I'm daydreaming today about all the things I'm going to do once we're allowed to leave town and be in the same room with strangers. Here's my Post-Covid Bucket List. What's on yours?
Did anyone really believe that we'd spend a whole year in our homes? Maybe a few experts knew it could come to this, but I doubt most of us would have guessed when we went into lockdown on March 23rd, 2020, that we'd still be here today. And now they're saying it could be coming to an end. Slowly, in phases, yes, but eventually, we'll emerge. I almost don't want to get excited in case it turns out not to be true.
I can't help daydreaming, nonetheless. The people I'll see. The restaurants and pubs I'll visit. And then where I'll travel to. Because exploring has been the thing I've missed most. I wanto to wake up in a place I've never been, and see things I've never seen. And I desperately want to hug my child. As international travel will probably be the last thing to return, it hurts too much to think about how much longer that will take.
But let's make plans anyway. Someday plans. Maybe plans. The kind of plans that keep you going. Those are the ideas we need right now. So, let's do it. Let's make a post-Covid bucket list.
When businesses open up
I think before we're allowed to travel outside the city, we'll just be grateful to go to places in our neighborhood. I'm going to get a desperately needed haircut, a pedicure, and a massage as soon as possible. I'm ready to move past maintenance mode. I want to feel good about myself. I want to get polished. And I want to be able to move my shoulder without wincing.
I'm also going to go and sit in a pub or beer garden and drink a few too many ciders and laugh obnoxiously loud with friends I miss terribly. And I'm going to eat dinner and pay someone else to do the dishes. I can't wait for a leisurely brunch at TriBeCa. Maybe I need to make a post-Covid restaurant list. I really miss date night.
When local travel is allowed
I predict I'll be allowed to travel around Scotland before we're allowed even to go to other places in the UK. Stricly from a tourist perspective, this is no hardship. Scotland is an absolutely stunning country, and we haven't explored it nearly enough. I think we should finally go to the Edinburgh Zoo, and spend a few days in Skye or Iona. Oh, and Harry Potter train, here I come!
I've already started planning a two-day walk along the Antonine Wall. Or maybe three days if we want to take it easy. The dog will love it, and I could definitely use the exercise. It's easily accessible from where I live with plenty of opportunities to stop for some food and maybe a pint. It may not be pristine wilderness, but it's achievable, and I just want to go somewhere and see old things.
When UK travel is allowed
I know the first thing we'll do is to book a train to Lancashire to visit the in-laws. My husband is very close with his parents, so I know it's been difficult for him to not go and visit with them. It's another opportunity for a good walk, not to mention endless tea and biscuits. Maybe they'll let me cook them dinner.
But there are also countless places in the UK I'd love to visit but haven't yet. From York to Belfast to Cornwall, I'm open to anything. One of my true bucket list items is to see a production of Much Ado About Nothing at The Globe Theatre in London. I'm going to get on their mailing list right now. I'm so ready to make live theatre a part of my life again.
When the world opens up again
The first thing I'm going to do when international travel is allowed again is to book that trip to New York that got cancelled at the start of the pandemic. I'm going to hang out in Brooklyn and eat bagels with my kid and go to witchcraft shops and be an absolute ridiculous tourist. I'm going to wander the New York Public Library and the natural history museum and laugh much too loudly with my family because we'll finally be back together. This is happening. I don't know when, but I will make it real.
There are very few places in the world that I don't want to travel to, but at the moment, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Italy are high on the list. Ooh, and a few days in Vienna to eat cake morning, noon, and night. I need to hurry up and get rich because you're not going to be able to keep me in one place for long.
What are you daydreaming about? What are you most longing for? What's on your post-covid bucket list? Let me know in the comments. Let's make it awesome.
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