I don't normally share a lot of truly personal stuff as I tend to be fairly private except for those that I'm closest with, but I have to just admit that 2020 has been my own personal "Annus horribilis", (as the Queen of England once described the year 1992). Very quickly after the bulk of this covid-19 mess took off and so many stay-at-home / self-isolating/quarantine orders began around the country in early March, I watched as much of my booked business for the rest of 2020 quickly disappeared before my eyes, as cancellations by vendors mounted weekly (and still are), taking away all of the income for the summer and into the fall that would have come in, since as a travel agency owner I get paid when my guests actually depart on their trips. Despite all that bad, we've been ok as God has provided, and I've kept busy by serving in our church's Food Pantry two days each week and DoorDashing the rest of the time to bring something in each week and help with both the household and business obligations. Dealing with all the cancellations and re-booking sucked, to be honest, and I kind of went into a funk for several weeks as no one was even considering booking anything...until a couple of weeks ago when I got two different requests for actual NEW travel, not just re-booking something that has been canceled.
Back in mid-March, as a way to not get sucked into the looming depression that could have happened as a result, I began sharing a "travel memory" nearly every day since then. It began as a single image per day, and more recently I upped it to also share a video per day from my assorted travels and adventures that I have enjoyed through the past decade or more. These images and videos bring joy in many ways and brighten my day each time I choose a new one to share as they remind me of wonderful places, experiences, and people - both friends and family that I got to experience and enjoy together with. They have primarily been shared on my Instagram (info included in the image), so if you're on Insta, and would like to follow me to see more, I'd love that. More recently they've also been shared on my business FB page Cruise Planners - Christopher Lingren & Associates (link in my bio or on the left side of your screen if using your computer to read this vs your phone). If you don't currently "like" my page, I also invite you to do so and follow my stuff there as well.
This has been a hard year for so many, in so many different ways. Yes, I'm ok and will be, but I have to admit it's been very, very, very hard to keep it together. Many days I just haven't cared about most all of it and just haven't wanted to do anything, but I keep pressing on as my family needs me to. I so want to go somewhere, and adventure again, but alas that too must wait for another time. Until that time comes, more travel memories await. I hope you'll follow along! And more than anything, I hope and pray that YOU are faring well through all of this yuck. If there's anything that I can pray specifically for you, please don't hesitate to let me know. God hears our prayers and loves you so much. So do I. Thanks for being you, and being a part of my life.
