Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Spring Break Roller Coaster

My daughter had originally signed up for a Spring Break trip to Greece with her art teacher and a handful of other students. At 18, this would have been her first overseas adventure ever. A week ago that trip was canceled because of the cruise ship that was to take them from island to island. Cruise ships are no place to be in the wake of Covid-19. However, the art teacher continued to work with the representative from the educational travel company to develop a new trip, closer to home. She emphasized that the new trip should include as many “cultural experiences” as possible.

Highlights of the new trip to Costa Rica - announced yesterday - include a craft workshop, a cooking lesson, a dance workshop, a horseback trail ride, a canopy tour with hanging bridges and zip line, beach time on the Pacific Coast and a visit with Costa Rican students. Sounds like a great trip, and it’s easy to get excited about it. But with the excitement comes all the questions. “Will THIS trip get canceled too? What if we get sick, or take the coronavirus with us? Shall I change the focus of my Senior Project AGAIN? Or stick with my original back-up plan?”

Up and down and all around we go. Living with uncertain excitement and dread. I just keep reminding her that we are all in this together, and it’s okay to throw up our hands and scream if we have to.




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3 comments:

  1. TraceyMarch 11, 2020 at 5:35 PM

    Great last line! It so neatly pulls together the analogy.

    Heidi always tells me that you're supposed to scream on roller coasters to release the fear and let yourself relax into the experience. It's not a sign of weakness, but rather a coping strategy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoanneMarch 12, 2020 at 4:51 PM

    It does bring us together, knowing that none of us has been through something like this before. Heidi is right: no roller coaster ride is complete without the scream.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Leigh Anne EckMarch 12, 2020 at 5:15 PM

    This virus certainly has brought about some wild rides and much frustration. I hope it ends up a success!

    ReplyDelete

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