If you are like me, someone who jumps at the idea of exploring a new place, but have not travelled in the last one year, you will understand my plight. On some days, I so want to catch a flight and visit another state or country, inhale the air of a new place, and try a new cuisine.
A year without a \"vacay\" has not been easy, but when endless hardship and suffering stemming from a pandemic continue to affect so many millions every day, planning a holiday is not a priority. However, on lazy afternoons, I daydream about happy times of the future when we can travel far and wide, when I will not have to wear a mask or remind myself to practice social distancing in public places.
I have not been on an airplane in more than a year. While flying was something I never eagerly looked forward to, in these days, I wish to catch a plane and swoosh to a holiday destination. I have kind of forgotten what it is like to go through security checkpoints, answer an immigration police officer’s questions, walk fast through a big airport to reach the boarding gate, or to decide what to pack and what to wear on the journey. The Daily Star link
The last time I breathed in that crisp, stress-relieving ocean breeze was in the summer of 2019. I think I will go to the beach when life becomes normal. I will close my eyes and inhale the salty air which magically calms my nerves. I will relax under a beach umbrella, sip a cool drink, and hear waves crashing on to the shore, one wave after another, without a pause, relentlessly.
I might even decide to spend an evening on the beach and watch a comma of a moon hanging from the indigo sky. A smattering of stars dancing around it!
Perhaps, I will choose a bustling city as my first holiday destination in more than a year. When good days return, the empty streets of megalopolises will once again be cacophonous, like the good old days. The sounds of siren, honking, construction, commuters talking on the phone, tourists chattering, cyclists whizzing by, street performers singing, birds chirping everything together will re-create the urban ensemble big cities were always known for. The eerily empty streets of once-buzzing American metropolises now sing songs of loneliness; heartache reverberates through the cities\" steel and glass structures.
Or should I visit a mountain range? Three nights in a tranquil mountain town far from the madding crowd will be absolutely refreshing. From atop a mountain, I will feel closer to the heaven. I will gaze at the distant horizon and realise all over again that in this infinite universe, I am no more significant than a grain of sand. The bewildering realisation will leave me with a sense of humility. Standing on the mountain, I will appreciate the idea of life and how much it is worth living.
If I am alive to live such a happy day, I will tell myself, "I could have perished in the pandemic, like so many millions perished, but I had not. I could have lost so much, but I had not. Therefore, my Creator, please make me humble."
Photos: Sazzad Ibne Sayed, The Daily Star
Publication: The Daily Star, June 25, 2021
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