There's No Place Like...

Spoiler Alert: This is another post intended to provoke you to think beyond our own borders--the borders of your yard, your community, and even our national borders. To remind ourselves, that, in the midst of continued restrictions and our concurrent 'stay in place' (aka at home), there are literally millions of others who would readily trade places. Thus, there's no place quite like:

Ethiopia:  Besides the presence of COVID, plenty of other reasons to avoid Ethiopia as a travel destination for the near future. Especially the northern region and specifically Tigray, given the military action that has displaced thousands from their homes. They would gladly trade places with you if you want to swap air B&Bs...when was the last time you even looked at this part of your globe, let alone consider a leisurely trip there?

Nagorno-Karabakh Region: A hotly contested area by Armenia and Azerbaijan (want to buy a vowel?), another area you would not want to vacation in even if you were allowed in right now. Historically, an area that has swung back and forth in occupation and ownership, with a recent 'Russian connection' of its own, as they stepped in to help broker a deal. One of the many unresolved questions/disputes is where the thousands of Armenians will have to seek refuge if the deal (which essentially gives back a lot of territory to Azerbaijan) is finalized. This has also become a source of internal dispute within Armenians themselves, feeling sold out by their own government. And you think WE'VE got problems...feeling lucky yet?

Syria: where a civil war has raged for almost a decade now, with civilian displacement and refugee exodus collectively constituting one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history...is anyone still paying attention or have we become jaded? Literally millions have been affected profoundly. Some youngsters are growing up never having known a 'home'. So much for feeling bad having to be locked in our own homes.

Florida: depending on region and if in the pathway of Eta, which has become the second most intense November hurricane on record, as well as the first tropical cyclone to reach landfall in the U.S. within the month of November since Mitch in 1998. While 'natural disasters' such as hurricanes and wildfires usually eventuate in most being able to return to their homes, who among us is not aware of someone in your extended contacts that has lost their abode for good, or at least their belongings? Get the drift?

So, the next time you find yourself pouting due to a reduction in recreational opportunities far and wide, and otherwise finding yourself at home more, try instead to ponder about others who might even lack such a warm, cozy place to hang their hat, park their shoes--they're not that far away (in our own communities, of course, in the form of the chronic homelessness). You might even be prompted to reach out and lend a hand (so to speak).