Hello Friends,

Who could’ve known, just a few short months ago, what our current ‘normal’ would look like? Though our world feels like it’s turned upside right now I do hope you are finding moments of comfort, connection and even humor as our lives have slowed down.

I’m on day 19 of my ‘physical distancing’ and am hunkered down with my husband here in Chico in Northern California. We are healthy, comfortable and yet concerned about the state of our world right now. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, truth be told. How are you coping? How has this new chapter impacted your life?

I shared a few thoughts on Instagram earlier this week:

I'm on day 16 of my personal decision to officially start 'physical distancing'. Social isolation sounds lonely and depressing but physical distance is essential right now to stop the spread of this pandemic. Though we are trying to make the most of it, like our 'dinner out' (balcony style) on Saturday night, this new normal is not always easy. My theme for the year is to 'savor' so I'm trying my best to savor the little things: a golden sunset, fresh bloom in the garden, newly organized pantry, yummy new recipe, belly laugh with my husband and facetime with our grandbabies. 🔸As a travel advisor it's devastating to have our wings clipped but I've been hearing from friends in Italy and Spain about the seriousness of this situation. As a career psychologist, the anxiety and depression this isolation can bring, especially for those alone, is concerning. I want to echo the advice out there to go easy on yourself, highs and lows are normal. Call a friend, communicate how you are feeling and connect. Make time for self-care, exercise, prayer/meditation and preparing healthy food. We find music to be a good antidote - either calming or mood-elevating so it's good to experiment. Puzzle therapy has been surprisingly fun and zen. Finally, my heart goes out to a lifelong friend of mine who's 34 year old nephew passed away in Pasadena from Covid-19 following a trip to Disneyworld. 🔸This is the most serious time in our lifetime. Be smart, kind and stay well.💛 #chicoca #viewfromhere #self-care #traveladvisor #covidcope #physicaldistancing #chicocalifornia #cadencememories #cadencetravel #winetime #over50style #day16

56 Likes, 11 Comments - Luxury Travel Advisor/Owner (@curatedtravel) on Instagram: "I'm on day 16 of my personal decision to officially start 'physical distancing'. Social isolation..."

A glimpse of our world in the ‘slow life’ era.

We’ve been busy in the kitchen. Destination themed dinners have been a hit (think paella, sangria and fried plantains from Spain with the Gipsy Kings playing in the background). We’ve been trying to keep our meals fresh with lots of veggies and salads but I also broke down and baked chocolate chip cookies for the first time in years.

WOW! Hello cookies, we’ve missed you!

With all the home cooking we are now doing I must confess to missing some of the dishes at our local restaurants. We’ve ordered take out once or twice and plan to do it again soon to support the local businesses.

You will find the recipe to these soft and yummy chocolate chip cookies on my Pinterest board here. By the way, I used a light whole wheat flour and they turned out perfectly.

This made us laugh today. Does your home cooking weeks on end leave you feeling like this?

Humor from my wise mom.:)

This video popped up in the images on my phone today. We were in Provence this week last year and it is a good reminder of the beauty of that trip and to have hope that we will be traveling again someday soon.

I’ve had a number of friends and clients reach out to see how my world in the travel business is faring during Covid-19. Though I’ve had a number of changes, including my two biggest groups (one to Paris and a Med cruise) cancel within two hours of each other, many of the other trips I’ve worked on for clients are being postponed rather than cancelled. This is hugely helpful for the travel industry as well as our own peace of mind. Those of us who are energized and motivated by travel are feeling like our wings have been clipped about now. Don’t dispair! Look towards the future, plot your travels for next fall, 2021 and beyond. I share more tips in this post on How to Keep Your Wanderlust Spirit Alive.

Thank you for reading today. Stay healthy and please reach out if you are so inclined. Let me know if there is specific content I can share - Travel inspiration? Travel tips? Travel Updates? Health and Wellness? - that would be helpful. Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below or by email. We will get through this chapter by supporting each other.

Be well,

Heather

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