Now, as I sit overlooking the sea, the gentle sensation
of the ship rolling my chair to and fro, my big mug filled to the brim with a
slightly too strong brew, I am content.
Tom reminds me, " We are not on vacation. This is now our lives."
A smile planted on my face, I try to grasp this
reality. This is our lives. Right now, until the end of January except
for a short few days respite in Boca Raton Florida with friend Carol, we'll live
at sea, 23 days aboard ship in January 2013.
We'll always remember this.
Or perhaps, we won't remember if over time this new
life of ours has days blending into one another as we did in the past. We remember tidbits. We remember special occasions. We remember sorrowful events. We remember
laughing so hard we snorted and cried. Do we
remember all of the days in between? Not so much.
So, how do we ensure that these days, simple in their
nature, stay alive and meaningful in years to come? Live in the moment. Document them here.
Yesterday, we anchored in Cabo San Lucas. We didn't go ashore on the tiny tendered
boats in choppy waters to be dropped off at a mile long stretch of one shop
after another luring tourists, beaconing passengers to spend, spend,
spend. That's not us. No trinkets, we agreed. No jewelry to attract attention. No home for which to bring baskets, artwork,
handmade rugs and pottery.
We stayed onboard when perhaps 70% of the passengers
went ashore. The average cost of an excursion off the ship was $200 per couple at
each port of call. There were six such
events on this cruise. We did the math. Our eight cruises with an average of six
excursions would total $9600, not in our budget. We'll wander if we so chose to the various ports-of-call on our
own.We are cruising as a means of transportation, to do exactly what appeals to us. Today, we'll go to church at 10 am, have an assessment by a personal trainer/physical therapist at 11 am, have lunch at the fabulous buffet, attend a another class on the Panama Canal (coming up in our itinerary in a few days), spend one hour in the sun as we did yesterday building a base tan without burning.
By then, it will be almost 4 PM. We'll relax in our cabin, catching up on
email and Facebook, shower and go to dinner whenever we're hungry. We'll dine in the fancy included-in-our-fare
dining room, once again trying new foods.
Last night, we watched the disappointing Minnesota
Vikings game in our cabin with dinner on our laps. On Friday night, Tom enjoyed two appetizers; Carpaccio and gluten free fried frogs
legs. He liked them. He's trying new things. Outside the box. I'd already made these items at different times in our old lives, Tom always turning up his nose. But, I didn't complain when he tried them on the ship enjoying each item.
Soon, we're getting off the ship to
wander about Puerto Vallarta on our own.
We'll report back what we've discovered.
This is our lives.
No expectations. Our only stress
is moving from one means of travel to another...the bags, not so bad now,
definitely to be reduced in the future.
We're OK for now.
This is our lives.
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