Today is a beautiful day. Even if it is raining, it is still a beautiful day - the farmers need the rain, our yards need the rain. And soon the rain will stop, the bright, warming sun will shine down upon us and we can all go outside and enjoy our beautiful world. If it is a foggy day, that too will go away by mid-morning and the sun will shine again. Or perhaps the day will be one of those gorgeous November days from the very beginning.

 

November and December are two of the most enjoyable months of the year. What can be better than Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December? And we have so much for which to be thankful.

First of all, we should be thankful that we have life itself and that we can enjoy the beautiful world in which we live. Then we have our families and all the love for them and their love for us plus all the memories that we share together. Let us not forget our friends who comfort us when things go wrong and celebrate with us at our small accomplishments.

We should also be thankful that we have so many freedoms...the freedom to make choices. Even the pandemic has left us with choices...at least up to a point. But not always...some of the wonderful attractions that we might choose to visit have closed at least until we bring this pandemic under control.

Wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing is where we all have a choice.

And that is where we all have a choice. We can take care of ourselves and our neighbors by following the recommendations of our local health authorities and wear that mask and practice social distancing or we can choose not to follow their recommendations.
And that is where I have made a choice - I care about myself, I care about you. Therefore, I will see that social distancing is observed on my tours and that includes on the buses and the planes. Consequently, with fewer people on the bus, the price of a tour increases. The U.S. buses that ordinarily seat 56 passengers should be limited to 27 people including the guide and driver. That means only 25 paying passengers. The Mexican buses that are smaller can accommodate only 22 passengers including guide and driver.

There are many tour companies - and airlines - that have chosen to ignore these attempts to bring the pandemic under control. Therefore, those companies will be able to maintain lower prices.

You have a choice. l hope you choose to go the safer way - it is your choice.

In the meantime, wherever you may be this Thanksgiving, I hope you enjoy your family and friends. Remember, we are blessed.