The Month The World Changed – March 2020
Well everything is different now. The world has really changed in the last three weeks. With the COVID-19 Coronavirus stopping most domestic and world travel, and the ensuing economic fallout of widespread quarantines; most of everyone’s March and April plans have been re-written. Being based out of a suburb in the Sacramento California area, we have most fortunately been spared heavy contagion – so far. Hopefully this calm will continue, but nothing is certain as I write this at the end of March 2020. Surprisingly I’m still optimistic for humanity’s long run, but without a doubt the next few months will be challenging for all of us.
Getting To Know The Local Neighborhood Better
Watching the news out of New York from the west coast I really feel for the people of that great city and state. New Jersey and the other surrounding areas also have the same shared battles. I make a point to listen to Governor Cuomo’s news briefings in the morning when I can, and he and the rest of the community have a real battle ahead of themselves. New York City and Long Island are a couple of my favorite destinations to visit, and I really feel for the people living there.
Local Green Belt In The Neighborhood
California Poppies On The Hillside
In Italy and now Spain things have been and are now much worse. Both the US and Italy have surpassed China in the number of cases, and Spain is soon to follow. The stories out of Italy are terrible, and with the numbers of deaths over 10,000 (as of this writing) I pray they have some relive coming soon. I also hope Spain and the US can be spared the worse, but the progression of this virus can only be predicted day by day.
The Streets Are Pretty Quiet
In sharing some thoughts and ideas on the current pandemic, I acknowledge the precarious position of the “at risk” population. These are individuals that are health compromised, and/or older in age and as such make them more susceptible to death should they be infected with this scourge. We all have people we care about in this group. For their sake exercise caution and good health practices. It’s encouraging that as a country and as a people so much effort is being expended to help a smaller portion of the population. I think it reveals how we’ve become a more benevolent society and world.
Fortunate To Have Trails Nearby
On a less important subject, for those of us in the travel hobby things will never be the same. I’m not saying it will never be safe to travel again, or that we won’t defeat this virus, but I am saying that the companies and people in the travel space won’t be the same. Some companies will not have the expertise, or resources to temporarily shut down and then reemerge once conditions are better. And the companies that can shut down won’t reemerge as the same companies. They’ll reemerge slowly, only scaling up once customer demand is restored. And that customer demand will take a while, much more than two to three months. Those companies, especially airlines, will remake their businesses on much more favorable conditions for themselves. They’ll be slow to offer perks and extravagant amenities, especially on the front side of recovery.
Neighborhood Views
On a personal note I’ve been working as a professional in a none travel related business for many years. I was making plans to start to transition out of that business this summer, and to travel the world much more often. All while taking advantage of the extraordinary returns in the stock market bestowed upon us from the investment gods. What could go wrong with this plan?
Local Bench With A View