Recently an American company asked me to record an audio about the stays or the staytations. I hadn't heard of it in my life until it dawned on me. It was about helping people accept that this year's vacation could be limited to exploring what is at home or around them. The pandemic and the different ways of dealing with it in different countries have led many of us to reduce the possibilities of walking and going far to the beach or other countries as a way of rest.
After thinking about it a lot, I remembered how in cultural adaptation courses we work to help people adapt to new habits. If we are used to eating at 3 in the afternoon and at that time there is no place open to eat in the new country, we will have to cook at home or change the meal time in our new culture. In the same way, COVID requires that we make creative changes in the way we interact with people, events, places and in our conception of time. This summer it may be time to stay home on vacation. For fear of contagion or legal imperatives. We will then have to be flexible and find ways to enjoy a well-deserved vacation at or near home.
During the recording, I would suggest that we choose a theme: adventure, romantic, discovery, plans with children, spa rest ... and that together, as a family or with those friends with whom we want to share the holidays, we design a holiday at home with the theme chosen. If it's the spa break, let's unplug the digital devices, buy soaps, oils and scents, find candles and the right music. Let's organize a few days based on our choice in our own home. If we want to explore, let's do it with Google, in our garden, someone during the pandemic toured and documented all the graffiti that was in their neighborhood. If it is with children, let's explore what is open in the city that makes us feel safe ... Let's be creative to adapt to a situation that we cannot change.
A flexible mindset can recreate true stagnations and show us the importance of flexibility in these times.