Lockdown 81

Lockdown Day 81 - 15 June 2020

81 days have passed since Lockdown started. I think of the epic novel written by Jules Verne with the title Around the world in 80 Days, in which the fictive character Phileas Fogg traveled right around the world. Today, to actually travel around the world have a couple of meanings. 

One, does this mean you need to visit every single country to say you've traveled around the world? Or does it mean to travel around the planet earth, as in around its circumference/equator or from polar cap to polar cap? 

The facts are astounding. A man with the name of Michael Palin actually did the Jules Verne version on about the same route in 80 days. It was apparently very difficult to make the 80 days mark without using air travel. Today, to fly around the world non-stop will take 40 hours, including touchdown on the 196 countries on the circumference, and a mere 6.5 hours in a supersonic plane. If I were to walk the 24902km, it would take a year, resting and eating and experiences included. 

So, upon hearing that I could've gone around the world by now, I asked myself what do I have to show for these past 81 days? I imagine putting my feet on 196 countries' soil the past 81 days (which of course cannot be done due to you know what). How amazing could that have been. 

So maybe we should make a Lockdown 'bucket' list for all the things we dream about. We can also try to list 80 little things to be thankful for because of Lockdown. 

Perhaps you have done something else, something small that in 81 days has made an impact on your spirit, soul or body. Something that you will hold dear and maybe one day tell your grandchildren about. Those are the amazing things that will forever change us and the way we look at our world. 

One thing I know for sure, is the Rock of all ages has been standing next to me for these 81 days, holding my hand, providing a firm foothold for me to stand on, even when I felt I was losing my grip. He has kept my eyes focused even when I felt blind and made pathways I never thought existed. That is precisely why I know God's got this.