Dear Friend,
Every day, a hundred new and unsettling developments.
Every day, a hundred little blessings.
Events are unfolding so fast, each day feels like seven. It was only last week that all of Italy went into Red Zone restrictions, and now most of the US is in some sort of closure: schools, non-essential businesses, offices. By the time you read this, all of the US may be in lockdown.
As tonight marks a week of my local county’s first wave of closures, I have spent almost all of these last 7 days at home: working, home schooling, cleaning, and checking in with friends and family by phone. (Many of you know this drill or will soon.)
I have also helped refine and communicate policies for Untourists due to travel this spring. It has been heartbreaking and stressful for us as we have asked owners to cancel bookings, negotiated date changes, and contacted disappointed or concerned would-be Untourists.
Here at Untours, as we set remote work plans, we also take steps and craft policies to secure our viability in the long term. We intend to be here for 2021 and well beyond.
As I chat with colleagues and friends from our home exile, I notice a trend. In the face of disturbing news, we feel gratitude for the simplest things: daffodils sprouting in the garden, a forgotten chocolate bar in a desk drawer, that 15-minute stretch when the sun through the window falls directly on a favorite recliner, a scarf that conjures memories of the Roman market where it was bought.
You are among our blessings, and we will endure this together. Take care, friends. Stay safe and healthy. And please stay in touch.
In community,
