When the World Opens Up Again

For me, throughout this entire homestay season, I am sincerely interested to know how people are, how they really are. 

I thought it would be interesting, as we move closer to getting to go outside more often ;), how people would answer two questions in particular. 

I wrote to members of our Melting Pot Tours team, including some of our extended team of sorts, to ask how people were doing (really doing), and pose these two questions, with the refrain when the world opens up again because I like thinking in those terms:

1. What would you most like to do first, when the world opens up again?

2. What do you hope will be better (than it ever was before), when the world opens up again?

While I didn’t receive an overwhelming response, I am happy to share (anonymously, as promised) what did come back because I thought you might like to know! 

True transparency for me – I fessed up to my own response 😉

What would you most like to do first, when the world opens up again?

“The first thing I imagine I will do is just go out with friends, and do whatever dumb fun things we always do, it’s just all about seeing them and getting to experience what we were before we had to put a pause on.” 

“There are lots of things I’m sure I’ll want to do when the world reopens but definitely at the top of my list is to dine out at a full service restaurant! I haven’t cooked and served so many meals in a row since forever ago! And since I’m the cook, I am in charge of setting and plating and clearing … I’m really fine with it but the thought of sitting back and being waited on looms in my fantastical horizon!” 

“Starting with my wife and kids, I would round up my family and friends and enjoy live, person-to-person interaction…what they used to refer to as fun.”

“I really think I will go for a really long walk at the beach on the sand, by the breakers … followed by a really long sit under my favorite tree at the park right there. It will be like reclaiming my oxygen that has felt cut off all this time.” (Di)

What do you hope will be better (than it ever was before), when the world opens up again?

“I hope that security and how people sanitize will be better, this epidemic shows us how safe we have to be with what we do in our daily life and that we also have to be clean. There are many places like airplanes that barely get cleaned and people can get sick from that. We need to stay safe.”

“I really hope more people will be allowed to work at home and the traffic will be lessened. Traffic is one of the most challenging ills of living here and it would be so great if fewer people were made to commute.” 

“Compassion.”

“I am hoping that more and more and more people have anchored themselves in more love and kindness during this time, and that they will carry that out into the rest of their lives. Their willingness to be more loving in the world will have a ripple effect that only means good things for our planet going forward.” (Di)

What about you? Please think about how you would answer these two questions, and open a conversation with your loved ones using them. 

Let’s return to a better world. Let’s let it begin with us.