12/18/2020
To My Friends, Family and Clients,
What an unforgettable year 2020 has been, though I feel many of us wish we could forget or erase the whole thing. The hardships of this year have been innumerable, and previously unimaginable. The loss of life, business, and quality time weigh heavy on all of our hearts as we continue marching through these unprecedented times.
James is still working for Columbia/NY Presbyterian, running clinical trials for diabetes treatments. Some days he has been able to work from home, seeing patients remotely and taking care of paperwork. Woodworking is his major side hobby and he's received some interesting commissions their year. This Spring, he was featured in a CNN article when he was helping to inspire fellow woodworkers and craftsman to donate any spare masks to their local hospitals.
Diane graduated from kindergarten and started 1st grade. She has been doing remote learning since March, and has been doing great with it. She works with zoom, pre-recorded videos, workbooks, and various computer programs. Despite not being there in person, she loves school and loves her teachers. Her favorite things these days are reading books, drawing, playing Pokemon and Zelda, dancing to BTS, playing math games, making up scenes with Barbie's and dressing in various costumes.
As for myself, the pandemic has obviously devastated the travel business. I miss doing my job and working with my clients so much. And I desperately miss traveling myself. We were supposed to go to Japan this Spring to celebrate our 20th anniversary, and hoped to spend some of the summer back in England again, with James' mum. Like everyone's plans, they have been put on hold indefinitely. However, this inspired us to explore locally, during periods when case numbers were exceptionally low. We went into the mountains upstate 3 times. Once to stay at a Bali inspired house, once to go "glamping" in a stylish blue yurt, and once to stay at the new Cinderella's Gown cottage at the Roxbury. At the end of summer, we rented a vintage A-frame cottage in Cape Cod. And then for my 40th birthday in October, we went to Maine. We got to stay in a painted "hippie bus" in the Wiscasset area and then rented a home on the outskirts of Acadia National Park to do some phenomenal hiking. This was during the peak of fall colors, so it was spectacular, and thoroughly relaxing. An unexpected, but wonderful way to spend my birthday, and exactly what we needed this year. Aside from these road trips, we've spent more time hanging out at home, watching movies, reading books, and sitting in the yard than ever. We don't go out all that much, so these local getaways have felt all the more special. I never expected to find myself in the role of a teacher, but being at home with Diane, helping her through her education journey has been a fulfilling experience. I love seeing when she makes connections and finds inspiration in the work we are doing. I can't wait for the day where she can be back at school with her friends and teachers, but I admit, I will miss her and this crazy experience we have shared this year. At the end of this all, me and my business will still be standing, ready to help your travel dreams come true.
In lieu of traditional cards this year, we are doing something similar to what we did last year. With the money we traditionally put towards cards, we have made donations to charities helping families in need this holiday season. We also are participating in Reddit's Santa's Little Helpers again this year. This amazing program connects helpers with families in need, and you can work alongside other helpers to fulfill Amazon wishlists for each kid. Diane likes that we could read about and see pictures of the kids she was helping, and supposedly the parents will post pictures of the kids opening the gifts on Christmas Day. If you are unfamiliar with this program, I highly recommend it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SantasLittleHelpers/
As we head into 2021, with a vaccine on the horizon, I wish peace and good health to you and everyone you love. We hope you will break a bad habit, beat a personal best, learn a new skill, read the best book, do a good deed, visit a new place, try a new food, make a new friend, take a risk or two, and maybe even be the voice for someone who is struggling to find their own. May we all work towards becoming our best selves, despite the trials and tribulations life has been throwing at us non-stop. Show compassion, take every opportunity to find a ray of happiness, and lets work together to put the pain of this year behind us and carve out a new tomorrow where we can finally be together again.
Love,
Robyn, James & Diane Pring
