Corona Diaries - Lost & Found - #4

("the Blue City" at sunrise - Chefchaouen, Morocco 2020)

- APRIL 8, 2020 - 

Days begin with the sun cresting the peaks, pink and orange through my windows. Still trying to establish a routine, meandering the daily news, researching, writing, thinking, cooking, percolating on the path ahead, the sweet reconnection with friends and family. The world has stopped, so I have time to catch up. 

Tea all day. Long ponderous pauses. Tracing the trails I will traverse. 

Panic has not set in despite the utter lack of income. I am nesting. Enjoying my own flow. Curious where it will lead given so much uninterrupted space. 

Projects are taking shape. Figuring out how to reinvent this Modern Nomad. 

Got money in the bank for the moment. I find myself with the gift of time and solitude. So I am feeling grateful even amidst so much uncertainty. 

Morocco is on lockdown since March 21. Only essential shops, no intercity travel, general stay at home orders. The police are out monitoring it all. The King controls the narrative. They have shored up the health care system, and given money to formal and informal workers, plenty of food, and regular transport of goods. The village is quiet, but people are living their lives. There is a general feeling of peace, not so much anxiety. If I ask, people throw up there hands to the sky, and surrender circumstance and solution to Allah. 

I anticipate we will be closed until after Ramadan, so that’s the end of May. 

Nevertheless, I am very happy, and feel fortunate, to be stuck here. Much safer here, I think. People in the States have guns. And they are too used to convenience and comfort on demand, so they may be quick to spiral down. I wonder how many will become lost, and/or found in this time of forced reflection? 

If things go sideways, I have more faith in this community based culture. People know their neighbors here. In times of crises, people tend to come together to support each other. Families and neighbors serve the needs of each other. It is the heart of Moroccan culture. 

And I’ve got friends that are like family here. And it is easy to live simply. So I am good, more than good. I’m hopeful. I’m curious. I’m wide open. 

Everything coming to you is a gift.