I want more. I want to be running around, gallivanting around the world. I want to be sitting in a cafe, on the street, with thousands of people passing by. Moving. Shuffling. Riding Around. I want to use my little Dutch, even if it makes the locals laugh. I want to drink wine in the streets of Paris as my boyfriend meets me for the long weekend. Red. Moscato. Pink. White. A charcuterie board, too. A baguette in hand, even if that means a stomach ache later. We fall in love again, cheesy as it is. It is the city of love. To see the mountains in Switzerland and feel the ache in my chest as I realize how small I am within this big, wide world. I want more.
I want people to listen. To understand the threat. I wanted to travel but before I could realize; airplane rides became nonexistent. Long layovers were missed. Hotel and AirBnb stays were cancelled. I want to go. Somewhere, preferably, far away where my soul leaves my body to dance among the world. I want to feel. The world is my lifeline. Every new city I see reminds me of lifetimes I have lived before. I want people to listen.
Acadia at Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.
I want people to wear a mask. Cover their face. Mask up their germs. Control the spread of the virus. I want people to care. More about others than themselves. I want to go to Oktoberfest. Even if I have never drank an entire beer in my life. I want to find my way across the Strait of Gibraltar. Into Morocco. The blues of architecture echoing against the reds of the desert. I want people to wear a mask.
I want more. I want to be able to run around the world without thinking about masks, hand sanitizer, and my close contacts. I feel selfish a lot. Especially when I think about travel and the things I am missing out on as hundreds of thousands of people have died. And I am somehow here alive.
I want more. To live in a place that no longer politicizes a virus and instead respects and loves all people. I want more. I expect more. I will do everything in my power for more. So one day, I will be able to spend my time abroad. In Amsterdam, Paris, Switzerland, Germany, Morocco, and everywhere else I can imagine. Because one day, we will get more.