The United States of an African

Ah, future plans. Another grammatical faux pas; redundancy. But I had to keep the consistencies in the post titles of this series. So what does the future hold? Are everyday people making actual plans these days? I understand the lack of desire to not, but I hope so. This current situation is temporary. Everyone should have a hope and something to look forward to. Even God has plans to give you hope and a future. Check Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11. At least begin to create goals for the sanity of your mind. For my sanity I made the big decision to temporarily leave Michigan and go back to my family home in Atlanta. In the words of Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera, Nobody wants to be lonely. That song is my JAM!!! Anyways, while here in Atlanta I am doing work with a homeless outreach which I PLAN on blogging about. I’m also currently redecorating the entire family house, starting from the bottom (the basement). I’m in the middle of a workout plan with one of my sisters. I’ll be recording some music with my brother. AND I just started actively working on some stuff for my rotary club in Michigan. For someone who is technically unemployed, I am quite the busy woman. My mind is always occupied with one too many things.

But what about my travel life? What’s going to happen for the rest of the year? Am I going to push everything to 2021? The sad truth is that it looks like some, maybe all of my international travel for this year might not happen. I have a wedding in Canada this Summer and have plans to visit East Africa in the fall; both have neither been canceled nor postponed. This pandemic really threw a wrench into my travel activities. Granted it definitely doesn’t hold a candle to the dire struggles of so many affected by COVID-19. But it still stings.

Nevertheless, a light bulb turned on as my brother dropped me off by lake Eerie in Michigan en route to Atlanta. It was my first time seeing this Great Lake – three down, two to go. Although I do remember seeing a large body of water when I visited Toronto and am beginning to think that was lake Ontario which would then make it 4 down, one to go. I did not enjoy that trip. So, I spent a few minutes in solitude by the water as my brother went to buy gas for the road trip. As I had some alone time to not only contemplate my decision to escape Michigan and also cool off from tension in the car (my brother and I had a small argument lol), it also occurred to me the possibilities of short road trips within the state of Michigan and to neighboring states.

As I walked around Lunar Pier, I examined the empty lake town. The sounds of the crashing waves filled the lonely air. I thought about the history within each street and building of the sleepy town. I appreciate nature and history. Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois all have sights to offer and stories to tell. This would be a great time to explore those parts of the Midwest especially during these times; from a novel perspective.

And as the governor of Michigan slowly lifts restrictions in an attempt to reopen the state, the deeper I can explore. I’m actually excited about the journey that will be moving forward. As my homepage says, 2020 is still my year of new journeys. What do you think the rest of the year is going to look like travel wise?