity a great gift…one that we will come to appreciate with time once this has passed. In the midst of our ever increasingly busy lives, we got the chance to go home. In all our “doing”, we had collectively gotten distracted from what’s most important: “being”. We had strayed afar from family, ourselves, and most definitely Mother Nature.

So what does home feel like now? Is it more of a nest, and not just a place we rest our heads? What happens when we sit still at home and don’t go anywhere? Do we succumb to boredom and numb, or do we start to appreciate the little things we tended to gloss over in a daily rush to get to school, a meeting, or have dinner on the table? And if we are now present at home, then staying home really isn’t going anywhere, right?

I certainly don’t have the answers, nor can I even offer advice beyond my own life, but my perception is that we are all on a very different journey now.

Here in Santiago, we are in week 4 of lockdown (I think?! Who can remember!). Regardless of time passed, I am slowly realizing how necessary this de-acceleration has been, at least for me. I seriously needed to take a step back from running around and taking planes like buses, and living for the next trip, instead of savoring where I was right now.

Corona, if it wasn’t for you, I never would have stopped to take this breather.

I am seeing how you have shown me the value of rest, reflection, and more creative time. The value of finding small pleasures every day, including raiding the “drink later” part of our wine cellar and chocolate stashes on a daily basis. All of a sudden, I have time to cook, read with my kids, write more, maybe, just maybe, declutter the house. Wasn’t I always complaining that I never had time for that before?

Oh, yes, Corona-V, you are a special moment in time. Not an easy one, but there’s some consolation in knowing it won’t last forever, either.

Perhaps the best path is to try to make the most of it. Try to savor this new pace, find joy in the day-to-day, and look for the silver lining. Ultimately isn’t the greatest luxury right now to be at home safe, healthy and with loved ones? I would say so.

Maybe this collective slow down will finally bring massive clarity and catapult us towards living more closely aligned to our core values, not just by our stock portfolio performance. We can do the work-life-nature balance better. We can be happier without doing or spending more. And, this may be totally groundbreaking, but what if we came to appreciate the slow life and revere silence with the same admiration for our love of productivity and being busy? Is that possible? We wear that like a badge of honor and I think it’s actually the contrary. Only by stopping all the motion will be there space for a new way of living, and being, to emerge.

Hmmmmmmm…..

Corona, you also are teaching me to realllllllly flex my trust muscle. Trust in something larger (hello Universe), trust that everything is figureoutable and will work out, and trust that humans are innately good. Karma will take care of the others. I am learning to lean more into uncertainty and get comfortable with being uncomfortable, something I had heard a bazillion times from self-help gurus but now get to actually apply it. I get a chance to cultivate faith and choose love over fear, despite appearances. This is an opportunity to show up and actually be present. There’s no point in stressing on what will happen in a week, a month, three months, or even a year because in this new sea of uncertainty, our real currency is our intuition and being adaptable and flexible.

Maybe that’s what this is all about. Nature, in her divine wisdom as a Mother, saw us humans needing a bigtime rebalance and said, “OKAY, you guys all need a time out!!!”

And she sent us all home to think about what we’d done for a little while. Hahaha…but seriously!

I know what you are thinking…

Liz, this reflection is all very good and necessary, but since we are all going to be home for a while, how can we keep our love for travel alive, and boredom at bay?!

It’s pretty simple. I observe my kids doing it all the time. Play pretend. Dream. Let’s fire up our imagination to go there. Let’s engage our curiosity and travel virtually right now. Our minds are so powerful. Examples? Here are a few: Sign up to learn Spanish online at iTalki; watch a movie set in your dream destination (hello oldie favorite Romancing the Stone set in Cartagena); Read Che Guevara’s “Motorcycle Diaries”. Since I know you are all drinking a lot of wine, how about ordering some tasty new ones from Chile or Argentina (I can help with recommendations if you need it). Or buy a new cookbook and recreate those flavors at home. Or if that’s too much effort, just click on an inspired playlist on Spotify and make yourself a local cocktail like a Pisco Sour. I promise to help inspire as much as possible on the South America front!

Nobody has a crystal ball as to what comes next nor when this ends nor how we go back to “normal”. It won’t be the same world as pre-Corona. This is a new era in history and humanity dawning.

I do have total certainty, however, that we will persevere and there will be light and goodness on the other side of all this. I also know that international travel will return and flourish. And when that happens, we will, most definitely, have serious cabin fever…so why not start dreaming (and even planning) NOW.

Imagine the rush of getting on a plane, taking off, and heading to a new destination. That excitement of flooding your senses with newness. You can go there now with your senses and in your mind.

I will leave you with the lyrics of one of my favorite songs from the British funk band, Jamiroquai:

“Can’t stop, no
I know all we’re doing is traveling without moving”

We can all travel without moving. Let’s enjoy this new journey, and chapter, together.