Via California - May/June 2020 - 33

The first two weeks of sheltering in
place were the most bewildering.
The abrupt upending of routine, the sudden
uncertainty of livelihood, the news seeming more
foreboding by the hour, the worry for loved ones-
all of it swirled together in a perfect storm of anxiety.
The loss of control was tough.
Then it occurred to me: Isn't this sense of disorientation
and how we adapt to it some of the
best of what travel is about? After all, I thought,
my loved ones are still OK. I am, for the time
being, employed. And while I can't control the
news, I can regulate what I decide to do about it.
Creating a new routine was key, not only to
avoiding that vortex of worry, but also to providing
a sense of structure and order for these strange
days. So I still got up before dawn, but instead of
heading to work, I'd go walk in the surrounding
hills and take note of, say, the scent of jasmine on
the breeze or the sight of a hummingbird zipping
from bloom to bloom. My partner and I also began
watching the sunrise, relishing its warm glow, and
later strolling along nearby tidal sloughs to observe
shorebirds go about their lives as though nothing
were amiss.
Sheltering in place also made space for all the
homebodying my introverted heart could desire:
more exercise, reading new books, streaming more
documentaries and arts performances online. I
made time to donate blood, to feel I could contribute
something positive amid the bad news.
Best of all, I had more time to spend on the letter
writing and mail art I love, embracing both as
a material way to stay connected with friends and
family and as a fun way to express myself creatively.
I scrapbooked! I journaled! In other words, I made
sense of feeling so intensely housebound in the
same ways I would help myself feel more grounded
in any new place. I made a point of trying something
novel every day, no matter how small. I
vowed to reflect on the moment but also to revel
in what simple pleasures could be had.
I still long to savor all that life offers, locally
and globally-to dine at restaurants with friends,
however physically distanced, and to listen to the
plangent sound of waves on California's rocky
coast. A late-summer sojourn to Italy is now up in
the air-we'll see how the situation unfolds over
the coming weeks-and I hold out hope of exploring
Lassen Volcanic National Park in California
for the first time, too, once the park fully reopens.
But regardless of what happens, I feel determined
to prove, if only to myself, that a full life, brimming
with love and adventure and new experiences,
can be found at home as well as on the road.
-trina enriquez
trina
enriquez
lives in the San
Francisco Bay
Area, and her
writing has
appeared in
Sunset.
AAA | VIA 33
MITCH TOBIAS (2)
Via California - May/June 2020

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