Behind a mask

We left our state,

Tennessee,

for the first time since February.

We left to pick up my mother-in-law in South Carolina for a week-long visit.

We drove her back home this weekend.

Edward and I have spent time traveling almost every month since I met him in 2014. We have been in planes and trains and automobiles. We never let our suitcases gather dust.

Lock-down,

Quarantine…

Put a halt to our wanderlust.

Well, it literally put a halt to our travels, but it did not take the desire from our hearts.

It felt weird finally packing a bag again and getting into the car.

It was like we were being mischievous.

I didn’t expect to see everyone, everywhere wearing masks.

I did not expect to see changes in the stops along the road, but they were there.

Masks.

6-feet apart.

No eye contact.

Flinching away from each other.

I did not expect the experience to be different in the hotels, but it was.

Masks.

No pens.

No guides.

No note pads.

The door to our room was sealed to show it had been thoroughly cleaned.

All of these changes were made to make everyone feel safe.

From the virus.

From germs.

From each other.

What I missed was sharing a smile with a stranger.

It is hard to smile with your eyes when you have a mask on.

I miss that but I have to believe that the masks show caring for others and their well-being.

I loved getting in the car and going.

I loved seeing my beautiful mother-in-law and bringing her to Tennessee for a week.

I loved finding out how much I missed traveling.

Seeing new places.

Seeing new people, even if they were behind masks.