@Marts 12 March 2021 more from that month

The Things I'd Love To Do If Not for this Pandemic Ohh, boy, God knows how much I miss our old lives pre-pandemic. I miss the old normal where we are not quarantined and limited in our movements, where we are not required to wear masks, and in case you are from the Philippines, these annoying face shields that we often forget somewhere else.  But no matter how much we yearn for the old routines, we are already living in the new normal. We have no choice. The pandemic caused us to embrace a new lifestyle that forced us to adapt and be resourceful.

Because of the limitations caused by this pandemic, many of us were not able to do things that we used to do. Here are some of the leisure activities I miss doing.   Travel At the beginning of the outbreak, the whole world came to a sudden halt. We are confined to our respective homes. Gladly we are now, at least, allowed to travel for essential reasons and tourism is slowly opening up its doors. But since COVID is still out there and is not seen to be gone anytime soon, it is better to postpone any plans for out-of-town trips. But I miss traveling very much. Given a chance, I would love to go to Baguio or Vigan, or Cebu.  Vitamin Sea Of course, coupled with travel is to experience the warmth of the sea. I live far away from the nearest sea, and I love the ambiance, the breeze, the salty taste of the seashore. Though I don't know how to swim, I still would love to go on swimming soon!  Hiking Going on hikes is one of my favorite escapades! I love the thrill of going on top of the mountain peaks and feel the fresh air. The view from the mountains is refreshing and calming to the eyes. Though it consumes a lot of energy and sweat, it remains on top of my list when this pandemic eases.  Biking long rides This one is very possible to pull off. Biking in groups, and even solo are becoming a thing now especially after the anxiety brought about by being quarantined. This came about as a form of release and relief. But after what happened to my friend as I mentioned in my previous post, I think I'm going to skip long rides for a certain time.  https://read.cash/@Marts/today-a-friend-just-died-3a4aa668 Catching up with friends I believe many will agree with me that Zoom meetings and webinars are a special kind of exhausting. It drains my energy. It gives me screen fatigue. Though I am just sitting within the confines of my home, staring at the screen and fixing my gaze upon the camera most of the time, the fact that everything is just virtual is disheartening. I long for physical meetings, real connections with people. I miss catching up with friends.  Cinema Yes, Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming sites are now a thing but movie houses give a different kind of excitement and pleasure. I can still remember how the whole movie house went wild when Captain America wielded the Mjolnir in Avengers Endgame. It was fun and euphoric! I miss those times.  Extended Dates Dates are wonderful, but for those who have no personal vehicle, transportation can be too costly. Auto-hailing apps are so lucrative and because of restrictions from different places, dates are now limited. You cannot even eat alongside your special someone! I miss road trips, museum visits, resorts, chilling at cafes.  This pandemic gave us a heavy blow. I hate this as much as everyone I know does. But still, there are lots of things we can be thankful for despite our situation. Let us continue hoping and praying that this global ordeal to be over very, very soon.  What activities will you embark on if not for this pandemic? Hi, I am Marts! I am a writer, and aside from my stint here in read.cash, I also have my own blog - **martsvalenzuela.com**. I appreciate it if you pay me a visit! I plan on growing my readership as I learn to improve my craft and journey towards my passion to write and publish books that add value to people.  https://read.cash/@Marts/a-walkable-city-is-a-healthy-city-465ac042#bad-link