I'm officially under the four-month mark in my countdown to full-time travel! These are some things I'm thinking about lately:
- I worry about my upcoming cruise. Not the actual cruise, but about things I probably shouldn't worry about at all. I'll be sailing on a ship I worked on eleven years ago! The thought of that floors me. I enjoyed nearly every moment of working on cruise ships, but if I'm being completely honest, there were as many tough times as there were amazing.
One of the first things I learned on ships was to never, never, ever, ever burn bridges. I mean, never on ships, the community is simply too small, too intimate, too circuitous. Be genuinely nice to everyone from the laundry guy to your cabin steward to the Steiners and Casino workers. Everything will always come back to you. Being on ships is like being stuck in a giant karma wagon, but the scale of earnings is multiplied by 100 over what it would be in life on land. With that rule in place, I made a lot of friends. And I came away from five years on ships disliking only two people with a burning passion, for reasons beyond my control (think: abuse of power, narcissism and blatant disregard for others).
I worry that one of those people will be on my cruise (working). I'd love never to meet that person again. Ever. But I don't worry about this enough to change my plans.
-This past year has been a BEAST. Absolute mayhem from two days before my birthday last year until now. 3-month premature twins to re-done root canals to mysterious, death in the family, lingering illness to barking dogs to cancer, emergency neurosurgery and strokes, holy cow! I'm so ready to close out this birthday year and start a new chapter!
Due somewhat to all that has happened this year, but mostly due to my own shortcomings, I failed to finish my correspondence course before it expired. Gah! It's the last class I need to finish my degree, and I think it might kill me. Maybe. I need to buy the course again, but I might be too intimidated...
- I will miss my sister and her kids more than I could have imagined was possible six years ago. In a really good, but bittersweet way. A person can change in so many ways in six years. I've been quite closed-off emotionally for a long time and this time with my sis and her kiddos has helped me learn to love again.
- I think my next phase of life (full-time travel) will be quite possibly the biggest challenge I've ever faced, and not because of the travel, but because of who I want/expect myself to be while I travel and the standards I'll hold myself to.
I want this experience to be about more than travel. I'm not quite sure what that will entail yet, but I'm working on it.
What's mulling around in your mind lately?
- I worry about my upcoming cruise. Not the actual cruise, but about things I probably shouldn't worry about at all. I'll be sailing on a ship I worked on eleven years ago! The thought of that floors me. I enjoyed nearly every moment of working on cruise ships, but if I'm being completely honest, there were as many tough times as there were amazing.
One of the first things I learned on ships was to never, never, ever, ever burn bridges. I mean, never on ships, the community is simply too small, too intimate, too circuitous. Be genuinely nice to everyone from the laundry guy to your cabin steward to the Steiners and Casino workers. Everything will always come back to you. Being on ships is like being stuck in a giant karma wagon, but the scale of earnings is multiplied by 100 over what it would be in life on land. With that rule in place, I made a lot of friends. And I came away from five years on ships disliking only two people with a burning passion, for reasons beyond my control (think: abuse of power, narcissism and blatant disregard for others).
I worry that one of those people will be on my cruise (working). I'd love never to meet that person again. Ever. But I don't worry about this enough to change my plans.
-This past year has been a BEAST. Absolute mayhem from two days before my birthday last year until now. 3-month premature twins to re-done root canals to mysterious, death in the family, lingering illness to barking dogs to cancer, emergency neurosurgery and strokes, holy cow! I'm so ready to close out this birthday year and start a new chapter!
Due somewhat to all that has happened this year, but mostly due to my own shortcomings, I failed to finish my correspondence course before it expired. Gah! It's the last class I need to finish my degree, and I think it might kill me. Maybe. I need to buy the course again, but I might be too intimidated...
- I will miss my sister and her kids more than I could have imagined was possible six years ago. In a really good, but bittersweet way. A person can change in so many ways in six years. I've been quite closed-off emotionally for a long time and this time with my sis and her kiddos has helped me learn to love again.
- I think my next phase of life (full-time travel) will be quite possibly the biggest challenge I've ever faced, and not because of the travel, but because of who I want/expect myself to be while I travel and the standards I'll hold myself to.
I want this experience to be about more than travel. I'm not quite sure what that will entail yet, but I'm working on it.
What's mulling around in your mind lately?
Sunset over the San Francisco Bay was amazing this past Wednesday! Loving this warm Norcal Spring!
I love this post. I can't even believe you have under 4 months left. I mean holy cow. I hope nobody you know is working the cruise. You can just let your mind me free and clear.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to get my passport this summer so that I can come see you somewhere while you travel. It's my goal.
this trip will change you for sure. I've been here 5 yrs and I still have no idea "who" I am after this whole thing. I've got to figure that out. It's been such an exhausting time.
There are a ton of people I wouldn't mind seeing on my cruise, but only one I hope to avoid! :)
DeleteI'm so glad you're getting your passport! We definitely need to meet up somewhere!!!
We're always changing, aren't we? I wonder if there will ever be a time when we can stop and say THIS is who I am? When it's all said and done?
I think we are always on that journey to make it not just about the travel. Then when we think we got there we find something new to en devour on. Isn't that great though. I used to say this at work all the time, the biggest room in the world is room for improvement. I think life will always have more to those who seek for it.
ReplyDelete