It’s hard to keep track of how many days/weeks we’ve been staying home to help slow the spread of coronavirus. If I am counting correctly, we are on week nine. At the beginning of this stay-at-home journey, I started doing what I call shelter in place travels. Basically, I travel the world virtually with the help of photo editing apps, a bit of research and a lot of imagination.
In a way, being confined has made me appreciate both the luxury of being able to stay at home when so many others can’t and the promise that one day, I may actually be able to leave my home safely to visit all the places I’ve traveled to virtually. Even if I never get to these places physically, learning about them has touched and changed me.
Here’s where I went on what I believe was week 9 of my shelter in place travels.
On day 62 I went to Mount Rushmore.
Here’s what I wrote in the caption:
Day 62 of shelter in place in San Francisco: I’m feeling all kinds of pensive because my 49th birthday is next week, so I thought I’d chill with these dead presidents on Mount Rushmore and reflect on the history of my life and what I’ve learned in the process. One thing I can tell you is that when I was younger, I used to think that I had to achieve things in order to prove my worth. The idea being that the more I achieved, the worthier I would be. I was so wrong and wasted too much time grieving perceived “failures.” As if failing at something instead of achieving it took away from my worthiness. I was so wrong. I now know that I do not have to prove my worth and I never had to because I was born worthy. We all are. What we do and what we accomplish does not affect our worth in the slightest. Worthiness is our birthright. Period.
I travelled virtually to Mount Rushmore, which is the Black Hills of Keystone, South Dakota to think on this because in some ways Mount Rushmore is a failure and not an achievement. Still, it is pretty freakin’ amazing. The construction of it started in 1927 and originally each president was going to be carved to the waist, but money for the project ran out and what you see here is the unfinished product. I doubt that anyone looks at the granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln carved out of the granite of this magnificent mountain and thinks, “This project was never finished, it’s a failure and not worthy of attention.” Why can’t we show ourselves the same grace when each and every one of us is a magnificent work in progress? Never doubt your worth, I’m done doubting mine.
See what I mean about these virtual travels teaching me things? I knew almost nothing about Mount Rushmore before this imaginary visit. I certainly didn’t know that it was unfinished.
Shelter in Place Travels
San Francisco, CA
ALSO READ: Week 8 of My Shelter in Place Travels
I showed you mine, now show me yours.
Share your city/town/suburb/you name it! Think of this as a photography hop that lets you share your part of the world and lets you travel virtually. If you link up, please link back or post the Sundays In My City button either in your post or sidebar to let people know that other bloggers are sharing their communities too. Happy trails!
Leave a Reply