Today’s the day* we would have left on a long road trip with Jen, Troy, and Declan to Yellowstone, with stops at other national parks along the way. We canceled our trip due to COVID-19. I kept thinking about how horrible it would be to get sick then have to drive two days to get home. Right? Blah.
I felt fine when we canceled it. Those parks will always be there (gosh, I hope), and the timing felt wrong. Besides COVID-19, it was too close to our river trip (I am almost recovered from that but not quite), and too funky with work (I checked my work phone often during the river trip to watch for an interview email – I normally wouldn’t check my work phone at all, and probably wouldn’t have service in the national parks).
I felt fine until I saw a local friend doing almost the exact same trip we had planned, and posting pictures of each day on Facebook. I felt happy they got to go, and loved seeing their pictures, and even thought “now I can ask them for tips for when we go!,” but I also felt a tiny bit sad we didn’t get to go. Even though it made 100% sense to cancel it. Even though I do not want to be on a road trip that far from home right now.
And a blogger I read is there with their family. And again I am like “I could be seeing that right now!” And again, I tell myself to bookmark that page as an idea for whenever we go.
What I am feeling is a reality slap. We were able to relax, and get on River Time, and not think about COVID-19 when we were on vacation. Then my parents visited, and besides wearing masks and keeping my distance, I was not really thinking about it too much – I was happily distracted with company. Then I was in my work bubble thinking about my interview. Now it’s back to reality for real and it’s a harsh slap across the face to think back to why we originally canceled our trip!
But again, now is NOT the time for us to go, and I was very glad to sleep in this morning, and have a quiet weekend ahead, and still be social distancing.
Me at the Grand Canyon in the 90s – I definitely have to visit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
*Today would have also been the day of the Olympic Women’s Marathon!!!
Aw, I understand that feeling…a sort of sad nostalgia for what we would have normally been doing this summer had it not been for Covid…the reality of it hits me from time to time, too. But, like you said, those parks will still be there in another year or two and you’ll be able to go another time. A friend of mine and I were talking about how having the summer like this is giving us the opportunity to figure out what things we genuinely miss and which ones we don’t at all. Useful information going forward!
Cute picture of you! 🙂
Yeah, that’s it! And yes, I cannot believe how much I have learned about myself, and how I react differently now to things that used to make me nuts!
Thank you!
I remember having this sort of melancholy the week I was supposed to have been on my New Orleans trip. It’s such a bummer to have our vacation plans canceled, and especially not know when we’ll feel safe traveling again! I know it’s crazy but I find myself wanting to be on a cruise ship so badly – just want to get away, enjoy some sunshine, have all my food taken care of for me, etc. – but obviously, WHO KNOWS when I will feel safe to be on a cruise ship again. (If ever???) But damn, I just miss vacations.
That longing to be on a cruise does not sound crazy at all! Just when you get to the logistics of it, and realize it’s impossible 🙁 We all need to get away and forget our responsibilities for a while, and for you, that is a cruise. I hope you get to go on one again someday since you love them so much!!!
All of this has made me SO sad. Like you, I totally get it and wouldn’t want to compromise our trip in anyway due to the virus. I want to enjoy all of it to its full extent. Canceling was the right thing to do, but that doesn’t mean I like it at all. This year has been full of so much disappointment that starts to feel heavy. Having something to look forward to when all of this started in the Spring was huge for me. BUT, we will get there and it will be amazing!! We can look back at this year and think it was a great idea to move it out a year! Hugs.
Yeah, I think this did feel the heaviest because it’s the biggest thing I’ve had to cancel and it was something we were looking forward to so much during the sucky parts of winter! And we won’t regret postponing, that’s for sure. Especially now that it’s up to THREE different families I know who went, so I have lots of people to ask for tips. LOL. Hugs xoxo
That’s a real bummer, even though obviously it makes sense for you to not travel right now. I had a conference in San Diego this past May that got cancelled, and I was disappointed that whole week about being in Illinois instead of California (especially since I ended up getting a root canal one of the days I was supposed to be there. Pretty sure that’s the literal opposite of being in California, haha). I think the hardest thing about all of this are the cancelled plans. I’m sure there are plenty of things I would’ve done this year without a pandemic, but I didn’t have most of them on the books, so I’m not really missing anything, you know? The things I did have on the books, though, are much more disappointing.
Root Canal or CA? I know what I would pick!
Gah, that stinks to have that canceled! And yes, that is such a good point, it’s the planned things that are the hardest to miss, and that we look forward to the most! So I wonder if going forward and not having any plans will make it easier, and make us appreciate what we do get to do, when we do do it? I still say to Steven (and even did yesterday) – I am so glad we got to go on our ATL trip to see the trials right before all this! Do you feel that way with Hawaii?
Oh man, TOTALLY. I honestly can’t even believe we went this year – it feels so inconceivable that we would’ve traveled at all in 2020 at this point! Missing out on that would’ve been a huge, huge bummer, and I’m so thankful we were able to go.
It seems like a life time ago, right? I am so glad you could go too, and your wedding was when it was! <3